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(d) If the requirements of subsections (c) and (g) are satisfied, the Commission shall permit a declaration regarding the issue or sale of a security to become effective unless the Commission finds that

(1) the security is not reasonably adapted to the security structure of the declarant and other companies in the same holding-company system;

(2) the security is not reasonably adapted to the earning power of the declarant;

(3) financing by the issue and sale of the particular security is not necessary or appropriate to the economical and efficient operation of a business in which the applicant lawfully is engaged or has an interest;

(4) the fees, commissions, or other remuneration, to whomsoever paid, directly or indirectly, in connection with the issue, sale, or distribution of the security are not reasonable;

(5) in the case of a security that is a guaranty of, or assumption of liability on, a security of another company, the circumstances are such as to constitute the making of such guaranty or the assumption of such liability an improper risk for the declarant; or

(6) the terms and conditions of the issue or sale of the security are detrimental to the public interest or the interest of investors or consumers. (e) If the requirements of subsection (g) are satisfied, the Commission shall permit a declaration to become effective regarding the exercise of a privilege or right to alter the priorities, preferences, voting power, or other rights of the holders of an outstanding security unless the Commission finds that such exercise of such privilege or right will result in an unfair or inequitable distribution of voting power among holders of the securities of the declarant or is otherwise detrimental to the public interest or the interest of investors or

consumers.

(f) Any order permitting a declaration to become effective may contain such terms and conditions as the Commission finds necessary to assure compliance with the conditions specified in this section.

(g) If a State commission or State securities commission, having jurisdiction over any of the acts enumerated in subsection (a) of section 6, shall inform the Commission, upon request by the

Commission for an opinion or otherwise, that State laws applicable to the act in question have not been complied with, the Commission shall not permit a declaration regarding the act in question to become effective until and unless the Commission is satisfied that such compliance has been effected.

Acquiring Interest in Electric and Gas Utility Companies Serving Same Territory

SEC. 8. Whenever a State law prohibits, or requires approval or authorization of, the ownership or operation by a single company of the utility assets of an electric utility company and a gas utility company serving substantially the same territory, it shall be unlawful for a registered holding company, or any subsidiary company thereof, by use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce, or otherwise,

(1) to take any step, without the express approval of the State commission of such State, which results in its having a direct or indirect interest in an electric utility company and a gas utility company serving substantially the same territory; or

(2) if it already has any such interest, to acquire, without the express approval of the State commission, any direct or indirect interest in an electric utility company or gas utility company serving substantially the same territory as that served by such companies in which it already has an interest.

Acquisition of Securities and Utility Assets and Other Interests

SEC. 9. (a) Unless the acquisition has been approved by the Commission under section 10, it shall be unlawful

(1) for any registered holding company or any subsidiary company thereof, by use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce, or otherwise, to acquire, directly or indirectly, any securities or utility assets or any other interest in any business;

(2) for any person, by use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce, to acquire, directly or indirectly, any security of any public-utility company, if such person is an affiliate, under clause (A) of para

PUBLIC UTILITY HOLDING COMPANY ACT OF 1935

graph (11) of subsection (a) of section 2, of such company and of any other public utility or holding company, or will by virtue of such acquisition become such an affiliate.

(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply to

(1) the acquisition by a public-utility company of utility assets the acquisition of which has been expressly authorized by a State commission; or

(2) the acquisition by a public-utility company of securities of a subsidiary public-utility company thereof, provided that both such public-utility companies and all other public-utility companies in the same holding-company system are organized in the same State, that the business of each such company in such system is substantially confined to such State, and that the acquisition of such securities has been expressly authorized by the State commission of such State.

(c) Subsection (a) shall not apply to the acquisition by a registered holding company, or a subsidiary company thereof, of—

(1) securities of, or securities the principal or interest of which is guaranteed by, the United States, a State, or political subdivision of a State, or any agency, authority, or instrumentality of any one or more of the foregoing, or any corporation which is wholly owned, directly or indirectly, by any one or more of the foregoing;

(2) such other readily marketable securities, within the limitation of such amounts, as the Commission may by rules and regulations prescribe as appropriate for investment of current funds and as not detrimental to the public interest or the interest of investors or consumers; or (3) such commercial paper and other securities, within such limitations, as the Commission may by rules and regulations or order prescribe as appropriate in the ordinary course of business of a registered holding company or subsidiary company thereof and as not detrimental to the public interest or the interest of investors

or consumers.

