United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2008-02-25 monographic deposited born digital 74 p. GA 1.13:GAO-08-289 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-289 P0b002ee1803949c6 f:d08289 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-289 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-289 GAO-08-289 Audit oversight Auditing standards Corporate audits Corporate mergers Electric energy Electric utilities Federal law Federal regulations Independent regulatory commissions Internal controls Natural gas Public utilities Reporting requirements Utility rates Other Written Product A80995 Under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA 1935) and other laws, federal agencies and state commissions have traditionally regulated utilities to protect consumers from supply disruptions and unfair pricing. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) repealed PUHCA 1935, removing some limitations on the companies that could merge with or invest in utilities, leaving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which already regulated utilities, with primary federal responsibility for regulating them. Because of the potential for new mergers or acquisitions between utilities and companies previously restricted from investing in utilities, there has been considerable interest in whether cross-subsidization--unfairly passing on to consumers the cost of transactions between utility companies and their "affiliates"--could occur. GAO was asked to (1) examine the extent to which FERC changed its merger and acquisition and post merger review and oversight processes since EPAct to protect against cross-subsidization and (2) survey state utility commissions about their oversight. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-289/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-289.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-289/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-289.pdf GAO-08-289 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-08-289 Other Written Product GAO-08-289; Utility Oversight: Recent Changes in Law Call for Improved Vigilance by FERC; Audit oversight Auditing standards Corporate audits Corporate mergers Electric energy Electric utilities Federal law Federal regulations Independent regulatory commissions Internal controls Natural gas Public utilities Reporting requirements Utility rates Public Law 101-576 Public Law 103-356 Public Law 104-156