Representing

A lawyer representing the estate of Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay last week filed a motion to begin the process of erasing Lay’s felony convictions for securities and bank fraud. Lay, 64, who was scheduled to be sentenced in October, suffered a heart attack and died in July (see NGI, July 10).

A lawyer representing the estate of Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay on Wednesday filed a motion to begin the process of erasing Lay’s felony convictions for securities and bank fraud. Lay, 64, who was scheduled to be sentenced in October, suffered a heart attack and died in July (see Daily GPI, July 6).

Ninety-three gigawatts (GW) of new coal-fired generation are currently under consideration in the United States, representing 153 coal-fired power plants, the Department of Energy (DOE) reported last week. This anticipated new supply represents a $136 billion investment and shows the power sector’s growing interest in the energy source is not just a passing fancy.

In a letter sent to FERC commissioners last week, top officials with associations representing public power, investor-owned utilities and rural electric cooperatives voiced concerns over railroad coal delivery problems and the possibility that those difficulties could have a negative impact on U.S. power grid reliability.

The two-man defense team representing Enron Corp. founder Kenneth Lay and former CEO Jeffrey Skilling grilled the company’s ex-investor relations chief for the sixth day in a row Thursday, attempting to lay the groundwork to prove their clients did nothing illegal in the months preceding the company’s bankruptcy.

The board of directors of Energy Partners Ltd. (EPL) on Wednesday approved an initial exploration and development budget of $360 million for 2006, representing an 18% increase over the 2005 budget of $305 million and an 80% increase over the initial 2005 exploration and development budget of $200 million.

The firm representing Enron Corp.’s acting CEO on Thursday filed a motion with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan asking for a $25 million “success fee” for guiding the fallen energy giant through its Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Six governors representing states in New England have collectively filed a petition for a declaratory order at FERC related to the governors’ intention to form a non-profit corporation, the New England States Committee on Electricity (NESCOE), that will serve as New England’s regional state committee (RSC).

Atmos Energy said that a steering committee representing 66 cities in West Texas has recommended that the cities approve an overall increase of $3.2 million in the annual revenues of Atmos Energy’s natural gas utility operations. Atmos Energy filed for its last rate increase in 1999 under its former operating name of Energas Co. The cities’ steering committee also approved a Weather Normalization Adjustment Rider for residential, commercial, public-authority and state-institution customers. This rider will provide for restructured natural gas rates to reduce variability in gas bills during the heating season and should help to stabilize customers’ rates and the company’s revenues. The average increase for all classes of customers in the 66 cities is 2.93%. The monthly increase for an average residential customer will be $1.23. The rate changes will take effect in May. Atmos serves 151,300 natural gas utility customers in the 66 West Texas cities subject to the rate change and 313,300 total natural gas utility customers in Texas.