Seeking an end to manipulation

Renewed allegations of manipulation of natural gas pipeline capacity in the US have been partly blamed on regulatory complacency. How can regulators put an end to the problems dogging the gas markets? Catherine Lacoursière reports

After much wrangling over how to restore credibility to electricity markets and power price indexes in the US, industry attention is now turning to manipulation in the natural gas markets. Many had hoped that a $1.7 billion settlement between Houston energy firm El Paso Corp, the biggest US gas pipeline and numerous government agencies and utility parties would bring a close to the investigations into gas market manipulation in the western US energy markets.

Instead, as the drawn-out