Nicole Raz
WMAL

WASHINGTON (WMAL) — The DC Public Service Commission unanimously denied the merger between Pepco and Chicago-based Exelon Tuesday.

Commission Chairman Betty Ann Kane said there would be “no benefit to District ratepayers” to have Pepco involved in a “more complex regulatory structure” and that the management structure would “negatively impact the Commission’s ability to regulate Pepco.”

“Pepco would become a second-tier company in a much larger corporation whose primary interest is not in distribution, but in generation,” she said.

While Exelon said the merger would mean increased reliability, Kane said reliability would not be increased beyond’s Pepco’s plans.

“We are also concerned about the inherent conflict of interest that might inhibit our local distribution company from moving forward to embrace a cleaner and greener environment,” she said.

Commissioners also said that this proceeding has possibly generated the most interest and most active community participation in the commission’s more than hundred years of operation.

Copyright 2015 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (PHOTO: Pepco, Exelon)