Citizens and community, faith, business and environmental
organizations urge merger approval
More than 100 District of Columbia residents and community groups turned
out at a hearing today to tell the Public Service Commission of the
District of Columbia (PSC) that they support the merger of Pepco
Holdings Inc. (NYSE: POM) and Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) for the
significant benefits it will bring to the region.
The PSC called the hearing as a forum for individuals and organizations
in the District to comment on the merger settlement the companies
reached with the Government of the District of Columbia and others on
Oct. 6, 2015. The Commission on Oct. 28 reopened the record to consider
the settlement with the District Government and others, and set a
schedule for the reconsideration of the merger application that would
allow it to issue a decision in the first quarter of 2016.
The merger settlement includes numerous commitments to the District,
including providing $72.8 million in direct customer benefits, including
bill credits, assistance for low-income customers, fewer and shorter
power outages, and investment in a cleaner and greener D.C.
“Efficiency, reliability and sustainability – those are the things that
drove me to be here today,” said Ellen Jefferson, a District resident
who attended the hearing to voice her support. “As a business owner, I
know what it means when you don’t have power – it means thousands of
dollars of lost revenue. I understand that it takes lots and lots of
resources to ensure continuity of power, but I think that the
Pepco-Exelon merger will create some synergies that were not there
before.”
Among its many commitments, the merger settlement includes investments
in local jobs and workforce development. Pepco has committed to hire
more than 100 union workers in the District, and Exelon has offered $5.2
million for workforce development programs.
“We’re encouraged the merger will bolster support for local jobs and
help develop the District’s future workforce,” said Carmen Robles-Inman,
program director, Workforce Development, Edgewood/Brookland Family
Support Collaborative. “As the District’s economy continues to grow, we
will need these skilled workers to fill the jobs of tomorrow.”
Citizens from all eight wards attended the hearing and presented
testimony to demonstrate their support for the merger. They represented
a broad range of interests, including faith groups, nonprofits and other
community organizations. Many wore T-shirts and buttons and carried
signs showing their support.
“I’m here because I want to give a chance to new opportunities. I do
think this will benefit the community,” said Rev. Robert Childs, Pastor,
Berean Baptist Church. The merger is “going to bring benefits to
residents.”
In addition to the parties that signed the settlement, the merger has
the support of a majority of the D.C. Council and more than 30,000
District residents who have signed a petition or submitted letters to
the PSC in recent weeks.
“The testimony we heard today is another clear sign the merger has
widespread public support following our settlement with Mayor Bowser,
the Department of Energy and Environment, the District Attorney for the
District of Columbia, the Office of the People’s Counsel and others,”
said Donna Cooper, president. Pepco Region. “We are eager to bring the
merger’s many benefits to the District’s citizens, and they are equally
eager to receive them.”
“District residents value the merger because it includes commitments –
such as bill credits, enhanced reliability goals and funds for
renewables and energy efficiency – that will make electricity more
affordable and more reliable and will advance the District’s long-term
sustainability goals,” said Melissa Sherrod, vice president, corporate
affairs, Exelon. “The package of benefits we’ve proposed responds
directly to what the District has said it wants and can only be secured
if the merger is approved.”
About Exelon Corporation
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) is the nation’s leading competitive
energy provider, with 2014 revenues of approximately $27.4 billion.
Headquartered in Chicago, Exelon does business in 48 states, the
District of Columbia and Canada. Exelon is one of the largest
competitive U.S. power generators, with approximately 32,000 megawatts
of owned capacity comprising one of the nation’s cleanest and
lowest-cost power generation fleets. The company’s Constellation
business unit provides energy products and services to more than 2.5
million residential, public sector and business customers, including
more than two-thirds of the Fortune 100. Exelon’s utilities deliver
electricity and natural gas to more than 7.8 million customers in
central Maryland (BGE), northern Illinois (ComEd) and southeastern
Pennsylvania (PECO). Follow Exelon on Twitter @Exelon.
About Pepco Holdings Inc.
