There's another roadblock to efforts to create the nation's largest electric utility. Two Eastern Carolina cities are protesting the proposed merger of Duke Energy and Progress Energy.
The cities of New Bern and Rocky Mount have submitted another protest to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission last Friday. The protest challenges Duke and Progress' third attempt to get the FERC to approve the merger on the ground it would not harm competition.
Progress sells power to the NC Eastern Municipal Power Agency, which is made up of publicly owned municipal power systems.
The FERC has twice rejected the $26 billion Duke-Progress merger saying that it would endanger competition in Eastern Carolina.
