State, El Paso Settle Price-Fixing Claims

California and El Paso Corp., the largest natural gas-pipeline owner in the United States, filed a settlement with federal regulators that resolves claims that the company manipulated gas prices during the state’s energy crisis in 2000 and 2001.

An accord announced in March calls for Houston-based El Paso to pay $1.7 billion. California will get $900 million in gas over 20 years under the proposed settlement. El Paso also will pay $100 million in cash and $125 million in stock soon and $440 million over the next 20 years.