IN BRIEF

NV Energy files resource plan with state utilities commission

Local power utility NV Energy filed its latest integrated resource plan Monday with the state Public Utilities Commission.

The plan resembles the proposal NV Energy submitted in July, but later withdrew to add new elements.

In its latest filing, NV Energy included plans for a 500-kilovolt transmission line it would co-own with developer LS Power. The line would link NV Energy's northern and southern service areas and provide access to renewable-energy plants in rural Nevada. NV Energy's integrated resource plan retains the similar One Nevada (ONLine) transmission line the utility proposed in July, but the company prefers the joint LS line and will develop it instead if the Public Utilities Commission gives the go-ahead.

Monday's plan also includes details on a $138 million federal grant NV Energy received to launch its $298 million Advanced Service Delivery project, which will involve the development of smart-grid infrastructure.

And it adds three purchase-power agreements for renewable energy totaling 300 megawatts of electricity.

President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Yackira noted that this is the first time in nearly a decade that NV Energy is not requesting approval of a fossil-fueled power plant.

NEW YORK

Exxon Mobil posts lowest earnings in seven years

Exxon Mobil's earnings fell by more than half to $19.3 billion in 2009, the lowest total in seven years, as company refineries struggled with a plunge in global fuel consumption. But Exxon remains the profit champion among U.S. public companies.

The world's largest publicly traded oil company finished the year with a 23 percent decline in fourth-quarter income. Exxon now has posted lower profits for five straight quarters after setting a record of $14.83 billion in the third quarter of 2008.

The Irving, Texas, company earned $6.05 billion, or $1.27 a share, for the final three months of 2009. That compares with $7.82 billion, or $1.54 a share, a year earlier. Revenue increased 6 percent to $89.8 billion. The fourth-quarter results still beat analysts expectations and shares rose $1.75, or 2.7 percent, to $66.18.

For the full year, Exxon earned $3.98 a share. That compares with a record-breaking year in 2008, when Exxon recorded the highest profit ever for a U.S. company -- $45.2 billion, or $8.66 a share.

Still, Exxon will remain the highest-earning company in the S&P 500 index, a rank it has held since 2000 after its acquisition of Mobil Corp. By comparison, Wal-Mart is expected to earn $14 billion for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, while Microsoft earned $14.6 billion in the fiscal year ended in June 2009.

NEW YORK

Amazon not selling Macmillan books as price feud continues

Amazon.com continued to withhold sales of books published by Macmillan on Monday, the result of a pricing dispute that helped knock shares in the online retailer down more than 5 percent.

Amazon.com Inc. told customers in one of its online forums Sunday that it would have to "capitulate" to Macmillan's demand that it charge more than current prices for digital editions on Amazon's Kindle e-reader.

But so far, many Macmillan books are only available from third-party sellers on Amazon's Web site, and digital editions are absent completely. Amazon's statement didn't address why the company decided to make such a public move in pulling Macmillan titles, or when the titles would return.

DALLAS

Regulators urge $2.5 million penalty for American Eagle

Federal regulators are proposing a penalty of nearly $2.5 million against a sister carrier of American Airlines for not making sure crews had accurate information about the weight of baggage on dozens of flights.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced the penalty Monday against AMR Corp.'s American Eagle.

Incorrect takeoff weights are considered a safety hazard if pilots rely on faulty information when determining the right speed for takeoff and landing.

The FAA charges that Eagle operated at least 39 flights after being told of the problem. On at least two flights, the FAA charges, Eagle planes should not have taken off because they were too heavy.

FORT MILL, S.C.

Cue the elevators: Muzak emerges from bankruptcy

Muzak Holdings LLC said Monday that it has completed its financial restructuring and has emerged from bankruptcy protection.

The company, which provides background music programming is heard in stores, office buildings and on-hold phone systems, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware a year ago to refinance heavy debt.

The Fort Mill, S.C., company said it has significantly improved its balance sheet, reducing its outstanding debt by more than half and realigning its organizational structure to improve its clients' experience.