Avista Corp. (Spokane, WA) announced that it has filed an appeal which, if approved, would allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to directly resolve the agency's pending investigation of Avista's trading practices. Avista filed the appeal with Chief Administrative Law Judge Curtis Wagner Jr., who declined to certify an agreement that would resolve the case and ordered the resumption of a hearing process.
The FERC Trial Staff has also filed a motion with the judge asking for clarification and reconsideration of his ruling. Trial staff has requested that the agreement to resolve Avista's case be certified to the commission for its approval without the need for a further hearing. After a lengthy investigation process, FERC Trial Staff concluded that there was no evidence that Avista participated in market manipulation and that the company cooperated fully with investigators.
The Avista appeal asserts that FERC's other issued orders provide additional guidance that helps validate the trial staff's findings. Avista's appeal points out that the company has not participated in practices that FERC defines as unacceptable and that the investigation conducted by FERC staff thoroughly examined all issues related to energy market activity by Avista.