Pepco Holdings Inc. is one of the largest energy delivery companies in
the Mid-Atlantic region, serving about 2 million customers in Delaware,
the District of Columbia, Maryland and New Jersey. PHI subsidiaries
Pepco, Delmarva Power and Atlantic City Electric provide regulated
electricity service; Delmarva Power also provides natural gas service.
PHI also provides energy efficiency and renewable energy services
through Pepco Energy Services. For more information, visit online: www.pepcoholdings.com.
Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Except for the historical information contained herein, certain of the
matters discussed in this communication constitute “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, both as amended by the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “might,”
“will,” “should,” “could,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,”
“predict,” “project,” “future,” “potential,” “intend,” “seek to,”
“plan,” “assume,” “believe,” “target,” “forecast,” “goal,” “objective,”
“continue” or the negative of such terms or other variations thereof and
words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any
discussion of future plans, actions, or events identify forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not
limited to, statements regarding benefits of the proposed merger,
integration plans and expected synergies, the expected timing of
completion of the transaction, anticipated future financial and
operating performance and results, including estimates for growth. These
statements are based on the current expectations of management of Exelon
Corporation (Exelon) and Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI), as applicable.
There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements
included in this communication. For example, (1) the uncertainty
surrounding reconsideration of the denial of the Merger application by
the DC Public Service Commission may delay the merger or cause the
companies to abandon the merger; (2) conditions to the closing of the
merger may not be satisfied; (3) problems may arise in successfully
integrating the businesses of the companies, which may result in the
combined company not operating as effectively and efficiently as expected;
(4) the combined company may be unable to achieve cost-cutting
synergies or it may take longer than expected to achieve those
synergies; (5) the merger may involve unexpected costs, unexpected
liabilities or unexpected delays, or the effects of purchase accounting
may be different from the companies’ expectations; (6) the credit
ratings of the combined company or its subsidiaries may be different
from what the companies expect; (7) the businesses of the
companies may suffer as a result of uncertainty surrounding the merger;
(8) the companies may not realize the values expected to be obtained for
properties expected or required to be sold; (9) the industry may be
subject to future regulatory or legislative actions that could adversely
affect the companies; and (10) the companies may be adversely affected
by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Other unknown
or unpredictable factors could also have material adverse effects on
future results, performance or achievements of the combined company.
Therefore, forward-looking statements are not guarantees or assurances
of future performance, and actual results could differ materially from
those indicated by the forward-looking statements. Discussions of some
of these other important factors and assumptions are contained in
Exelon’s and PHI’s respective filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), and available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov,
including: (1) Exelon’s 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K in (a) ITEM 1A.
Risk Factors, (b) ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of Operations and (c) ITEM 8. Financial
Statements and Supplementary Data: Note 22; (2) Exelon’s Third Quarter
2015 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in (a) Part II, Other Information,
ITEM 1A. Risk Factors; (b) Part 1, Financial Information, ITEM 2.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations and (c) Part I, Financial Information, ITEM 1. Financial
Statements: Note 19; (3) the definitive proxy statement that PHI filed
with the SEC on August 12, 2014 and mailed to its stockholders in
connection with the proposed merger (as supplemented by PHI’s Form 8-K
filed with the SEC on September 12, 2014); (4) PHI’s 2014 Annual Report
on Form 10-K in (a) ITEM 1A. Risk Factors, (b) ITEM 7. Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
and (c) ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data: Note 15;
and (5) PHI’s Third Quarter 2015 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in (a)
PART I, ITEM 1. Financial Statements, (b) PART I, ITEM 2. Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations, and (c) Part II, Other Information, ITEM 1A. Risk Factors.
In light of these risks, uncertainties, assumptions and factors, the
forward-looking events discussed in this communication may not occur.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this
communication. Neither Exelon nor PHI undertakes any obligation to
publicly release any revision to its forward-looking statements to
reflect events or circumstances after the date of this communication.
New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Exelon
or PHI to predict all such factors. Furthermore, it may not be possible
to assess the impact of any such factor on Exelon’s or PHI’s respective
businesses or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors,
may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any
forward-looking statement. Any specific factors that may be provided
should not be construed as exhaustive.
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