September 23, 2002
ROSEMEAD, Calif., Monday, Sept. 23, 2002- In a unanimous decision today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected federal law challenges to the settlement agreement between Southern California Edison (SCE) and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The court specifically said that the district court judgment confirms a settlement of a valid federal preemption claim.
The court determined that challenges to the agreement, based on alleged violations of California state law, should be resolved by the California Supreme Court.
SCE continues to believe that The Utility Reform Network's state law objections are not impediments to SCE's rights under federal law or the joint efforts of SCE and the CPUC to restore SCE to full financial health and to provide the highest quality services to its customers.
Meanwhile, SCE continues to operate under the terms of the settlement.
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An Edison International company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation's largest electric utilities, serving a population of more than 12 million via 4.3 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within central, coastal and Southern California. For more information on the California electricity market, see www.sce.com.
