Jurisdiction of State Regulatory Commissions Over Public.pdf

Loyola University Chicago Law Journal Volume 15 Article 5 Issue 1 Fall 1983 1983 J urisdiction of State Regulatory Commissions Over Public Utility Holding Company Diversification J oan G. Fickinger Follow this and additional works at : http://lawe ommons.lu .edu/luclj Part of the Energy and Utilities Law Commons Re ommended Citation J oan G. Fickinger, J risdiction of State Reg latory Co mmissions Over P blic Utility H olding Co mp any Di versific ation, 15 Loy. U. Chi. L. J. 87 (1983). Available at : http://lawe ommons.lu .edu/luclj/vol15/iss1/5 This Note is brought to you for free and open a ess by LAW eCommons. It has been a epted for inclusion in Loyola University Chicago Law Journal by an authorized administrator of LAW eCommons. For more information, please ontact law-library@lu .edu. Jurisdiction of State Regulatory Commissions Over Public Utility Holding Company Diversification INTRODUCTION The energy industry and numerous critical observers are cur- rently engaged in a debate over the role of state public service commissions in regulating a recent but widespread phenomenon: diversification of public utility companies.1 Although historically utilities have not been thought of as diversification candidates, inflationary pressures in recent decades have caused many utili- ties to expand into unregulated, non-utility areas of business.2 A common mechanism for implementing such diversifications is the organization of a holding company3 to act as a parent4 for the utility, thereby allowing for the