Senator Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) said yesterday (Tuesday, Jan. 25) that he has signed on as a cosponsor to a bill by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash) to prevent manipulative practices by energy companies.

The bill has been named "Energy Needs Regulatory Oversight Now" to give it the acronymn, ENRON, the company which Feingold said was the reason for the bill.

"Last summer, the release of audiotapes of Enron traders gloating about their ability to manipulate 
energy markets shocked the nation," Feingold said. "As more tapes surface and energy prices 
continue to rise, the need for the Senate to pass the ENRON Act has never been more clear....

"We need to send a clear message to the energy industry that this behavior will not be tolerated, 
and we must show consumers that we will protect them from energy market manipulation," Feingold  said.        —Donald H. Harrison