Approval of Acquisition of Securities and

Utility Assets and Other Interests

SEC. 10. (a) A person may apply for approval of the acquisition of securities or utility

Section 10(a)(1)(G)

assets, or of any other interest in any business, by filing an application in such form as the Commission may by rules and regulations prescribe as necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors and consumers. Such application shall include

(1) in the case of the acquisition of securities, such information and copies of such documents as the Commission may by rules and regulations or order prescribe as necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors or consumers in respect of

(A) the security to be acquired, the consideration to be paid therefor, and compliance with such State laws as may apply in respect of the issue, sale, or acquisition thereof,

(B) the outstanding securities of the company whose security is to be acquired, the terms, position, rights, and privileges of each class and the options in respect of any such securities,

(C) the names of all security holders of record (or otherwise known to the applicant) owning, holding, or controlling 1 per centum or more of any class of security of such company, the officers and directors of such company, and their remuneration, security holdings in, material contracts with, and borrowings from such company and the offices or directorships held, and securities owned, held, or controlled, by them in other companies,

(D) the bonus, profit-sharing and votingtrust agreements, underwriting arrangements, trust indentures, mortgages, and similar documents, by whatever name known, of or relating to such company,

(E) the material contracts, not made in the ordinary course of business, and the service, sales, and construction contracts of such company,

(F) the securities owned, held, or controlled, directly or indirectly, by such company,

(G) balance sheets and profit and loss statements of such company for not more than five preceding fiscal years, certified, if required by the rules and regulations of the Commission by an independent public accountant,

(H) any further information regarding such company and any associate company or affiliate thereof, or its relations with the applicant company, and

(I) if the applicant be not a registered holding company, any of the information and documents which may be required under section 5 from a registered holding company; (2) in the case of the acquisition of utility assets, such information concerning such assets, the value thereof and consideration to be paid therefor, the owner or owners thereof and their relation to, agreements with, and interest in the securities of, the applicant or any associate company thereof as the Commission may by rules and regulations or order prescribe as necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors or consumers; and

(3) in the case of the acquisition of any other interest in any business, such information concerning such business and the interest to be acquired, and the consideration to be paid, as the Commission may by rules and regulations or order prescribe as necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of in

vestors or consumers.

(b) If the requirements of subsection (f) are satisfied, the Commission shall approve the acquisition unless the Commission finds that

(1) such acquisition will tend towards interlocking relations or the concentration of control of public-utility companies, of a kind or to an extent detrimental to the public interest or the interest of investors or consumers;

(2) in case of the acquisition of securities or utility assets, the consideration, including all fees, commissions, and other remuneration, to whomsoever paid, to be given, directly or indirectly, in connection with such acquisition is not reasonable or does not bear a fair relation to the sums invested in or the earning capacity of the utility assets to be acquired or the utility assets underlying the securities to be acquired; or

(3) such acquisition will unduly complicate the capital structure of the holding-company system of the applicant or will be detrimental to the public interest or the interest of investors or consumers or the proper functioning of such holding-company system.

The Commission may condition its approval of the acquisition of securities of another company upon such a fair offer to purchase such of the other securities of the company whose security is to be acquired as the Commission may find necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors or consumers.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b), the Commission shall not approve

(1) an acquisition of securities or utility assets, or of any other interest, which is unlawful under the provisions of section 8 or is detrimental to the carrying out of the provisions of section 11; or

(2) the acquisition of securities or utility assets of a public-utility or holding company unless the Commission finds that such acquisition will serve the public interest by tending towards the economical and efficient development of an integrated public-utility system. This paragraph shall not apply to the acquisition of securities or utility assets of a public-utility company operating exclusively outside the United States.

(d) Within such reasonable time after the filing of an application under this section as the Commission shall fix by rules and regulations or order, the Commission shall enter an order either granting or, after notice and opportunity for hearing, denying approval of the acquisition unless the applicant shall withdraw its application. Amendments to an application may be made upon such terms and conditions as the Commission may prescribe.

(e) The Commission, in any order approving the acquisition of securities or utility assets, may prescribe such terms and conditions in respect of such acquisition, including the price to be paid for such securities or utility assets, as the Commission may find necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors

or consumers.

(f) The Commission shall not approve any acquisition as to which an application is made under this section unless it appears to the satisfaction of the Commission that such State laws as may apply in respect of such acquisition have been complied with, except where the Commission finds that compliance with such State laws would be detrimental to the carrying out of the provisions of section 11.

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Simplification of Holding-Company Systems

SEC. 11. (a) It shall be the duty of the Commission to examine the corporate structure of every registered holding company and subsidiary company thereof, the relationships among the companies in the holding-company system of every such company and the character of the interests thereof and the properties owned or controlled thereby to determine the extent to which the corporate structure of such holding-company system and the companies therein may be simplified, unnecessary complexities therein eliminated, voting power fairly and equitably distributed among the holders of securities thereof, and the properties and business thereof confined to those necessary or appropriate to the operations of an integrated public-utility system.

(b) It shall be the duty of the Commission, soon as practicable after January 1, 1938:

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(1) To require by order, after notice and opportunity for hearing, that each registered holding company, and each subsidiary company thereof, shall take such action as the Commission shall find necessary to limit the operations of the holding-company system of which such company is a part to a single integrated publicutility system, and to such other businesses as are reasonably incidental, or economically necessary or appropriate to the operations of such integrated public-utility system: Provided, however, That the Commission shall permit a registered holding company to continue to control one or more additional integrated publicutility systems, if, after notice and opportunity for hearing, it finds that—

(A) Each of such additional systems cannot be operated as an independent system without the loss of substantial economies which can be secured by the retention of control by such holding company of such system;

(B) All of such additional systems are located in one State, or in adjoining States, or in a contiguous foreign country; and

(C) The continued combination of such systems under the control of such holding company is not so large (considering the state of the art and the area or region affected) as to impair the advantages of localized management, efficient operation, or the effectiveness of regulation.

