Ties

When former Enron de Mexico President Max Yzaguirre was appointed to chair the Texas Public Utilities Commission (PUC) last June (see Daily GPI, June 15, 2001), critics charged that his affiliation with his former employer would cause a conflict of interest. Now that Enron Corp. has declared bankruptcy, Yzaguirre’s appointment has come under even more fire, with Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s office in the middle of another controversy.

California regulators and two state utilities have asked FERC Chief Administrative Law Judge Curtis Wagner to admit a highly sensitive internal memorandum, that allegedly demonstrates the intimate working relationship between parent El Paso Corp. and affiliates El Paso Natural Gas and El Paso Merchant Energy Co. (EPME), into the record of the high-profile proceeding exploring charges of affiliate abuse.

California regulators and two state utilities have asked FERC Chief Administrative Law Judge Curtis Wagner to admit a highly sensitive internal memorandum, that allegedly demonstrates the intimate working relationship between parent El Paso Corp. and affiliates El Paso Natural Gas and El Paso Merchant Energy Co. (EPME), into the record of the high-profile proceeding exploring charges of affiliate abuse.

PP&L Resources, a utility based in eastern Pennsylvania, iscementing its ties in the western U.S., buying the energy marketingoperation of The Montana Power Co. to go with the 13 powergeneration plants it is in the process of buying from the samecompany.

Diversity of supply sources, a pipeline infrastructure thatblankets nearly the entire state of Florida and strong customerties will give Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) the edge overcompeting pipelines-such as Williams-Transco’s proposed BuccaneerPipeline-that are planning projects into the state in an attempt tocapture a portion of the growing power generation market there,says FGT President Rockford G. Meyer.

In an effort to strengthen its ties with regulators, nationalpolicy makers and member companies, the American Gas Association(AGA) announced plans last week to move its headquarters next Marchfrom Arlington, VA, to downtown Washington, D.C. The associationwill take up residence on the fourth floor of the Hall of the Statebuilding’s south tower at 400 N. Capitol Street, which is twoblocks away from the Capitol building and four blocks from FERC.