By Christopher Schwarzen
Times Snohomish County Bureau

Because of Enron's fraudulent dealings, the Snohomish County Public Utility District will not have to pay a $122 million contract-termination fee, federal energy regulators ruled Wednesday.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) decided under an amendment to the 2005 Energy Policy Act that Enron could not hold the PUD to a nine-year contract it signed in 2001 with the energy trader.

The decision was included in a settlement that sends about $10 million to utilities and government entities in the Northwest, including the PUD, the Port of Seattle and the Grays Harbor PUD. Tacoma Power settled its dispute with Enron on Tuesday for $3.3 million.

Seattle Times