The Commission may permit as reasonably incidental, or economically necessary or appropriate to the operations of one or more integrated public-utility systems the retention of an interest in any business (other than the business of a public-utility company as such) which the Commission shall find necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors or consumers and not detrimental to the proper functioning of such system or systems.

(2) To require by order, after notice and opportunity for hearing, that each registered holding company, and each subsidiary company thereof, shall take such steps as the Commission shall find necessary to ensure that the corporate structure or continued existence of any company in the holding-company system does not unduly or unnecessarily complicate the structure, or unfairly or inequitably distribute voting power among security holders, of such holding-company system. In carrying out the provisions of this paragraph the Commission shall require each registered holding company (and any company in the same holding-company system with such holding company) to take such action as the Commission shall find necessary in order that such holding company shall cease to be holding company with respect to each of its subsidiary companies which itself has a subsidiary company which is a holding company. Except for the purpose of fairly and equitably distributing voting power among the security holders of such company, nothing in this paragraph shall authorize the Commission to require any change in the corporate structure or existence of any company which is not a holding company, or of any company whose principal business is that of a public-utility company. The Commission may by order revoke or modify any order previously made under this subsection, if, after notice and opportunity for hearing, it finds that the conditions upon which the order was predicated do not exist. Any order made under this subsection shall be subject to judicial review as provided in section 24.

(c) Any order under subsection (b) shall be complied with within one year from the date of such order; but the Commission shall, upon a showing (made before or after the entry of such order) that the applicant has been or will be un

able in the exercise of due diligence to comply with such order within such time, extend such time for an additional period not exceeding one year if it finds such extension necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors or consumers.

(d) The Commission may apply to a court, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (f) of section 18, to enforce compliance with any order issued under subsection (b). In any such proceeding, the court as a court of equity may, to such extent as it deems necessary for purposes of enforcement of such order, take exclusive jurisdiction and possession of the company or companies and the assets thereof, wherever located; and the court shall have jurisdiction, in any such proceeding, to appoint a trustee, and the court may constitute and appoint the Commission as sole trustee, to hold or administer under the direction of the court the assets so possessed. In any proceeding for the enforcement of an order of the Commission issued under subsection (b), the trustee with the approval of the court shall have power to dispose of any or all of such assets and, subject to such terms and conditions as the court may prescribe, may make such disposition in accordance with a fair and equitable reorganization plan which shall have been approved by the Commission after opportunity for hearing. Such reorganization plan may be proposed in the first instance by the Commission, or, subject to such rules and regulations as the Commission may deem necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors, by any person having a bona fide interest (as defined by the rules and regulations of the Commission) in the reorganization.

(e) In accordance with such rules and regulations or order as the Commission may deem necessary or appropriate in the public interest or for the protection of investors or consumers, any registered holding company or any subsidiary company of a registered holding company may, at any time after January 1, 1936, submit a plan to the Commission for the divestment of control, securities, or other assets, or for other action by such company or any subsidiary company thereof for the purpose of enabling such company or any subsidiary company thereof to comply with the provisions of subsection (b). If, after notice and opportunity for hearing, the Commission shall

find such plan, as submitted or as modified, necessary to effectuate the provisions of subsection (b) and fair and equitable to the persons affected by such plan, the Commission shall make an order approving such plan; and the Commission, at the request of the company, may apply to a court, in accordance with the provisions of subsection (f) of section 18, to enforce and carry out the terms and provisions of such plan. If, upon any such application, the court, after notice and opportunity for hearing, shall approve such plan as fair and equitable and as appropriate to effectuate the provisions of section 11, the court as a court of equity may, to such extent as it deems necessary for the purpose of carrying out the terms and provisions of such plan, take exclusive jurisdiction and possession of the company or companies and the assets thereof, wherever located; and the court shall have jurisdiction to appoint a trustee, and the court may constitute and appoint the Commission as sole trustee, to hold or administer, under the direction of the court and in accordance with the plan theretofore approved by the court and the Commission, the assets so possessed.

(f) In any proceeding in a court of the United States, whether under this section or otherwise, in which a receiver or trustee is appointed for any registered holding company, or any subsidiary company thereof, the court may constitute and appoint the Commission as sole trustee or receiver, subject to the directions and orders of the court, whether or not a trustee or receiver shall theretofore have been appointed, and in any such proceeding the court shall not appoint any person other than the Commission as trustee or receiver without notifying the Commission and giving it an opportunity to be heard before making any such appointment. In no proceeding under this section or otherwise shall the Commission be appointed as trustee or receiver without its express consent. In any such proceeding a reorganization plan for a registered holding company or any subsidiary company thereof shall not become effective unless such plan shall have been approved by the Commission after opportunity for hearing prior to its submission to the court. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any such reorganization plan may be proposed in the first instance by the Commission or, subject to such rules and regulations as the Commission may deem necessary or appropriate in the public interest or

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