Secretary

Department of Energy Secretary Bill Richardson likened the powerindustry to an old jalopy in desperate need of repair yesterday atan energy conference in Washington, D.C. sponsored by the NationalEnergy Marketers Association. He expressed concern that Congresshas not been too interested in moving power restructuringlegislation and said if legislation isn’t completed soon there willbe dire consequences. “My main message is that unless there isrestructuring soon there are going to be power outages in thiscountry,” Richardson said.

A new Department of Energy (DOE) report is expected to show morenatural gas pipelines are needed to the Northeast. Secretary BillRichardson earlier this week pledged to seek Congressional help inthis area in order to reduce the region’s historic dependence onhigher-priced heating oil.

In his first visit ever to FERC, Energy Secretary BillRichardson last week drove home the need for a federal electricityrestructuring bill and the importance for the Commission to have apivotal part in that effort.

In his first visit ever to FERC, Energy Secretary BillRichardson yesterday drove home the need for a federal electricityrestructuring bill and the importance for the Commission to have acritical role in that effort.

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Bill Richardson made aspirited request to a host of gas industry executives last week,asking for their help to pass a federal electric restructuring billbefore the end of this year. Richardson, addressing attendees ofthe Natural Gas Roundtable in Washington D.C., said the gasindustry stands to gain handsomely if electric restructuring getspassed as soon as possible.

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Bill Richardson made aspirited request to a host of gas industry executives yesterday,asking for their help to pass a federal electric restructuring billbefore the end of this year. Richardson, addressing attendees ofthe Natural Gas Roundtable in Washington D.C., said the gasindustry stands to gain handsomely if electric restructuring getspassed as soon as possible.

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson has indicated he is “guardedlyoptimistic” about the status of the electric utility industry’spreparedness efforts to deal with computer-related glitches thatmay arise with the arrival of the new millennium.

In a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt this weekSen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) urged Interior’s Minerals ManagementService to shutdown exploration on 40 offshore California leases,for which producers paid $1.25 billion initially.

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson last week said long-awaitedClinton administration legislation to restructure the retail powerindustry would be on congressional lawmakers’ desks after theyreturn from Easter recess in mid-April.