The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has acted to lessen the regulatory filing requirements for electric utilities seeking to merge with other companies. FERC said its proposed rule would provide more certainty for the industry and facilitate the review process for mergers that are giving rise to new types of utility combinations.
The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has acted to lessen the regulatory filing requirements for electric utilities seeking to merge with other companies.
FERC said its proposed rule would provide more certainty for the industry and facilitate the review process for mergers that are giving rise to new types of utility combinations.
The regulation would codify existing FERC merger policy based on its 1996 Merger Policy Statement and subsequent cases by: setting more descriptive filing requirements; streamlining filing requirements for mergers that do not raise competitive concerns; and eliminating outdated filing requirements.
FERC has acted on 17 significant mergers since it first streamlined its 30-year-old merger policy in December 1996 with Order No. 592.
It said, "Recognizing that changes in the industry have presented the commission with innovative utility combinations since the Merger Policy Statement was issued, the proposed rule asks for comment on new types of corporate mergers and how the commission can best analyze them."
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