Reply #23: California complaints about Enron have already played in Southern Nevada [View All]

Saturday, June 05, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

California complaints about Enron have already played in Southern Nevada

By JOHN G. EDWARDS
REVIEW-JOURNAL


The disclosure of profanity-laced Enron Corp. trader tape-recordings caused a political shock wave in the West this week, much like reaction in Southern Nevada when recordings of a local power traders conversations were made public.

Traders discussed manipulating California's power market during telephone conversations in which they merrily gloated about ripping off "those poor grandmothers" during the state's energy crunch in 2000-01, according to transcripts of the calls made public Tuesday.

The calls were obtained from the government and transcribed by a public utility district near Seattle that wants Enron to forfeit millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains during the energy trading scandal.

"It shows unbridled drive for profit," San Diego attorney Michael Aguirre said earlier this week. He first sued Enron for unfair business practices on behalf of California consumers in November 2000.
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http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Jun-05-Sat-2004/business/24039361.html