State presses for coal royalties

CHEYENNE - A lengthy dispute between the state and Kennecott Energy over royalties on coal mined in Wyoming between 1995 and 2000 may end up in court.

The state claims Kennecott owes nearly $800,000 in state royalties on Wyoming coal sold in Great Lakes ports.

The company disagrees with the Department of Audit findings.

Members of the State Loan and Investment Board Thursday voted to require Kennecott to pay the amount of unpaid royalties found by the audit within 10 days or face legal action by the attorney general's office.

"I hope you don't get the impression that Kennecott is recalcitrant in its royal payments," said Larry Wolfe of the Holland and Hart law firm, representing the company.

Wolfe said the company made two settlement offers to the state but withdrew the second one after the Office of State Lands and Investments asked for more money.

The transaction was complex, he added, but succeeded in selling Wyoming coal in the Great Lakes area.

The board's action does not preclude the company and the attorney general's office from working on a settlement, officials said.

Cheyenne gas rates increase

CHEYENNE - The average cost of heating a home in Cheyenne will rise by an about $30 a month under an agreement approved by the Wyoming Public Service Commission.

The commission approved a request Thursday by Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power to pass along to customers the increased cost of natural gas that the utility company has been paying this winter. The company says it has been paying about $10 per thousand cubic feet of gas on the open market while its customers have only been paying about $8.

For an average residential use of 8 dekatherms, the increase will amount to about $30 a month from Feb. 1 through Sept. 30. The average business using 45 dekatherms will see bills about $167 a month higher.

The commission approved the cost increase as a pass-through, meaning the utility's cost are passed on to customers on a dollar-for-dollar basis. They're not counted as revenue or profit.

State aims to return unclaimed property

CHEYENNE - The State Treasurer's Office will hold its annual Wyoming Windfall starting Monday in an effort to return $22 million in unclaimed property to its rightful owners.

Most of what the office returns is cash - uncollected wages, uncashed money orders, oil and gas royalties, stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

A Web site where people can search for unclaimed property will become active today. That address is: http://treasurer.state.wy.us/2006Windfall.html.

People whose names aren't on the Web site may still call the Unclaimed Property Office to make sure they have no unclaimed property. Phone banks will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 6-10. The office's phone number is 307-777-5590.