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35 News: Q. Rep. Members Sec. Pub. Util. Comm. & Transp. L. A.B.A. 1 (1996)

handle is hein.journals/infrastr35 and id is 1 raw text is: ., B -E TO OF PU LI UTLIY C-M U IA IO AN TR NS OR A IO4- A Quarterly Report to the Members of the Section of Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Law of the American Bar Association VOL. 35, NO. 1 WINTER 1996 Headlines Electric Utilities Catch Merger Fever, Embrace Competition A flood of mergers InVolving investor-owned elecstic utilities was proposed dur- ing late Summer and early Fall 1995. In addition, several industry-sponsored ini- tiatives began, fav6ring customer choice for retail utility service (in much the same way as telephone caller's select their long-distance carriers), A Merger Mania. At press time, proposed mergers were pending between (1) Baltimore Gas & Electric' Co. and Potomac Electric Power Co., (2) CIPSCO, Inc. (Central Illinois PublicService Co.) and Union Flectric Co. (to form Ameren Corp.), (3),Public Service Co. of Colorado, and Southwester Public Service Co., (4) Northern Staes Powe'r Co. and Wisconsin Energy Corp. (C'Primergy), (5) Sierra Pacific R& ources and The.Washington Water Power Co. (AlttS), and (6) a three-way comlbination between'WPLHoldings, Tnc. (parent company of Wisconsin Power & Light Co.), itidttwo Iowa utilities, Interstate Power Co. and IES Industries lnc,(to frn Interstate Energy Corp.)., PECO Energy had announced a hostile tak'eover.of Pennsylvania Power & Light Co., but backed off when the latter show~d littlelAnterest The Prinmergy, Interstate, and l'SC-SWPS deals are particularly iioteworthy, irihat they Would combine companies that operate with differerhi reiability councils. A Retail Wheeling; Aericarn Electric Power Corp. proposed a plan for retail wheeling on October'26, AEP announced only one day after similar moves by the New York Power At ftloriity and Equitable Resources. Several weeks earlier Niagara Mohlawk Corp. ind Central Illinois Light Co. had announced retail wheel- ing plans called, respectively, Pou'erC1.oice and Pow'er Quest. With Power Quest, CILCo would offer retail choice to eigh! large-volume industrial customers and create geographic open access sites in which snmaller commercial and residential users could choose their own suppliers for full- requirements service. Niagara Mohawk Corp. has reportedly threatened a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing if its PIouv r'boice plan doesn't help it get out from tnder costly purchased power contracts with independent power producers. A Fleeing Customers. Motorola reportedly will build a new $100 million cellular phone plant in Harvard, Illinois, bt1t use a privately owned, seven-mile transmis- sion line (like a long extension cord) to link up with Wisconsin Power & Light Co., which offers a cheaper price than Commonwealth Edison, which ordinarily serves the Harvard area. Reports at press time indicated that Edison might have squelched the bypass threat by offering a special rate discount to Motorola under its economic development tariff. Local employer Whirlpool has convinced the city of Clyde, Ohio, to terminate service with Toledo Edison and forn its own mriunicipal utility to supply cheaper electricity. Frito-Lay reportedly has also asked West Valley City, Utah, to municipalize, to allow the snack company to get its power elsewhere than from Utah Power & Light, the local franchisee. Section Plans 2nd Annual Members Meeting Two-day program set for April 18-19, 1996 in Washington, D.C. FERC'sWg-OR U What Affre6d Kahn say s aboit deregultition * R1,eports on regulqitory, communicati o ,ns, -and transportation law: V.-

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