September 16, 1996 - Washington and 11 other states today announced an agreement with four major retailers that will help clarify for consumers "Zero Interest/No Interest" advertisements.

"Big bold headlines of "Zero % Interest/No Interest" financing are very popular because they attract attention and bring shoppers into stores," said Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire. "But, those ads have the capacity to deceive consumers if they fail to disclose the terms and conditions that apply."

The Attorney General's Office is seeking volunteers to work with the public in its Kennewick Consumer Re source Center, according to Attorney General Christine Gregoire.

"The Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's Office offers a unique volunteer opportunity for people interested in consumer protection," said Gregoire. "Volunteers will be able to work directly with con sumers and businesses in attempting to resolve consumer complaints, and may also assist our staff of investiga tors and attorneys in litigation work."

Secure Computer to reimburse Washington purchasers of Spyware Cleaner and Popup Padlock

SEATTLE -- Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced a $1.52 billion multistate settlement with Enron to resolve some of the claims of market manipulation and price gouging stemming from the energy shortage of 2000-2001.

The states of Washington, California and Oregon, as well as some California utilities and other organizations, are parties to the settlement. The agreement must be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Enron bankruptcy court.

SEATTLE -- Checks totaling over $10 million will begin to go out this week to electric utilities in Washington that raised rates during the western states' energy crisis of 2000-2001. Those utilities will in turn issue bill credits or refunds to their commercial and industrial customers in the near future.

The checks result from multi-state antitrust settlements with the Williams Companies, El Paso Corporation and Duke Energy Corporation.

OLYMPIA -- Attorney General Rob McKenna today issued the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. New London, Connecticut, in which the Court held that taking for "economic rejuvenation" satisfies the “public benefit” requirement in the Fifth Amendment’s takings clause in the U.S. Constitution.

“The Washington State Constitution prohibits the use of the power of eminent domain to condemn private property for private use and reserves to the judiciary the role in determining what constitutes a public use.

OLYMPIA -- Attorney General Rob McKenna announced today he has appointed Susan Harris as the Executive Director of the Executive Ethics Board.

“Susan will be a wonderful executive director,” said McKenna. “She comes to the board with 28 years of exemplary experience applying and enforcing public disclosure law at the Public Disclosure Commission.”

OLYMPIA -- Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced new division chiefs for the Ecology and Transportation and Public Construction (TPC) divisions of the Office of the Attorney General.

Mary Sue Wilson was selected to head the Ecology Division and Bryce Brown was promoted to lead the TPC division.

OLYMPIA -- Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced the selection of Joseph Shorin, III as the new division chief for the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Division of the Office of the Attorney General.

Shorin has served as an Assistant Attorney General with the Attorney General's Office for fifteen years. During that time he has worked in the Agriculture and Parks Division, the Natural Resources Division and most recently in the Ecology Division as a section manager.

SEATTLE -- Attorney General Christine Gregoire today announced a plan for distributing approximately $37 million the state will receive over the next 20 years from antitrust settlements with two major energy companies, Williams Energy and El Paso Energy.

The settlement with El Paso, announced last June, and the settlement with Williams, reached in November 2002, followed investigations by the attorneys general of Washington, Oregon and California into alleged illegal manipulation of electricity prices during the West Coast energy crisis of 2000-2001.