(PRWEB) July 19, 2006 –- ScottMadden, a leading management consulting firm that specializes in the energy industry, just released its semi-annual "Summer 2006 Energy Industry Update" publication featuring an exclusive view of recent events and emerging trends in the energy industry.

A Path Forward and a Way to Pay for It Energy and utility companies continue to develop strategies to cope with fuel supply and price uncertainties exacerbated by last year’s monster hurricanes, new and evolving federal energy policies, industry consolidation (and associated uncertainty), an aging workforce, and an emerging need for new power generation capacity. At the same time, state regulators are beginning to see increasing costs and are growing increasingly discontent.

The current issue, dubbed "A Path Forward and a Way to Pay for It," addresses the following topics related to energy policy among many others:

-- FERC progress on its obligations under the Energy Policy Act enacted last year

-- Fuel and power market price response to the gradual recovery of gas and coal supplies, and how to be prepared for the current storm season
   
-- New generation options and the daunting task of planning new generation, given uncertainty in key variables like capital cost, fuel prices, and environmental and greenhouse gas regulation

-- Ongoing acquisition activity, both at home and abroad, and the continuing complications for corporate acquisitions and other strategic activity in increasingly unfriendly state regulatory environments

ScottMadden’s "Summer 2006 Energy Industry Update" can be found at
http://www.scottmadden.com/news-and-research/our-thinking.aspx

About ScottMadden:
ScottMadden is a leading management consulting firm that specializes in the energy industry, shared services and outsourcing. By assembling small teams of consultants who bring deep experience and knowledge to each challenge, the firm offers a pragmatic approach to serving clients' needs. ScottMadden works directly with clients developing strategic, implementable solutions and helping empower them to be more competitive, efficient and profitable.

Over the past 20 years, ScottMadden has served more than 300 clients, successfully delivering more than 1,500 projects—a testament to the firm's proven approach to corporate progress. ScottMadden clients are located throughout the United States and include some of the largest names in the energy industry as well as many other Fortune 500 companies. ScottMadden is proud of its heritage and ability to offer each client individual attention regardless of size. For more, visit www.scottmadden.com