Overview
Law360 quoted Marc Spitzer in a February 22 article titled “A Hobbled FERC No Disaster For Energy Cos., For Now.” The article discusses how former Chairman Norman Bay's February 3 departure left FERC with just two commissioners, which prevents it from taking any actions that require a commission vote, such as approving gas pipelines, deciding rate and tariff disputes and finalizing enforcement actions. Experts say serious problems will arise if FERC's impotence isn't rectified before the end of this summer.
Mr. Spitzer, a former FERC commissioner, says most FERC cases aren't high-profile ones, but every case is important to someone. "If you're a litigant in a case, and it's sitting there, and you have no order forthcoming, if you're the lawyer or the client, you get antsy. You want your case resolved."
The full article can be read at Law360 (subscription required).