To access the significant orders and federal district court papers related to all matters that have proceeded to Orders to Show Cause, see the Orders to Show Cause Proceedings page.
| Subject(s) of Investigation and Order | Sanctions, including Civil Penalties, Disgorgement, and Compliance Measures | Description of Findings of Violations |
|---|---|---|
| Stronghold Digital Mining Inc. and Scrubgrass Reclamation Company, L.P., Docket No. IN24-14-000, Order Approving Stipulation and Consent Agreement, 190 FERC ¶ 61,059 (Jan. 30, 2025) | Civil penalty of $741,365; disgorgement of $678,635; and compliance monitoring. |
The Commission approved the Stipulation and Consent Agreement (Agreement) between the Office of Enforcement (Enforcement) and Stronghold Digital Mining Inc. (Stronghold) and Scrubgrass Reclamation Company, L.P. f/k/a Scrubgrass Generating Company LP (Scrubgrass) (collectively, the Companies). The Agreement resolves Enforcement’s investigation into whether the Companies violated PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.’s (PJM) Tariff or Commission regulations in connection with operating their co-located 85 MW coal refuse plant and behind-the-meter Bitcoin mining facility located in northwestern Pennsylvania during the period of June 2021 to May 2022 (Relevant Period). The Companies stipulate to the fact section set forth in Section II of the Agreement and admit to the violations in Section III of the Agreement. The Companies agree to: (a) pay a civil penalty of $741,365 to the United States Treasury; (b) disgorge $678,635 to PJM; and (c) be subject to compliance monitoring as provided in the Agreement. |
|
Total Gas & Power North America, Inc., Total, S.A., Total Gas & Power, Ltd., Aaron Hall, and Therese Tran f/k/a Nguyen, Docket No. IN12-17-000, Order Approving Stipulation and Consent Agreement, 190 FERC ¶ 61,011, revised, 190 FERC ¶ 61,014 (Jan. 10, 2025) Prior Commission Activity: Order to Show Cause and Notice of Proposed Penalty, 155 FERC ¶ 61,105 (Apr. 28, 2016); Order Establishing Hearing, 176 FERC ¶ 61,026 (July 15, 2021); Order Terminating Hearing and Holding Proceeding in Abeyance, 188 FERC ¶ 61,197 (Sept. 19, 2024) |
Restitution of $5,000,000. |
The Commission issued an Order to Show Cause (OSC) directing TGPNA, Hall, and Tran to show the Commission why they should not be found to have violated section 4A of the Natural Gas Act and the Commission’s Anti-Manipulation Rule, 18 C.F.R. § 1c.1, by engaging in a scheme to manipulate the price of natural gas at four locations in the southwest United States between June 2009 and June 2012. On July 15, 2021, the Commission set the matter for hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. On September 19, 2024, the Commission issued an order terminating the hearing and holding the proceeding in abeyance. On January 8, 2025, the Commission issued an Order approving a Stipulation and Consent Agreement (Agreement) between the Office of Enforcement (Enforcement) and TGPNA. The Agreement resolves all claims and allegations: (1) in Docket No. IN12-17, including the OSC and the matters set for hearing; and (2) the proceeding initiated by TGPNA, Hall, and Tran in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, TotalEnergies Gas & Power N.A., Inc. et al. v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, et al., Case No. 4:22-cv-4318. |
| Voltus, Inc. and Gregg Dixon, Docket No. IN21-10-000, Order Approving Stipulation and Consent Agreement, 190 FERC ¶ 61,008 (Jan. 6, 2025) | Disgorgement of $7,080,543 to MISO from Voltus; civil penalties to the United States Treasury of $10,919,457 from Voltus and $1,000,000 from Dixon; agreement to restrict Dixon’s role in Voltus going forward; compliance monitoring for two years, with an option for two additional years. |
The Commission approved the Stipulation and Consent Agreement (Agreement) between the Office of Enforcement (Enforcement) and Voltus, Inc. (Voltus) and Gregg Dixon (Dixon). The Agreement resolves Enforcement’s investigation into whether Dixon engaged in a fraudulent scheme in violation of the Commission’s Anti-Manipulation Rule, 18 C.F.R. § 1c.2, and/or caused Voltus to violate the MISO Tariff, by registering demand response resources without those resources’ knowledge or consent and clearing Load-Modifying Resource capacity that would not have performed if the resources were dispatched, during the period from October 1, 2016, and continuing through June 1, 2020. Voltus and Dixon stipulate to the facts in Section II of the Agreement, but neither admit nor deny the violations alleged in Section III of the Agreement. Voltus agrees to (a) disgorge $7,080,543 in revenue; (b) pay a civil penalty of $10,919,457 to the United States Treasury; and (c) provide compliance monitoring reports to Enforcement. Dixon agrees to pay a civil penalty of $1,000,000 to the United States Treasury and to step down from Voltus’s Board of Directors, along with other restrictions in his role with Voltus going forward. |
Total Civil Penalties assessed for all years 2007 to present: $898,050,204.
Total Civil Penalties does not include the $30,000,000 assessed in Hunter and overturned on jurisdictional grounds by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Total Civil Penalties against BP America Inc., et al. (Docket No. IN13-15) includes only the 2023 Commission-approved settlement amount of $10,750,000. Total Civil Penalties does not include penalties proposed or assessed in the following currently pending matters: $15,000,000 civil penalty assessed against Boyce Hydro Power LLC; or $20,160,000 civil penalty proposed against Rover Pipeline Company, LLC and Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (Docket No. IN19-4-000); or $40,000,000 civil penalty proposed against Rover Pipeline Company, LLC and Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (Docket No. IN17-4-000); or $600,000 civil penalty proposed against Ampersand Cranberry Lake Hydro LLC; or $25,000,000 civil penalty assessed against Ketchup Caddy, LLC and $1,500,000 civil penalty assessed against Philip Mango.
Total Disgorgement ordered for all years 2007 to present: $662,015,476.
Total Disgorgement does not include the amount ordered in the following currently pending matter: $506,502 accessed against Philip Mango.
Total Other Payments ordered for all years 2007 to present: $188,150,573.
“Other payments” are defined as miscellaneous items ordered by the Commission that have a financial value, but are not considered a civil penalty or disgorgement. They include payments towards mitigation, enhancements, compliance activities, or a hurricane charitable fund. Payments included in this total are: $1,000,000 charitable donation ordered in Entergy Energy Services, Inc. in 2007; $1,000,000 in compliance plan improvements ordered in Duquesne Light Company in 2008; $2,000,000 in compliance plan improvements ordered in Edison Mission in 2008; $2,000,000 in mitigation and compliance plan improvements ordered in Grand River Dam Authority in 2011; $2,200,000 in public safety enhancements and computer system upgrades ordered in Erie Boulevard Hydropower, L.P. and Brookfield Power US Assets Management, LLC in 2014; $179,600,573 judgment in favor of PJM in a Texas state court in GreenHat Energy, LLC in 2022; $350,000 in compliance plan improvements ordered in ISO-New England, Inc. in 2022.
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