FERC’s Denial of Grid Update Funding Changes Upheld on Appeal

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s orders denying tariff changes for financing grid upgrades were upheld on Tuesday after the D.C. Circuit denied a petition for review from utility companies.

New York utilities were limited by how they were allowed to update their various contracts and failed to work within those parameters, the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit said.

Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp., Consolidated Edison Co., and four other petitioners had challenged FERC orders rejecting proposed tariff amendments that would allow the utilities’ investors to be paid a return for system upgrades.

The utilities claimed ...