FERC said last week that it intends to tighten the rules on the use of hold harmless commitments in support of merger applications.

Environmentalists continued their campaign against the proposed takeover of Pepco by Exelon, with activists urging the D.C. Council to oppose the deal.

News briefs from the states and provinces within the footprint of RTOs. This week we include Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.

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

NYISO last week asked FERC to exempt competitive transmission, including the Champlain Hudson project, from the ISO’s buyer-side mitigation rules.

News briefs on companies doing business with RTOs. This week we include Exelon, Dynegy, PPL, PSE&G and NRG.

SPP members last week approved spending $270 million on transmission improvements over the next five years but not before stakeholders expressed misgivings.

MISO has asked FERC for a rehearing of its order requiring the RTO to modify the way it calculates the hurdle rate for determining whether to allow power flows between its north and south regions.

A summary of measures approved by the SPP Markets & Operations Policy Committee at its quarterly meeting Jan. 12-13.

Massachusetts needs additional natural gas pipeline capacity to avoid severe energy shortages in the next few decades, a study concluded.