Industry News – 7-3-20

The latest round in the battle over whether the governor or the legislature can end a disaster declaration went to Governor Wolf this week in the form of a split decision of the state Supreme Court. Writing for the majority, Justice David Wecht offered that the legislature may regret giving the governor the power to do what he did in the declaration, but they “cannot use an unconstitutional means to give that regret legal effect.” For ILECs and other regulated utilities, the court’s decision means that the PUC emergency order prohibiting termination of service remains in effect.