THE NATION States Taking the Initiative to Fight Global Warming Environment: Unhappy with Bush's policies, local officials work to slow climate change.
Los Angeles Times, 10/07/01
Many stuck in anti-terror dragnet/Future uncertain for Houston man, 23, held and cleared in attacks
Houston Chronicle, 10/07/01

Enron Close to 5-Yr Contract With Equity Office, Crain's Says
Bloomberg, 10/07/01

Enron Reaches a Deal to Sell Oregon Utility for $1.9 Billion
The New York Times, 10/06/01
IN BRIEF / ENERGY Northwest in Talks to Buy Portland GE
Los Angeles Times, 10/06/01
Enron talks utility sale in Oregon / Northwest Natural Gas is second possible buyer
Houston Chronicle, 10/06/01
COMPANIES & FINANCE INTERNATIONAL - Northwest may buy Enron asset.
Financial Times (U.K. edition), 10/06/01
NW Natural Gas in talks for Portland General
The Daily Deal, 10/06/01
NW NATURAL WEIGHING PURCHASE OF PGE
The Columbian, 10/06/01
Enron to Announce Sale of Portland General on Monday, NYT Says
Bloomberg, 10/06/01

PUC RIGHTLY OPEN TO RECONSIDERING
Portland Oregonian, 10/06/01
Civil rights advocates worry about detaining immigrants
Associated Press Newswires, 10/06/01
India: LNG: Ministry willing to pare charter hire rates for Dabhol
Business Line (The Hindu), 10/06/01
Gun found in car at Millard North
Omaha World-Herald, 10/06/01
POWER GIANT BUYS ISLAND IN SEARCH FOR GAS PIPELINE
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 10/06/01
DIESEL BAN MAY SWAY OPPONENTS OF POWER PLANT
South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 10/06/01
Enron Offshoot Leads Texas Complaints for Unauthorized Electric Accounts
KRTBN Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News: Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Texas, 10/06/01





National Desk
THE NATION States Taking the Initiative to Fight Global Warming Environment: Unhappy with Bush's policies, local officials work to slow climate change.
GARY POLAKOVIC
TIMES ENVIRONMENTAL WRITER

10/07/2001
Los Angeles Times
Home Edition
A-40
Copyright 2001 / The Times Mirror Company

More than two dozen U.S. states and cities, no longer waiting for the Bush administration to seize the initiative against global warming, have begun taking steps to reduce emissions that scientists say are heating the planet. 
From Vermont to Oregon, state and local governments are calling for broader use of energy-saving devices, more energy-efficient building standards, cleaner-burning power plants and more investment in such renewable energy sources as wind and solar power--all to help reduce greenhouse gases that trap the sun's energy near the Earth's surface.
Many of the strategies being promoted mimic those endorsed in July by 180 nations as part of an international campaign against global warming that the Bush administration declined to join. 
In August, six New England states and five eastern Canadian provinces signed a pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Under the agreement, the signatories pledged to cut emissions to 1990 levels by 2010 and by 10% below that level by 2020. Those cuts are to be followed by even deeper reductions. It is the most ambitious goal set by state governments and it was supported by three Republican governors, two Democrats and one Independent from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. 
No single state or region can make a substantial reduction in the gases that contribute to global warming. Moreover, much of the success of state and local efforts relies on voluntary compliance from industry. 
Still, advocates of state and local initiatives are confident that there is enough public support to ensure broad cooperation in the private sector. 
"Public demand for action on climate change increased when the United States was not a part of the [international] agreement. It had a powerful impact on the thinking of all kinds of people, including governors and heads of large companies," said Tom Peterson, director of domestic policy for the Center for Clean Air Policy in Washington. 
The center was created in 1985 by a bipartisan group of governors to promote economical solutions to air pollution. 
"This is a way [for states] to distinguish themselves from the Bush administration," California Resources Secretary Mary Nichols said. "A lot of practical, moderate people are recognizing climate change is a reality, not a theory, and they need to take it into account and help move the direction of the world by doing something about it." 
California was an early leader in reducing dependence on fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases. Today, 12% of its electrical power comes from renewable sources, more than any other state. 
President Bush has sent mixed signals concerning global warming. Shortly after he took office, he reneged on a campaign promise to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, the most abundant greenhouse gas. He said he rejected the international accord, outlined in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997 and ratified last summer, because it would cost U.S. jobs and did not immediately impose limits on emissions from developing countries, including India and China. 
Last spring, Bush announced the formation of a task force of Cabinet members to formulate U.S. policy. The work of the task force was slowed by disagreements among its members and by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 
In the meantime, several members of Congress, including Sens. James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.), John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), have begun formulating policy. McCain and Lieberman announced in August that they would develop legislation to cap greenhouse emissions and reduce them using a market-based trading mechanism. But that bill, too, has been delayed as Congress grapples with the enormous fallout from the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. 
Meanwhile, officials of several states say they are making measurable progress. 
In New Jersey, officials say they are on track to cut greenhouse gases by 3.5% below 1990 levels by 2005. The plan relies on capturing emissions from methane--which traps 20 times more heat than carbon dioxide--from landfills, securing voluntary reductions from various industries and preserving open space and trees, which can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, said Amy Collings, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection. 
New York Gov. George Pataki in June announced a series of measures to improve energy efficiency and trim greenhouse gases. Specifically, the Republican governor ordered state buildings to get 20% of their electricity from renewable sources, such as solar or wind power, by 2010. 
In the Northwest, Seattle City Light, the local electric utility, will offset any carbon dioxide emissions from power generation with wider use of clean-fueled vehicles and other measures. 
In Oregon, more than 20,000 people have signed up for the "Blue Sky Program" by paying an extra $3 per month on their utility bills to ensure that Pacific Power and Light purchases electricity from sources that don't contribute to global warming, said Tim Honadel, sustainability coordinator for Gov. John Kitzhaber. 
The California Legislature has established a registry to track greenhouse gas production. It gives businesses interested in reducing their emissions a place to record their progress. Such progress will be rewarded when the state, as anticipated, begins to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. 
There are growing indications that businesses, large and small, do want to cooperate, if only to ensure that they have a hand in crafting policies and regulations many see as inevitable. 
A group of Fortune 500 companies joined with the Philadelphia-based Pew Charitable Trusts to study and develop market-driven solutions to global warming. Among the companies participating in the project are British Petroleum, Boeing Co., Enron, Lockheed Martin Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and International Energy Corp. 
At a carpet mill in Industry, where Interface Inc. employs 500 people, workers are busy producing "climate neutral" carpet for commercial buildings, which is made without generating greenhouse gases. The company recently installed a $1-million solar array at its plant so it can make its product without any adverse impact on the Earth's atmosphere, said Jim Hartzfeld, vice president of sustainable strategies for the Atlanta-based corporation. 
"This is about good business," Hartzfeld said. "It's not about philanthropy or altruism. It's about delivering better value."

Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 	

Many stuck in anti-terror dragnet / Future uncertainfor Houston man, 23, held and cleared in attacks 

By DALE LEZON
Staff
Houston Chronicle
On his Web site, Asem Atta was hip and playful, regaling friends with accounts of his social escapades. 
He had plenty to tell. At 23, Atta had a good job at Enron Corp. and lived at one of Houston's trendy midtown addresses. He wrote of sporting events and fireworks shows. His computer home page featured pictures of himself and his pet and links to Internet sites devoted to the rock bands Jane's Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers. 
He was, he said, living "La Vida Houston." 
That all changed after Sept. 11, when the Pakistani national was swept up in the government's ever-widening anti-terrorist dragnet. 
Though federal law-enforcement officials quickly concluded that Atta was not connected to the attacks in New York and near Washington, D.C., he was found to have an expired visa and apparently was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. 
His co-workers have not seen him since at least Sept. 12, an Enron official said. His friends have not seen him either, and they are worried. His apartment appears vacant. His telephone and the message service at the door to his apartment building are disconnected. He did not tell Enron officials he planned to leave. 
"What on earth is going on?" one of his close friends asked the Chronicle in response to an e-mail message. 
Atta's plight, similar to that of many Middle Eastern immigrants, has sparked worries among some civil libertarians and congressional leaders. More than 500 people, many of them immigrants held for possible immigration violations, have been detained so far as possible suspects or material witnesses as the government's investigation broadens almost daily. 
Many were questioned and detained because they had Arabic-sounding names. The Washington Post reported on Sept. 19, for instance, that Atta was sought for questioning because he had the same surname as one of the suspected hijackers, Mohamed Atta. 
The next day, the FBI said it "has no interest in" Asem Atta, but claimed that he had overstayed his visa, said FBI spokesman Bob Doguim. An expired visa could lead to deportation. In Atta's case, that could mean being returned to Pakistan, a country that is bracing for possible U.S. attacks on neighboring Afghanistan. 
Carl Rusnok, an INS spokesman, said he could not comment on individual INS cases. 
Civil rights advocates acknowledge the need to question people to avert possible terror strikes, but they fear law-enforcement officers may unjustly target some immigrants simply because they are foreigners. 
"They're supposed to be looking for terrorists, but unfortunately they are picking up a lot of people who haven't done anything wrong or are innocent or of Middle Eastern descent," said Bruce Coane, an immigration attorney in Houston and past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. 
Coane said he fears that at least one of his clients, mistakenly hauled in during the sweep, had his civil rights violated. 
He represents a Jordanian legal immigrant who was picked up by the INS on Sept. 21. More than a week later, the INS admitted the man had been apprehended and detained without reason and should be released, Coane said. 
Coane said he could not identify the man because INS proceedings are not public, but said his client had been convicted of two misdemeanors prior to receiving a green card, a document that allows noncitizens to remain in the United States legally. 
INS can use criminal convictions as grounds for detaining immigrants, sometimes indefinitely, or deporting them. But Coane said the INS knew about the misdemeanors before issuing the man a green card. 
U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, ranking member on the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims, said that in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, the government must give law enforcement powers to protect against possible terrorist assaults. But it also must safeguard civil liberties for immigrants, she added. 
"We want to . . . make sure that people are not brought in unfairly for questioning," she said. 
Congress is considering measures to broaden anti-terrorist police powers, such as holding immigrants with possible links to terrorism longer between court appearances. 
Edward Gillett, a Houston immigration attorney, said he does not fault the INS for interviewing immigrants to find possible links to the hijackers or immigration violations. Had the hijackers' immigration status been reviewed ahead of time, he said, the attacks may have been prevented. Several of the suicide hijackers had immigration violations that were not uncovered until after the attacks. 
"I wish they'd done this before it happened and maybe they could have prevented some of it," Gillett said. 
Efforts to reach Atta or determine his whereabouts last week were unsuccessful. 
Typically, when a visa is expired, according to the INS, the agency can detain the immigrant but must explain to him within 72 hours why he is being held and what charges he faces. 
Soon after that, the immigrant would probably be given a bond hearing to determine if he should be detained while awaiting a hearing on his possible deportation. The INS can hold immigrants indefinitely if they are deemed a flight risk or a danger to the community. 
The deportation hearing may not take place for weeks or months, depending on the immigration judge's work load. 
To stay in the country legally, Atta, or anyone in his situation, may be able to obtain a sponsor - a relative or employer who is a U.S. citizen, for instance - or could marry a U.S. citizen. He may be able to return to his native country to apply for another visa. If his visa has been expired for more than one year and he leaves the country, however, he will be barred from returning for 10 years. 
If the visa has expired for 180 days or more, and he leaves the country, he won't be allowed to return for three years. 
Atta could also apply for political asylum. 
Sahdi Shalabi, 24, one of Atta's closest friends from high school, said he had hoped to see Atta in the next few weeks. But now he is uncertain. He described his friend, whom he first met in Kuwait in 1990, as "very playful, very easy going." He liked computers and talking to girls. 
Shalabi said Atta attended an English-style high school in Kuwait and that Atta's father worked for the Kuwait Oil Co. Atta moved to the United States after graduating from high school, enrolled at Wichita State University about 1994 and landed a job at Enron in Houston in 1999. 
According to his resume, Atta played indoor soccer at college and coached a soccer team for young girls. 
Shalabi, who works for Nortel Networks in Ontario, Canada, said his friend was Muslim but did not practice the religion. 
"He's totally Westernized," he said.



Enron Close to 5-Yr Contract With Equity Office, Crain's Says
2001-10-07 18:31 (New York)


     Chicago, Oct. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Enron Corp. is close to
winning a five-year contract to supply power to Sam Zell's Equity
Office Properties Trust, Crain's Chicago reported, without citing
sources.

     Under the agreement, Houston-based Enron would deliver power
to the Chicago-based property company's office buildings in
Chicago, Boston, California and New York, Crain's said.

     Zell's company owns 30 buildings in the Chicago area, 55 in
Boston, six in New York and 309 in California, Crain's said,
citing a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.


