The ongoing bankruptcy story of SemGroup LP continues to grow. Forbes has a cover story for April 13 that asks, “Did Goldman Goose Oil?” The story says Goldman Sachs, through J.Aron & Co., its commodities trading arm, was in “prime position” to know about SemGroup’s trading positions.
Ex-SemGroup CEO Tom Kivisto has been made the villain of the bankruptcy, which included leaving Kansas oil producers holding the bag for about $140 million in unpaid receipts. The story suggests he may have some company.
For those of you who’ve commented – at this morning’s City Hall meeting and throughout the morning – that you couldn’t link to the city’s downtown revitalization blueprint on Kansas.com, you’re right.
We’re working on an updated PDF file of the document and hope to have it on Kansas.com soon.
Sorry about that.
Over the past couple of weeks, Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp. has been making a big push to keep itself intact, despite a budget recommendation by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to move parts of the agency into the Kansas Department of Commerce and completely do away with other functions.
Officials from the private-public agency charged with helping high-tech startups get off the ground and grow has been on an e-mail petition campaign to enlist support from Kansans.
Despite some media reports suggesting that KTEC will remain intact because of actions in the Kansas House, KTEC apparently isn’t convinced that its survival is guaranteed.
Click here to see the petition.
Proposed legislation to take food safety out of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and move it to the Food and Drug Administration will be discussed this week by the House ag committee. Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Hays, gave a preview Monday night in Wichita on where he stood on the issue:
Dead set against it.
“The FDA has more on its plate than it can handle,” Moran told an audience of about 250 at the Sedgwick County Extension’s 62nd annual barbecue. “We need someone involved with food safety who understands agriculture to some degree.
“And while I have my differences with the department of ag, I would rest more easily with them. We will work hard to retain food safety in USDA.
It’s important to us as producers. Even the threat, even the rumor of BSE (mad-cow disease) can cause markets to drop.”