On September 17, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the Commission) issued a Revised Policy Statement on Penalty Guidelines (Revised Policy Statement), 132 FERC ¶ 61,216 (2010), which addresses comments received concerning the Commission’s Policy Statement on Penalty Guidelines issued on March 18, 2010. The Commission also issued revised Penalty Guidelines attached to the Revised Policy Statement. FERC reiterated that the purpose of the Penalty Guidelines is to ensure fairness, consistency, and transparency. The Commission directed its Office of Enforcement (Enforcement) to hold a technical conference one year from the issuance of the revised Penalty Guidelines to discuss how they have worked and to receive comments.
The Revised Policy Statement begins By noting that the Penalty Guidelines would continue to be based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and that the Penalty Guidelines would not affect Enforcement Staff’s exercise of discretion to close investigations or self-reports without sanctions. The Commission states that the Penalty Guidelines come into effect only after the Enforcement Staff determines that a violation has been committed and that such violation warrants the imposition of a penalty By the Commission. Read more…