Business/Financial Desk; Section C
Enron Reaches a Deal to Sell Oregon Utility for $1.9 Billion
By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN

10/06/2001
The New York Times
Page 4, Column 5
c. 2001 New York Times Company

Enron is planning to announce on Monday that it has agreed to sell Portland General Electric to another Oregon utility, Northwest Natural Gas, for about $1.9 billion in cash and stock, executives close to the deal said yesterday. 
The sale is part of Enron's effort to discard lower-margin utility businesses as it focuses on the more lucrative business of trading electricity and gas. The deal would consolidate the two gas and electricity providers in Portland.
Officials from Enron and Northwest Natural were still considering the details of the transaction last night and planned to vote in favor of the deal today, barring a last-minute delay, the executives said. 
Enron had reached an agreement to sell Portland General to Sierra Pacific for $3.1 billion, but that deal collapsed in late April when Sierra Pacific backed out, citing regulatory hurdles. 
Under the terms of the deal being considered last night, Northwest Natural would pay about $1.5 billion in cash, $100 million in common stock and nearly $300 million in preferred convertible stock to Enron, the executives said. Northwest Natural would also assume about $1.1 billion in debt. Enron would retain about a 5 percent stake, the executives said. Enron bought Portland General in 1997 for $2.9 billion in stock and debt. 
Shares of Enron fell $1.37, or 4.1 percent, to $31.73, after Northwest Natural acknowledged that it was in talks to buy Portland General. Northwest's shares fell $2.58, or 9.9 percent, to $23.41. 
In its effort to sell assets to raise cash, Enron is also in talks to sell its 65 percent stake in the Dabhol Power project in India for more than $2.1 billion, executives close to the company said. A deal is not yet imminent, but Enron has held discussions with India's largest private utility, Tata Power, the executives said. 
A spokesman for Enron declined to comment.

Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 	

Business; Financial Desk
IN BRIEF / ENERGY Northwest in Talks to Buy Portland GE
Reuters

10/06/2001
Los Angeles Times
Home Edition
C-2
Copyright 2001 / The Times Mirror Company

Northwest Natural Gas Co. said it was in talks to acquire Enron Corp.'s Portland General Electric Co., a deal that would bring together two Oregon utilities. 
A deal would be a major step in Enron's plan to shed slower-growth assets and focus on its core energy marketing and trading business. A deal to sell Portland GE to Sierra Pacific Resources collapsed five months ago.
Sources familiar with the situation said Northwest was offering $1.8 billion in cash and stock and would also take on $1 billion of debt in the deal. They said the talks were at an advanced stage and Northwest's board could vote on the deal over the weekend. 
Northwest confirmed the talks but said there was no assurance that a deal would be struck and it would not make any additional comments on the matter unless a formal agreement was reached. 
Enron acquired Portland GE in July 1997 for $2.1 billion. 
Northwest shares fell $2.58, nearly 10%, to $23.41, and Enron fell $1.37, or 4%, to $31.73, both on the New York Stock Exchange.

Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 	


BUSINESS
Enron talks utility sale in Oregon / Northwest Natural Gas is second possible buyer
LAURA GOLDBERG
Staff

10/06/2001
Houston Chronicle
3 STAR
1
(Copyright 2001)

Northwest Natural Gas Co. is negotiating to buy Portland General Electric from Houston-based Enron Corp., which has had a for sale sign on the power utility for months. The deal being discussed would be valued between $1.8 billion and $2 billion, with as much as $1.5 billion in cash and the rest in stock, a source familiar with the talks said Friday. In addition, Northwest Natural Gas, based in Portland, Ore., would assume about $1.1 billion in debt. Also as part of the deal's terms, Enron could end up with a very small stake in Northwest Natural Gas, the person said. The person described the talks as highly advanced and said a deal could be announced as soon as Monday. Northwest Natural Gas, in a brief statement Friday, confirmed it was talking to Enron. Enron spokeswoman Karen Denne declined to comment. If a deal is announced, it would be the second time Enron struck an agreement to sell Portland General. Nevada- based Sierra Pacific Resources agreed to buy Portland General in November 1999. It was to pay $2.1 billion, including $2.02 billion in cash. It also was to assume about $1 billion in debt and preferred stock. The deal was officially called off in April, although it had been considered dead for months before. Sierra Pacific planned to sell some of its Nevada assets to raise cash for the deal, but Nevada's move to electricity deregulation was delayed, and Sierra couldn't carry out the sales. Energy trader Enron, which as part of a general strategy is shedding certain assets, kept looking for a buyer. "Enron needed some positive news, so this should help the stock performance," Carol Coale, an analyst with Prudential Securities in Houston. In a research note Friday, Robert Christensen, an analyst with First Albany Corp. in New York, said benefits to Enron from a sale include "removal of a low single-digit earnings grower" and balance sheet improvement. Shares in Enron closed regular trading Friday at $31.73, down $1.37. Northwest Natural Gas provides natural gas to more than 500,000 residential and business customers throughout Oregon and Vancouver, Wash., while Portland General has more than 1.4 million customers in Oregon.


Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 	

COMPANIES & FINANCE INTERNATIONAL - Northwest may buy Enron asset.
By MATTHEW JONES and SHEILA MCNULTY.

10/06/2001
Financial Times (U.K. edition)
(c) 2001 Financial Times Limited . All Rights Reserved

Northwest Natural Gas said yesterday it was in talks to buy the Portland General Electric Company from Enron, the US energy giant. Enron declined to comment. 
Houston-based Enron is also trying to dispose of $4.5bn-$5bn in other assets. They are primarily international infrastructure projects in developing countries where Enron believes there is little chance of developing its wholesale and retail business around those assets.
While the company has been generally doing well in Europe, Enron has said it will cut up to 500 jobs from its European division in the first sign of slowing growth since it started operating in Europe in 1989. The division employs 5,000 people in 10 offices across the continent. 
Analysts said liberalisation of European energy markets had been slower and more patchy than some energy trading companies had envisaged. Newly traded products such as credit risk and carbon emissions were also developing less rapidly than expected. Sheila McNulty, Houston, and Matthew Jones, London. 
(c) Copyright Financial Times Ltd. All rights reserved. 
http://www.ft.com.

Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 	

M and A
NW Natural Gas in talks for Portland General
By Claire Poole in Houston

10/06/2001
The Daily Deal
Copyright (c) 2001 The Deal LLC

Portland, Ore.-based utility, Northwest Natural Gas, confirms it is in talks to acquire Portland General Electric from energy trading giant Enron Corp. 
Portland, Ore.-based utility Northwest Natural Gas Co. confirmed Oct. 5 it is in talks to acquire Portland General Electric Co. from Houston energy trading and marketing giant Enron Corp.
In a terse statement, Northwest Natural Gas revealed no details of the negotiations, but warned that a deal was no certainty. 
"There can be no assurances that any transaction will result from these discussions," it said. "NW Natural does not intend to make any additional comments regarding this matter unless and until a formal agreement has been reached." 
Enron spokeswoman Karen Denne would not confirm whether the company was talking with Northwest Natural Gas or anyone else about Portland General. 
"It's our standard corporate policy not to comment on potential acquisitions or divestitures," she said. 
Enron has been trying to shed the utility since April, when its $3.1 billion sale to Reno, Nev., utility Sierra Pacific Resources Corp. fell through in the wake of California's power crisis. 
In March, Nevada regulators, nervous about power supply problems in neighboring California, backtracked from a plan to open their state to competition, which scuttled Sierra Pacific's plan to sell seven power plants for $1.7 billion to help pay for Portland General. 
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Oregon regulators had already approved the sale, which only required U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission clearance. 
Talk about another buyer reached a high pitch Sept. 5, when Chairman Kenneth Lay said Enron was close to a sale. 
Several companies have reportedly kicked the tires, including Scottish Power plc, which already owns another Oregon-based utility, PacifiCorp.; Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy Corp. and Juno Beach, Fla., FPL Group, whose $14 billion acquisition of New Orleans-based Entergy Corp. also fell apart in March over management control and financial disclosure issues. 
But Northwest Natural Gas has always been the favorite to win the utility. Portland General, which serves 725,000 electric customers in northwest Oregon, would fit nicely with Northwest Natural Gas, which serves more than 530,000 gas customers in western Oregon and Vancouver, Wash. And its chairman, Richard Reiten, is a former top executive at Portland General. 
Financing would be the hitch. Northwest Natural Gas had a market capitalization of just $593 million as of Friday. Investors sent its stock down 9% on the news of a possible acquisition to $23.62 by mid-afternoon Friday. 
Enron's wish price is reportedly $3 billion. But the Wall Street Journal, citing sources, reported Friday that the number was $2.8 billion, $1.8 billion in cash and stock plus debt assumption of another $1 billion. The article also said Enron was considering taking a minority stake in the company, which could explain the lower price. 
The newspaper said the two were in "advanced talks" and an announcement could come within days. Reuters, citing unnamed sources, reported that Northwest's board still had to vote on the deal but that it could be announced as early as Monday. 
Enron acquired Portland General in July 1997 for stock valued at $2.1 billion in a deal hailed for combining power assets with natural gas pipelines. But it decided to dump the business after razor-slim margins and a very public clash with the Oregon Public Utilities Commission, which blocked its attempts to sell the utility's electricity generating assets, including its hydroelectric facilities, and forced it to cut rates by $80 million. 
Portland General is not the only asset Enron is trying to shed. 
The company is working furiously to dump $4 billion to $5 billion worth of assets all around the world as it refocuses on "asset-light" businesses, such as trading and marketing. 
But the effort hasn't gone well. It announced Oct. 3 it agreed to sell its Enron Oil & Gas India Ltd. unit to BG Group plc of the U.K. for $388 million. The unit owns a 30% interest in the Tapti gas field and the Panna/Mukta oil and gas fields and almost 63% of the CB-OS/1 exploration license in western India. 
It now looks as if that deal could also come unstuck. Indian media reports have suggested that the government wants the operatorship of the assets to pass to two of Enron's joint venture partners -- state-owned Oil & Natural Gas Corp. and Reliance Industries Ltd. -- rather than remain with Enron Oil & Gas India. 
Such a development would render the acquisition unattractive for the U.K. company and likely scupper the deal. 
A BG spokeswoman said the company still has "every confidence" Enron Oil & Gas India will retain the operating license for the assets, adding that nothing has changed since the deal was announced. Negotiations are continuing with the joint venture partners and the Indian government, she said. 
Enron spokesman Johan Zaayman said BG is making arrangements to take over operation of the fields. "Once that's done, the deal's a go," he said. "We're hopeful we'll be concluded in late October, early November." 
Enron is also trying to quit the $2.9 billion Dabhol power plant in India, in which it owns a 65% stake. 
Tata Power Co., India's largest private utility, told reporters Oct. 1 it had been in preliminary talks with Enron to acquire the 740-megawatt facility, which has been shuttered since June after its sole customer, the Maharashtra State Electricity Board, which owns 15% of the facility, stopped purchasing power and defaulted on payments. 
Newspapers reported Friday that Tata plans to finalize its bid in three weeks. 
-- Laura Board in London contributed to this report 
www.TheDeal.com

Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 	


Business
NW NATURAL WEIGHING PURCHASE OF PGE
WILLIAM McCALL, Associated Press writer

10/06/2001
The Columbian
E2
(Copyright 2001)

PORTLAND -- Four years after buying its way into the Pacific Northwest market, Texas energy trader Enron Corp. may be ready to sell off Portland General Electric to another Oregon utility just down the street. 
Northwest Natural Gas confirmed Friday it is talking with Enron about buying Portland General Electric, returning the headquarters of a major business to a state that has seen several big companies head elsewhere after mergers or acquisitions.
There was no other comment from the three companies, but some analysts say an announcement could come as early as next week. 
"It's probably a trial balloon," said Mike Heim of A.G. Edwards & Sons. "Either they wanted to see how the market would take it, or they put up a trial balloon to finalize terms of the deal." 
"It certainly leads me to believe they're in the very late stages of their talks," said Allyson Rodgers of Wells Fargo Van Kasper. 
Enron started shopping Portland General Electric not long after acquiring the Portland-based utility in 1997 for $3.2 billion. 
Disappointed by a slower-than-expected pace of deregulation in Oregon, Enron tried to unload PGE to Sierra Pacific Resources, based in Reno, Nev. But the deal faltered and was called off in March, about a year and a half after it was announced in November 1999. 
A merger with Northwest Natural Gas would be a much better fit for PGE than either Enron or Sierra Pacific, Rodgers said. 
Northwest Natural and PGE have worked closely together for the past two years on various projects, including joint meter-reading and joint trench-digging projects, because their service areas overlap in the Portland metro area, she said. 
The downtown headquarters for the two companies are just blocks apart. 
Heim said Houston-based Enron, the nation's top natural gas trader and the leading wholesale electricity marketer, has been trying to tighten up its balance sheet after being punished on Wall Street for the failure to sell PGE, fallout from the Pacific Gas & Electric bankruptcy in California, and a push into the Internet that took a nosedive along with the rest of the telecommunications industry. 
"Enron has stumbled a little bit with their noncore investments," Heim said. 
Bob Valdez, spokesman for the Oregon Public Utility Commission, said commissioners have not been notified of any pending deal, but they would review it as soon as an offer is made. The approval process could take about 10 months if a deal is announced, he said. 
PGE has 730,000 customers in Oregon while Northwest Natural Gas has about 530,000 customers, including some in Southwest Washington.

Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 	


Enron to Announce Sale of Portland General on Monday, NYT Says
2001-10-06 12:48 (New York)

Enron to Announce Sale of Portland General on Monday, NYT Says

     Houston, Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Enron Corp. plans to announce
Monday an agreement to sell Portland General Electric to Northwest
Natural Gas Co. for $3 billion in cash, stock and assumed debt,
the New York Times reported, citing executives close to the
transaction.

     The purchase would combine the electric and gas utilities in
Portland, Oregon. Northwest would pay about $1.5 billion in cash,
$100 million in common stock and almost $300 million in preferred
convertible stock, the Times said. Enron spokesman Mark Palmer and
Judith Wilkinson, spokeswoman for Northwest, declined to comment.

     Enron bought Portland General in 1997 and has been trying to
sell the utility for about two years, as it sheds slow-growing
businesses to focus on trading of commodities such as electricity,
natural gas and lumber. A planned sale to Sierra Pacific Resources
collapsed about five months ago because of regulatory snags.

     Trading doesn't require ownership of expensive assets such as
power plants and pipelines, and Enron's profit from the business
is growing at about 25 percent a year, analyst Robert Christensen
of First Albany Corp. said. Portland General, while profitable, is
expected to boost earnings by just 1 percent next year, he said.

     Houston-based Enron would retain about a 5 percent stake in
Portland General, the Times said. Enron and Northwest officials
plan to approve the deal today, the paper said. Northwest said
yesterday the companies were in talks, confirming an earlier
report by the Wall Street Journal.

                         Northwest Debt

     Northwest, based in Portland, would assume about
$1.1 billion in Portland General debt, the Times said. Northwest's
shares fell $2.58, or 9.9 percent, yesterday to $23.41, cutting
its market value to about $588 million.

     The company already has about $450 million in debt, said bond-
rating firm Egan Jones, which yesterday lowered its credit rating
on Northwest to ``A-'' from ``A,'' still investment grade.

     Northwest serves more than half a million Oregon and
Washington customers. Richard Reiten, the company's chairman and
chief executive, was president of Portland General from 1989 to
1996.

     The acquisition would make Northwest a bigger gas purchaser,
helping it negotiate lower prices from suppliers, analysts said.
The company also might reduce costs through job cuts and
eliminating duplicate services.

     Enron also is in talks to sell its 65 percent stake in the
Dabhol power project in India for more than $2.1 billion, the
Times said, citing the executives. A deal isn't imminent, the
paper said.

     Enron shares fell $1.37, or 4.1 percent, to $31.73 yesterday.
They have declined 62 percent this year, mostly because of the
resignation of Chief Executive Jeff Skilling, concerns about the
California power market, losses at its bandwidth-trading business
and a contract dispute in India.

     Sierra Pacific, based in Reno, Nevada, canceled its proposed
$3.1 billion acquisition of Portland General on April 26 after
California legislators, worried about a power shortage that had
driven up prices, banned sales of generators serving the state.

     The move blocked Sierra Pacific from the sale of a power-
plant stake needed to win clearance for the Portland General
purchase.


EDITORIAL
PUC RIGHTLY OPEN TO RECONSIDERING

10/06/2001
Portland Oregonian
SUNRISE
E06
(Copyright (c) The Oregonian 2001)

Watching the rapidly cooling -- and now badly shocked -- economy, Oregon business leaders and consumer advocates are understandably raising concerns about the substantial utility rate hikes that went into effect this week. 
Considering utility costs, the raises can be justified. But the fragile state of the economy argues powerfully for openness to re- examine rates quickly -- and the Public Utility Commission seems encouragingly open to doing that.
Boosts ranging from 20 percent for natural gas to 31.5 percent to 53 percent for electricity come at a time when users will have a tougher time absorbing increases. The announcement that Northwest Natural Gas may acquire Portland General Electric wouldn't have any impact on current rates. And adjusting rates won't be a simple matter of pleading economic duress. 
The PUC approved the rate hike, based on the utilities' increased costs and their legal guarantee of a regulated profit. It turned down advocates' appeals for a postponement. But properly, it did agree to consider whether it would revisit rate cases. 
That's an unusual step. But it's reasonable given the worsening economy and surrounding uncertainty. 
Natural gas and electricity prices have fallen recently, below the forward contract prices paid by Northwest Natural and PGE. Normally, if utilities' costs go down, the drops are reflected in lower prices to users in the future, or in rebates. 
If the rate increases could be softened by being phased in, or reviewed more frequently to take in lower costs, it could greatly help consumers and businesses. 
The PUC has some flexibility and will decide by the end of the month on reopening rate cases. Its openness to the idea is proper and prudent -- and just a little encouraging.

Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 	

Civil rights advocates worry about detaining immigrants

10/06/2001
Associated Press Newswires
Copyright 2001. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

HOUSTON (AP) - Before last month's terrorist attacks, Asem Atta lived in a trendy Houston midtown address, had a good job at Enron Corp. and even had his own Web page where he detailed his enjoyment of his life in America. 
But the Pakistani national was one of many Middle Eastern immigrants swept up in the government's ever-widening anti-terrorist dragnet. Atta's friends have not heard from him since he was picked up and worry about what will happen to him.
Though federal law-enforcement officials quickly concluded that Atta, 23, was not connected to the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., he was found to have an expired visa and apparently was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. 
Now his future is up in the air and civil rights advocates worry Atta's case and those of other immigrants are growing examples of law enforcement officers unjustly targeting some people simply because of where they are from, the Houston Chronicle reported in its Sunday editions. 
"They're supposed to be looking for terrorists, but unfortunately they are picking up a lot of people who haven't done anything wrong or are innocent or of Middle Eastern descent," said Bruce Coane, an immigration attorney in Houston and past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. 
Sahdi Shalabi, 24, one of Atta's closest friends from high school, described him as "very playful, very easy going." He liked computers and talking to girls. Atta moved to the United States after graduating from high school in Kuwait, enrolled at Wichita State University about 1994 and landed a job at Enron in 1999. 
Shalabi, who works in Ontario, Canada, said his friend was Muslim but did not practice the religion. 
"He's totally Westernized," he said. 
The Washington Post reported on Sept. 19 that Atta was sought for questioning because he had the same surname as one of the suspected hijackers, Mohamed Atta. 
The next day, the FBI said it "has no interest in" Asem Atta, but claimed that he had overstayed his visa, said FBI spokesman Bob Doguim. An expired visa could lead to deportation. In Atta's case, that could mean being returned to Pakistan, a country that is bracing for possible U.S. attacks on neighboring Afghanistan. 
Carl Rusnok, an INS spokesman, said he could not comment on individual INS cases. 
Coane said he represents a Jordanian legal immigrant who was picked up by the INS on Sept. 21. More than a week later, the INS admitted the man had been apprehended and detained without reason and should be released, Coane said.

Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 	


India: LNG: Ministry willing to pare charter hire rates for Dabhol

10/06/2001
Business Line (The Hindu)
Fin. Times Info Ltd-Asia Africa Intel Wire. Business Line (The Hindu) Copyright (C) 2001 Kasturi & Sons Ltd. All Rights Res'd

NEW DELHI, Oct. 5. THE Ministry of Shipping has expressed its willingness to take a cut in the charter hire rates for the LNG shipping deal for the troubled Dabhol Power Company (DPC) in a bid to scale down the shipping costs and salvage the LNG facility planned by Enron. 
This was indicated by the Shipping Ministry during a meeting held here on Thursday between the financial institutions and the Government in which ministries and departments concerned with various aspects of the deal participated.
The Shipping Ministry controls the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) which is a 20 per cent equity partner in the joint venture Greenfield Shipping Company formed for owning and operating a 137,000 cubic metre capacity tanker for transporting LNG from Oman to the Enron-promoted power plant in Maharashtra, now clouded in controversy. 
While the shipbuilding cost of $220 million is unlikely to be pared down mainly due to the fact that the 137,000 cubic metre tanker is nearing completion at Japan's Mitsubishi yard, the promoters of LNG Laxmi will have to go for a cut in the time charter hire rate of $98,600 per day for 10 years agreed with the DPC, Government sources told Business Line. 
The Greenfield Shipping Company will have to take possession of the LNG vessel on November 15 when the tanker will be ready for delivery as per the Shipbuilding Contract (SBC) signed with the Japanese yard. 
The Godbole Committee set up by the Maharashtra Government to review the Enron deal had concluded, among other things, that the time charter hire rate of $98,600 per day agreed between DPC and Greenfield Shipping Company was very much on the higher side. 
A section within the Government even thinks that the contracted shipbuilding cost of $220 million comprising a bare vessel cost of $189 million and financing cost of $21 million was higher than the market price prevailing at the time by atleast $18,000 to $20,000. 
With the power project facing trouble, the lenders to the LNG shipping project led by ANZ Investment Bank has declared an event of default and suspended the last trance of the project loan worth $55 million out of a total loan component of $165 million. 
The three promoters will now have to make up for the gap in the project funding by putting in additional money in proportion to their equity holding to get the project going. 
Besides SCI, Japan's Mitsui O.S.K.Lines hold 60 per cent equity while Atlantic Commercial Inc.(an Enron affiliate) has the remaining 20 per cent. 
However, sources feel that SCI's additional investment in the project alongwith a proposed cut in the charter hire rate (this has to be re-negotiated with the new owner of DPC) suggested by the Shipping Ministry, would render SCI's investment in the LNG shipping project unviable. 
Another spot of bother for the SCI is that the time charter hire rates for LNG shipping have gone down substantially from the time when the time charter party was signed with DPC at a rate of $98,600 per day. 
With the LNG facility of DPC now put on the back- burner and given the fact that the tanker will have to be deployed elsewhere on spot basis upon possession till the fate of the proposed LNG facility is decided, sources said that the viability of the project will not work out in the face of a declining trend world-wide in the charter hire rates for LNG shipping. 
The charter hire rates are now ruling about $67,000 per day and are expected to dip even further to about $50,000 per day. "In such a scenario, SCI's investments would fetch only a paltry 4 per cent to 4.5 per cent rate of return as against the Government norm of 12 per cent for projects involving state- funding", the sources said. 
P.Manoj and Balaji C Mouli

Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 	

News
Gun found in car at Millard North
Patrick Strawbridge Julie Anderson Erin Grace Paul Goodsell Todd von Kampen Deborah Alexander Julia McCord
World-Herald Staff Writers

10/06/2001
Omaha World-Herald
Sunrise
2
(Copyright 2001 Omaha World-Herald Company)

Parents of Millard North High School students received a letter Friday informing them that a gun had been found in a student's vehicle at the school earlier in the week. 
Amy Friedman, a spokeswoman for Millard Public Schools, said the school's resource officer received a tip that the student had the gun and discovered a hunting rifle in the student's vehicle.
Friedman said state law and district policy require the expulsion of any student found to have a gun on school property. 
Sgt. Dan Cisar, an Omaha police spokesman, said a citation was issued to an 18-year-old male in connection with the incident. 
Friedman said the letter was sent home to combat any rumors about the incident and promote the school's safety policy. - Patrick Strawbridge Helicopters to place cell towers Sunday 
Helicopters will be busy over Omaha on Sunday as a construction company places new cellular communications towers on two buildings. 
Jim Labenz, general manager, of Digitcom Inc. in Arlington, Texas, said his company will be placing towers for Cricket Communications, a new cellular telephone company set to launch in the area in mid- October. 
A helicopter will lift equipment onto a 16-story building at 72nd Street and Mercy Road about 7:30 a.m. Sunday. The next lift will be at 9 a.m. at the southwest corner of 16th and Farnam Streets. - Julie Anderson Enron boosts teacher scholarships 
When Edna Campbell's family moved from Mexico to the United States 20 years ago, Campbell, then a school-age child, couldn't speak English. 
To repay the California teachers who taught her how, Campbell is trying to become a teacher, too. An Enron grant is helping her achieve that goal in Omaha. 
Campbell, one of four education students at the University of Nebraska at Omaha studying under scholarships from the Omaha office of Enron this year, helped to announce the company's gift Friday. 
A $32,000 grant from the energy company to the University of Nebraska Foundation is helping UNO expand an existing scholarship program that encourages minority students to become teachers. 
The program also helps to put more students into the community because one of the requirements is volunteer work. The Enron scholars each will spend at least 20 hours a semester helping a northeast Omaha after-school program to staff a relatively new computer lab. 
The Hope Center, 2200 N. 20th St., serves dozens of children in an after-school program that includes a hot meal, computer training, homework help and Bible study. - Erin Grace Westside walk will help victims 
Students, parents and residents of Westside Community Schools will participate in a walk Sunday in support of the victims of last month's terrorist attacks. 
The "Route 66/Walk for America" will begin at 2 p.m. at Westside High School, 8701 Pacific St. Participants, who are encouraged to wear red, white and blue clothing, will follow a course of less than a mile before returning to the school. 
Donations will be collected for a relief fund established through the Westside Foundation. - Paul Goodsell NEBRASKA Project Extra Mile seeks nominees 
Project Extra Mile's five Nebraska offices are seeking nominations of people or agencies that make a difference in preventing underage drinking. 
Winners will be recognized at the organization's annual dinner Nov. 8 at Omaha's Champions Club. Categories for nominations are education, public policy, media, youth, retail businesses, law enforcement and community advocates. Nominations will close Oct. 26. 
Jack Calhoun, president and chief executive officer of the National Crime Prevention Council, will speak at the dinner. Tickets are $25 each. 
For nomination forms or information on the dinner, call or e-mail the group's nearest office: Omaha, (402) 963-9047,
extramile@alltel.net; Grand Island, (308) 398-0413,
extramile@kdsi.net; Scotts-bluff, (308) 220-4137,
extramile@scottsbluff.net; Hastings, (402) 463-0558,
audproject@inebraska.com; Columbus, (402) 562-7089,
pem@plattevalley.net. - Todd von Kampen Reservists, enlistees may get tax deferral 
Reservists called to active duty and new enlistees in the armed forces might qualify for a deferral of taxes owed if they can show their ability to pay is impaired because of their military service. 
The Internal Revenue Service announced the deferral this week. It covers active-duty members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. 
National Guard personnel not serving in a federalized status - on state active duty for disaster relief - are not covered. 
The deferral applies to taxes due before or during military service and extends the payment deadline to six months after military service ends. 
The deferral is not automatic. It also does not extend the deadline for filing any tax returns. Taxpayers may get extra time to file under other provisions, such as being stationed overseas or in a combat zone. 
Further information on the tax payment deferral can be found at www.irs.gov or calling 1-800-TAX-FORM. - Deborah Alexander Lincoln nurses to aid D.C. burn victims 
LINCOLN - Two nurses from the burn center at St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln left Friday for Washington, D.C., to tend patients there who were burned in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon Sept. 11. 
The two - Cari Steiner and Melissa Shotkoski - will spend two weeks in Washington, said Jo Miller, the hospital's public relations director. - Julia McCord Harvest pageant winner is named 
GRAND ISLAND, Neb. - Alysia Wardyn was named Miss Harvest of Harmony in a pageant Friday night that is part of the annual Harvest of Harmony festivities. 
Wardyn, the daughter of Leonard and Marcia Wardyn of Farwell, represented St. Paul High School. She topped 41 other high school seniors in the contest. 
Rachel Rowley of Grand Island Senior High was first runner-up in the pageant, with Meghan Bernt of Columbus Scotus as second runner- up. Jenna Johansen of Osceola was named Miss Congeniality. 
Other finalists were Kayla Gross of Burwell, Stefanie Schaefer of Franklin, Rebecca Stanczyk of Fullerton, Amy Jensen of Hastings, Jo Ella Adelung of Nebraska City, Amanda Hageman of Overton and Mikele Boshart of Wood River. - World-Herald News Service

Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 	


LOCAL
POWER GIANT BUYS ISLAND IN SEARCH FOR GAS PIPELINE
David Fleshler Staff Writer

10/06/2001
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Broward Metro
1A
(Copyright 2001 by the Sun-Sentinel)

In an attempt to serve South Florida's surging energy market, an international power company has bought a tiny Bahamas island where it plans to build a $1.3 billion complex of electric power and natural gas plants. 
AES Corp., which owns power plants all over the world, purchased Ocean Cay, a manmade island about 50 miles east of Miami. The 90- acre island, part of the Bimini Islands, is the site of an aragonite mine.
But under a proposal outlined this week to state and Broward County officials, the island would become an important offshore power supplier to Florida. Liquified natural gas would arrive in tankers. A plant would convert it to gaseous form and it would be sent to Port Everglades through a 70-mile undersea pipeline. The company also plans to build a 1,200-megawatt power plant, with an undersea transmission line to South Florida. 
"It's a good project to deliver energy into the state of Florida," said Don Bartlett, vice president of AES Coral Inc., the company's Miami subsidiary. "It's a very economically doable project." 
With its proposal, AES has emerged as a rival to Enron Corp. and El Paso Corp. in the race to build an undersea natural gas pipeline from the Bahamas to the United States. 
AES Corp., based in Arlington, Va., is one of the biggest energy companies in the world. The company owns or holds interests in 180 power plants in China, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Hungary, Brazil and many other countries. 
It reported revenues of $6.7 billion last year and employs 60,000 people. 
All three companies' proposals will face hard questions from regulators about public safety, possible damage to coral reefs and potential harm to other ocean habitats. 
Mary Murphy, a state DEP administrator who met with the AES representatives, said she told them that they would have to explain how they would cross the bands of coral reefs along the coast. 
They would have to show how the pipeline would avoid harming wetlands while on land. 
They would have to show whether the route would go through populated areas or heavily trafficked sections of Port Everglades and how they would keep the public safe from accidents. 
"We're looking at public health and safety, the environment, and we want to know what they're going to do to address these concerns," she said. "We want to know if they're going through residential areas, if they're going through commercial areas. What kinds of reef are you impacting? Are you going to drag your pipes along the reefs? They need to look at the other uses -- beach renourishment, cables, treasure salvage leases, possible archaeological sites." 
Bartlett said the company would work with environmental officials to find a route that minimizes environmental harm. The company plans to drill a route under the reefs, using the technique of horizontal drilling, which should leave the reefs undisturbed, he said. 
"Our objective is to not have any environmental impact at all, and that's what we're trying to achieve," he said. 
By building a power plant offshore, AES would avoid the local opposition that doomed two power plant proposals in South Florida this year. 
"The advantage to Broward County and the state of Florida is that 1,200 megawatts will come ashore without siting a power plant in Broward County," Bartlett said. "Siting plants in South Florida is pretty tough." 
In addition to directly supplying electricity, the project would deliver natural gas to the region's power plants. 
Demand for natural gas has surged in the United States. The vast majority of new electric power plants use it for fuel because it generates far less pollution than coal or oil. 
Two power plants proposed for Deerfield Beach would both use natural gas, although one would use diesel oil as a backup fuel in case the natural gas supply was interrupted. 
But the AES proposal faces competition from two Houston energy companies. El Paso Corp. has proposed a natural gas pipeline from Grand Bahama Island to a point near the Port of Palm Beach, where it would hook up with the state's gas transmission system. Enron Corp. has filed applications for permits to construct a pipeline from Grand Bahama to Port Everglades. 
The decision on who gets to build the pipeline could ultimately be up to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which governs the distribution of natural gas throughout the country. Enron has moved the furthest in the approval process, having filed applications with the commission, the state Department of Environmental Protection and other agencies. 
It is unclear whether all three pipeline projects could go forward, since they would be seeking to sell natural gas to many of the same customers. Enron spokesman John Ambler said the state's demand for energy could support more than one new source of supply. 
"I think it's clear that Florida needs more gas," he said. "A diversity of sources of supply is probably a good thing. I don't know if we need all of the proposals that are being speculated about. But the demand projection over the next 10 years is that Florida is going to need another 12,000 megawatts of power, and that means a lot of gas is going to be needed."

