Two key Maryland counties have agreed to support the controversial takeover of Pepco by Exelon in return for promises of bill credits, reliability improvements and other concessions.

A round-up of news from the PJM Planning Committee on March 12, 2015.

Borrowing language from other federal agencies, FERC issued an order “to clarify that the term ‘observe’ does not include disruptive behavior.”

Opponents of the Constitution Pipeline have threatened to go to court next week to force FERC to reconsider its approval of the project.

FERC needs to do more work to ensure Order 1000 opens transmission development to competition and results in interregional projects, developers said at Infocast’s 18th annual Transmission Summit last week.

PJM’s 2014 RTEP report, released last week, provides details of the $1.7 billion in transmission projects approved by PJM’s Board of Managers.

News briefs on FERC and the federal agencies that impact those doing business in the RTO footprints. This week we include the NRC, EPA, the Energy Department and Congress.

Hydro-Quebec is looking to expand its exports to its long-standing customers in the Northeast power markets, a Quebec spokeswoman told the Connecticut Power and Energy Society.

FERC said it is trying to craft the its role in administering a “safety valve” to ensure reliability is not threatened by the EPA's Clean Power Plan.

Gov. Terry Branstad last week shook up the Iowa Utilities Board after MidAmerican Energy officials met with him to complain about a recent board decision.