Probe

The nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) last Tuesday formally petitioned the U.S. Justice Department to open a criminal investigation of American Electric Power (AEP) for what EIP said appear to be “extensive violations” of the Clean Air Act taking place over multiple years, citing allegations made by a former AEP employee.

Sens. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) last Wednesday asked FERC Chairman Patrick Wood to reopen FERC’s investigation into Enron’s trading practices during the 2000-2001 Western energy crisis and to explain how the agency will respond to new evidence of “extensive and deliberate” trading manipulations, particularly in the context of disputed energy cost refunds and long term energy contracts to which Enron was a party.

The former managing director of Enron Corp.’s investor relations department, Paula Rieker, pleaded guilty last week to one felony count of insider trading and agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation. In addition, Rieker agreed to pay nearly $500,000 to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to settle separate charges concerning the profit she made on the sale of Enron stock a few months before the company declared bankruptcy in December 2001.

The former managing director of Enron Corp.’s investor relations department, Paula Rieker, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one felony count of insider trading and agreed to cooperate with the Justice Department’s ongoing investigation. In addition, Rieker agreed to pay nearly $500,000 to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to settle separate charges concerning the profit she made on the sale of Enron stock a few months before the company declared bankruptcy in December 2001.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) last week directed its staff to investigate the financial condition of Dayton Power and Light (DP&L). The investigation is the result of recent reports regarding the financial activities of DP&L’s holding company, DPL Inc.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) requested “documents and other information” from American Electric Power (AEP) in January in connection with an agency investigation of activities affecting the price of natural gas last fall, the Columbus, OH-based utility told the Securities and Exchange Commission in its 10-K filing.

Calls by senators for investigations and/or hearings into causes behind the latest run-up in prices for natural gas could turn out to be the final nail in the coffin of the omnibus energy bill (HR 6) that was stalled in the Senate last year, said a leading energy policy analyst last week.

Calls by senators for investigations and/or hearings into causes behind the latest run-up in prices for natural gas could turn out to be the final nail in the coffin of the omnibus energy bill (HR 6) that was stalled in the Senate last year, said a leading energy policy analyst.

Reliant Resources Inc. said in its quarterly 10Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it received a request from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas in October for information regarding “certain price reporting matters.”