Kentucky Municipal Energy Agency v. FERC, No. 19-1236 (D.C. Cir. 2022)
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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the merger of two electrical grid operators, Louisville Gas & Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company. To protect customers from the merger’s potential anticompetitive effects, the Commission required the combined company (collectively, “Louisville Utilities”) to join a then-new regional electrical grid organization, the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc. (“MISO”).
Louisville Utilities asked the Commission to end its depancaking responsibilities under Schedule 402. Most of the customers protected by Schedule 402 objected. The Commission largely approved the request on the ground that sufficient competition in electricity sales existed to provide Louisville Utilities customers alternative competitive sources for electricity even without depancaking. At the same time, the Commission took steps to protect customers that had reasonably relied on depancaking under Schedule 402 in their contracting and investing decisions. A group of customers previously protected by Schedule 402 (collectively, “Municipal Customers”) and Louisville Utilities both petitioned for a review of the Commission’s orders.
The DC Circuit vacated the Commission’s decision to end depancaking under Schedule 402. While the Commission adequately supported its conclusion that customers would continue to enjoy a competitive market without depancaking, it was arbitrary for the agency to completely ignore the significant effect that duplicative charges would have on customer rates. The court also concluded that the Commission’s decisions protecting reliance interests were reasonable, with two exceptions. As a result, the court granted the petitions for review in part and vacated and remanded the challenged orders in part.
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