Announced Actions for February 2, 2001

Following a public comment period, the Commission has made final a consent order regarding the following: El Paso Energy Corporation and PG&E Corporation. The Commission vote to finalize the consent agreement was 5-0. (FTC File No. 001-0121; staff contact is William R. Vigdor, 202-326-3177; see press release dated December 21, 2000.)

Publication of Commission report:

The Commission has authorized staff to provide the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) with the following and place a copy on the public record: The FTC's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Annual Report. Required by 5 U.S.C. Sec. 522(e), this report is now submitted to DOJ rather than Congress, and the reporting period has been changed from the calendar year to the fiscal year. This report, for Fiscal Year 2000 (October 1, 1999 to September 30, 2000), describes how the Commission collects and processes FOIA requests, the agency's response-time ranges and why some requests are not granted. Basic terminology regarding the FOIA request process is explained, exempted information is detailed and the number of requests and their disposition is presented. Finally, the number of appeals to FOIA request denials is given and the disposition of these appeals explained. General information is also provided on the FTC's FOIA staffing levels, fees and costs related to conducting the program. The Commission vote to publish the report and forward a copy to DOJ was 5-0. Copies are available on the FTC Web site at: www.ftc.gov. (FTC File No. P859907; staff contact is Consuela R. Goosby, Office of the General Counsel, 202-326-2486.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC's Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.  The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint, or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies worldwide.