MAP; Caption: Staff graphic Map: Locates Ocean Cay in Bimini Islands. 
Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 	


LOCAL
DIESEL BAN MAY SWAY OPPONENTS OF POWER PLANT
Jeremy Milarsky Staff Writer

10/06/2001
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Broward Metro
1B
(Copyright 2001 by the Sun-Sentinel)

A deal in the works between top officials at City Hall and a Houston-based power company may remove a critical sticking point for people who oppose plans for a 510-megawatt energy plant here. 
Deerfield Beach Mayor Al Capellini said representatives of Enron Corp. last month asked to make minor changes to their financial agreement with the city. In exchange, Capellini wants the company to abandon plans to use diesel fuel as a backup power source for their proposed power plant on Green Road just east of Florida's Turnpike.
That's an important condition for government officials in Coral Springs and other North Broward cities, who fear that diesel fuel emissions would pollute the air in the region. Enron's plans call for the plant to be fueled primarily by natural gas, which is relatively clean, but they want to be able to use diesel fuel in case the gas runs out. 
"If they want to open up their [financial] agreement, they would have to remove the diesel fuel part of their plant," Capellini said. 
The financial agreement calls for Enron to pay the city $1.5 million in fees before they build the plant, and at least $1.7 million in property taxes annually. Enron last week paid the first $500,000 of the fees, but they have asked for a different payment schedule, Capellini said. 
Enron officials want to be able to burn diesel fuel as a backup power source because currently, only one natural gas pipeline operates in Florida. But two other pipelines -- one coming across the Gulf of Mexico and the other coming from the Bahamas -- are in the works. 
Enron might be willing to drop their plans for diesel fuel, but only if "one or both" of those pipelines works by the time they build their plant, said Eric Thode, a company spokesman. 
"Functionally, the plant is an ambulance service," Thode said. "It has to be able to be used at a moment's notice." 
If Capellini were to convince Enron Corp. to drop the diesel fuel portion of their plans, it would represent a political victory for him and his city. That's because the mayor of Coral Springs, one of the cities that has challenged the state's intention to give Enron an air-quality permit, has said that he will back off if they drop their plans to burn diesel fuel. 
So far, Coral Springs has declined to take as aggressive a stance as neighboring Coconut Creek, where government attorneys sued Deerfield Beach on July 13. Coconut Creek attorneys argue that a conflict in zoning laws made it illegal for Deerfield Beach city officials to approve the Enron plant the way they did. 
Broward Circuit Judge Leonard Stafford dismissed the lawsuit last month because he said Coconut Creek had not followed proper procedure, but allowed the city to change the suit and file again. Last week, they did just that, said Mitch Bernstein, an attorney for Coconut Creek. 
"The claims are essentially the same, but they are more thoroughly supported by the events that took place in Deerfield Beach when they considered Enron's application," Bernstein said. 
Capellini said Tuesday evening there were numerous parts of Coconut Creek's lawsuit that are inaccurate. 
Jeremy Milarsky can be reached at jmilarsky@sun-sentinel.com or call 954-572-2020.

Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 	

Enron Offshoot Leads Texas Complaints for Unauthorized Electric Accounts
R.A. Dyer

10/06/2001
KRTBN Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News: Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Texas
Copyright (C) 2001 KRTBN Knight Ridder Tribune Business News; Source: World Reporter (TM)

AUSTIN, Texas--An offshoot company of Houston-based Enron led the state in "slamming" complaints on allegations of attempting to sign up electric customers without their consent, state records show. 
The Texas Public Utility Commission has received at least 14 complaints against the Enron-created NewPower Co. and one each against providers Green Mountain, Reliant, First Choice and Shell, according to documents filed with state regulators.
The Texas electric deregulation law prohibits the practice and sets penalties of up to $5,000 per day, per customer, but the PUC has taken no official enforcement action against any of the companies. 
"Slamming" is slang for changing customers' utility providers without their permission. 
A NewPower spokeswoman said the company is aware of the complaints and has begun an investigation. 
"NewPower has a zero tolerance policy towards slamming," said company spokeswoman Terri Cohen. "We have more than 50,000 Texans who have chosen to switch to NewPower. Even a fraction of a percent of slamming complaints -- which is what this is -- is not acceptable to us." 
Under the state's new deregulation law, companies such as NewPower can offer lower prices and different service plans to lure customers away from the state's utility companies. 
A pilot project that began this year allows companies to compete for up to 5 percent of customers. Most of the Texas market will open Jan. 1. 
The process is overseen by the PUC and a nonprofit corporation that manages the state's electric power grid. 
Under the Texas Open Records Act, the Star-Telegram obtained information on 68 complaints about the pilot project filed between March 1 and Sept. 27. Other complaints involved billing, customer frustrations over delays in the pilot project, customer service and deceptive trade practices. 
James Pittman, 52, of Houston, said he switched to NewPower after a telephone marketer told him he would have to choose a new electric company -- or the state would choose one for him. 
Pittman said the telemarketer incorrectly told him he would have to pay fees for a forced switch but could switch to NewPower for no charge. 
"I just flat out told her that I just got out of the hospital from a heart attack, and I didn't feel like I was up to any of this," Pittman said. 
"She told me that I had to change (electric service), or the state would change it for me. She said it wouldn't be our choice. It would be whatever the state decided." 
Pittman said he then had difficulty switching back to Reliant. 
Several Texas residents, including some TXU customers in North Texas, also reported receiving switch notifications even though they had not requested new service. 
PUC spokesman Terry Hadley said some of the slamming complaints may have been prompted by computer glitches at the power grid. Others may have been caused by confusion by marketers and the public over the new deregulation law. 
Hadley said regulators will continue to monitor complaints, although it is premature for the PUC to take enforcement actions. 
"It's early in the game and we would expect that as education increases, we might not see the so-called complaints in the future," Hadley said. 
He said lawmakers had inserted strong anti-slamming language into the deregulation law after witnessing similar problems with the deregulation of long-distance telephone service. The PUC received 5,700 such complaints in one year alone, he said. 
But Reggie James, director of the Austin office of the Consumers Union, said the PUC should have done a better job of educating consumers about their rights under the new law. 
He said a $12 million customer-education campaign by the PUC has focused for the most part on "happy talk" to defend deregulation. 
"If deregulation is going to work, it will require the confidence of all consumers," said James. "And if people think they're going to get ripped off by the companies that are competing, it will hurt all the competitors." 
Complaints about slamming and other problems can be lodged with the PUC by calling (888) 782-8477.

Copyright ? 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.