Transmission CCN? NO!!! A win for Neighbors United!
March 28th, 2017
Hot off the press from the Federal Appellate Court — Missouri Western District
From the Order:
ATXI is an Illinois corporation authorized to do business in Missouri and engaged in the construction, ownership, and operation of interstate transmission lines that transmit electricity for the public use. It does not generate, distribute, or sell electricity to the general public or serve any retail service territory.
And the law is clear:
“If any of the items required under this rule are unavailable at the time the application is filed, they shall be furnished prior to the granting of the authority sought.” 4 CSR 240-3.105(2) (emphasis added).
And interpretation of the law:
The general language of section 393.170.3 authorizes the PSC to impose “reasonable and necessary” conditions on a CCN. However, the specific language of section 393.170.2 states that evidence of the county commission consents “shall” be on file before the PSC grants a CCN. “Where one provision of a statute contains general language and another provision in the same statute contains more specific language, the general language should give way to the specific.” Id.
And bottom line?
The PSC’s Report and Order is vacated as it was entered in excess of the PSC’s statutory authority.
Love it when this happens!
ATXI shot down by Missouri Appellate Court
August 11th, 2015
Check out this great slap down of Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois by the Missouri Court of Appeals when Ameren challenged the lower court’s dismissal of their attempt to circumvent state regulation (thanks to Paul Henry for passing this on):
As you know, Missouri is the state that had the wherewithall to declare that Grain Belt Express and its Clean Line was not a utility. In this case, Ameren went in and said, with it seems quite a bit of arrogance, Missouri, don’t touch me, we don’t have to play with you, you don’t regulate me:
WOW, whew, that sure didn’t work for Ameren. Love it when that happens.
