Power shortages and price spikes in many areas of the United States this summer have put the electric power industry in the public spotlight and sparked demands for reregulation of the industry ...

The federal government offers a tax credit of 1.7 cents a kilowatt hour for generating electricity from wind, closed-loop biomass or poultry waste...

Doubts persist — barely a few weeks after the deadline for implementing legislation — about whether the European experiment with open gas markets will lead to truly open markets ...

Environmental groups filed suit in federal court in late August to force the US government to regulate ash and other wastes from the combustion of fossil fuels, including coal, waste coal, and pet ...

New legislation took effect in early September that could increase the cost of mining operations in Peru. Companies with existing stabilization agreements are not affected ...

Regulations issued by the International Seabed Authority this summer set new rules for undersea mining of manganese, nickel, cobalt and copper...

Merchant plant interties remain under study at the IRS. Independent power companies must pay the cost of connecting their power plants to the utility grid...

The Treasury issued a depreciation study at the end of July...

Connecticut said in a tax ruling that developers of merchant plants must pay sales taxes on machinery and equipment purchased for use in their projects, but at a 3% rate ...

Section 29 tax credits come under fire. The United States allows a tax credit of $1.035 an mmBtu for producing unusual fuels. The credit was enacted in 1980 after the Arab oil embargo...

Pennsylvania released a study of the effects of electricity deregulation on state tax collections.

A sale-leaseback transaction ends up in court. Florida Power & Light bought 48% interests in two windpower projects in 1989 and 1990 and leased back the projects to the seller .

Tax-free mergers became a little easier under regulations the IRS issued at the end of August...

Mauritius will subject all offshore companies to income taxes at a 15% rate starting in July 2003, regardless of when the companies were incorporated...

Indonesia has revoked its tax treaty with The Netherlands.

Mexican president-elect Vicente Fox said he plans to offer a 1-year income tax holiday to encourage more foreign investment

Using swaps to repatriate earnings does not work, the IRS said ...

Bulgaria is expected to cut its corporate income tax rate to 15% effective January 1, 2001.

A strategy some foreign companies use to strip earnings from their US subsidiaries is expected to be shut down ...

Environmental clean up costs could not be deducted, a US appeals court told Dominion Resources in late July. Dominion Resources owns land in Richmond, Virginia where a former power plant sits ...

Connecticut slapped a retroactive tax on scrap tires that a power project uses as fuel ...

An Indian tribe could not tax utility property on its reservation, a US appeals court said...

Briefly noted: The European Commission said this summer that it is investigating tax breaks given to companies on the Portuguese island of Madeira because the tax breaks may constitute illegal aid ...