ies to take over some FERC responsibilities. To address the problem of state regulators whose discretion is hemmed in by a registered holding company system and the Mississippi Power & Light precedent, the resolution calls on Congress to permit state regulators in areas served by registered holding companies --on an optional basis --to establish interstate compact agreements to carry out Part II Federal Power Act regulation for the holding company systems in lieu of FERC. The resolution also calls for Congress to permit state commissions to establish such interstate bodies at their option where there is no registered holding company system.
- Finall3~ the resolution addresses transmission line siting, an area where states may have to give up some authority. The resolution suggests standards applicable to state siting of "interstate lines" and suggests Congress approve interstate planning agreements as a means of facilitating siting.
Brown's far-reaching resolution went through NARUC's Executive Committee with a package of low-profile Electricity Committee resolutions and after a hotly debated telecommunications resolution, so it attracted only modest curiosity. Arkansas commissioner Pat Qualls supported the measure as necessary to permit states served by holding company systems to regulate effectively. In the end, it was hard to tell if the Executive Committee's unanimoug voice vote reflected a sense that it