FERC dismissed Ameren’s bid to gain exclusive rights to build nearly $2 billion of MISO regional transmission projects in the state free of competitors.

Ameren Illinois remains adamant that it should have exclusive access to construct nearly $2 billion of MISO regional transmission projects in the state without competition.

Parties filed their first briefs in the appeal of FERC Order 1920, which mandated changes to regional transmission planning and cost-allocation rules.

Ameren Illinois argued to FERC that it should have dibs on sections of two competitive long-range transmission projects worth almost $2 billion from MISO’s second portfolio, claiming Illinois’ “first in the field” doctrine is tantamount to a right of first refusal law.

The NYISO Management Committee passed two motions at its June 30 meeting, unanimously recommending that the Board of Directors approve them.

The NYISO Business Issues Committee and Operating Committee approved a governing document revisions that would implement transmission owners’ right of first refusal in the ISO’s planning processes at their meetings.

A collective of consumer groups has invoked a recent letter from the U.S. Department of Justice in an attempt to get FERC to act on its three-year-old complaint against MISO deferring to state right of first refusal laws in regional planning.

The 7th Circuit has tossed a temporary injunction against Indiana’s right of first refusal law and sent the case back to a lower court, leaving plaintiff LS Power with more work ahead of it to increase competitively bid transmission projects in MISO.

A band of incumbent utilities has collected case studies that they say demonstrate the need to instate or maintain the right of first refusal for the good of grid expansion.

LS Power has lodged a complaint against MISO for treating Indiana’s right of first refusal law as if it’s in effect when it’s under a preliminary injunction.