[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 209 (Wednesday, October 29, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61707-61708]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-27225]


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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 35-27742]


Filings Under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, as 
Amended (``Act'')

October 23, 2003.
    Notice is hereby given that the following filing(s) has/have been 
made with the Commission under provisions of the Act and rules 
promulgated under the Act. All interested persons are referred to the 
application(s) and/or declaration(s) for complete statements of the 
proposed transaction(s) summarized below. The application(s) and/or 
declaration(s) and any amendment(s) is/are available for public 
inspection through the Commission's Branch of Public Reference.
    Interested persons wishing to comment or request a hearing on the 
application(s) and/or declaration(s) should submit their views in 
writing by November 17, 2003, to the Secretary, Securities and Exchange 
Commission, Washington, DC 20549-0609, and serve a copy on the relevant 
applicant(s) and/or declarant(s) at the address(es) specified below. 
Proof of service (by affidavit or, in the case of an attorney at law, 
by certificate) should be filed with the request. Any request for 
hearing should identify specifically the issues of facts or law that 
are disputed. A person who so requests will be notified of any hearing, 
if ordered, and will receive a copy of any notice or order issued in 
the matter. After November 17, 2003 the application(s) and/or 
declaration(s), as filed or as amended, may be granted and/or permitted 
to become effective.

Alliant Energy Corporation, et al. (70-9891)

    Alliant Energy Corporation. (``Alliant Energy''), a registered 
holding company under the Act, Alliant Energy Resources, Inc. 
(``AER''), a nonutility subsidiary of Alliant Energy, both located at 
4902 N. Biltmore Lane, Madison, Wisconsin 53718; AER's direct 
nonutility subsidiaries Alliant Energy Integrated Services Company and 
its subsidiaries, Alliant Energy Investments, Inc. and its 
subsidiaries, and Alliant Energy Transportation, Inc., all located at 
200 First Street S.E., Cedar Rapid, Iowa 52401; and AER's subsidiaries 
Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation (``Whiting Oil and Gas''); \1\ and 
Whiting Petroleum Corporation (``WPC''),\2\ all located at Mile High 
Center, Suite 2300, 1700 Broadway, Denver, Colorado 80290-2300 
(collectively, ``Applicants''), have filed a post-effective amendment 
under sections 9(a) and 10 of the Act and rule 54 under the Act to 
their application-declaration (``Post-Effective Amendment'').
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    \1\ Whiting Oil and Gas was formerly known as Whiting Petroleum 
Corporation.
    \2\ WPC was formerly known as Whiting Petroleum Holdings, Inc. 
WPC is a new intermediate subsidiary formed by AER to become a 
holding company over Whiting Oil and Gas.
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    By order dated October 3, 2001 (``Prior Order''),\3\ as amended by 
a supplemental order dated December 17, 2002 (``Supplemental 
Order''),\4\ the Commission authorized Alliant Energy, AER and certain 
other nonutility subsidiaries of Alliant Energy (``Nonutility 
Subsidiaries''), through December 31, 2004 (``Authorization Period''), 
to engage in a program of external long-term financing transactions, to 
provide guarantees and other forms of credit support with respect to 
obligations of subsidiaries of Alliant Energy, to enter into interest 
rate hedges, to engage in certain non-utility energy-related 
activities, and to engage in certain other related transactions.
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    \3\ HCAR No. 27448 (October 3, 2001).
    \4\ HCAR No. 27620 (December 17, 2002).
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    In the Prior Order, the Commission authorized Alliant Energy, 
through AER and its other Nonutility Subsidiaries, to invest in certain 
types of energy-related nonutility assets in the United States and 
Canada, specifically including natural gas production, gathering, 
processing, storage and transportation facilities and equipment, liquid 
oil reserves and storage facilities, and associated facilities 
(collectively, ``Energy Assets''), that are incidental to the ongoing 
oil and gas exploration and production and energy marketing, brokering 
and trading operations of the Nonutility Subsidiaries. The Commission 
also authorized AER and its subsidiaries to invest up to $800 million 
(``Investment Limitation'') at any one time outstanding during the 
Authorization Period in Energy Assets or in the equity securities of 
existing or new companies substantially all of whose physical 
properties consist or will consist of Energy Assets.\5\
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    \5\ Applicants state that, as of June 30, 2003, AER and its 
subsidiaries had made investments during the Authorization Period in 
Energy Assets totaling approximately $384 million, of which $379 
million represented investments in oil and gas exploration and 
production properties by Whiting Oil and Gas.
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    Applicants request a modification to the Prior Order to: (i) 
authorize WPC,\6\ Whiting Oil and Gas and their subsidiaries to invest 
up to $800 million at any one time outstanding in Energy Assets (``WPC 
Investment Limitation'') and (ii) reduce the current Investment 
Limitation under the Prior Order from $800 million to $200 million 
(``New AER Investment Limitation'').\7\ Only

[[Page 61708]]

those existing investments in Energy Assets made by AER through 
subsidiaries other than Whiting Oil and Gas (approximately $5 million 
as of June 30, 2003) and new investments in Energy Assets by AER or its 
subsidiaries (other than WPC and its subsidiaries) after the IPO (or 
other sale of at least 50% of WPC's or Whiting Oil and Gas's common 
stock) will be counted against the New AER Investment Limitation. 
Existing investments in Energy Assets by Whiting Oil and Gas as of the 
date of the IPO (or other sale of at least 50% of WPC's or Whiting Oil 
and Gas's common stock) (approximately $379 million as of June 30, 
2003) will be counted against the WPC Investment Limitation. Other than 
the proposed modifications proposed by the Applicants, all other terms, 
conditions, limitations and restrictions under the Prior Order and 
Supplemental Order, as applied to Energy Assets, will continue to apply 
during the Authorization Period.
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    \6\ Applicants state that on July 25, 2003, WPC (under the name 
Whiting Petroleum Holdings, Inc.) filed a Registration Statement on 
Form S-1 (File No. 333-107341) with respect to an initial public 
offering (``IPO'') of its common stock. AER states that it expects 
to sell at least 51% of the issued and outstanding common stock of 
WPC in the IPO. Applicants state that it expects that the IPO will 
be completed by the end of November 2003. Applicants further state 
that AER intends to divest its remaining interest in WPC during the 
first half of 2004, subject to market conditions. Thus, Applicants 
request in this Post-Effective Amendment, that the modification to 
the Prior Order be granted, subject only to the sale of at least 50% 
of the common stock of WPC or Whiting Oil and Gas to one or more 
purchasers in a public or negotiated private sale.
    \7\ The proposed modifications would increase the overall 
investment limitation in Energy Assets from the $800 million 
authorized in the Prior Order to $1 billion.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management, 
under delegated authority.
Margaret H. McFarland,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-27225 Filed 10-28-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8010-01-P