WASHINGTON, D.C. and CHICAGO – Pepco Holdings Inc. (NYSE: POM) and Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) today announced that more than 25,000 District of Columbia residents have signed a petition in support of their merger in the past few weeks.
The petition says, in part: “I support the Pepco Holdings-Exelon merger in light of the recent settlement to provide greater benefits to D.C….It delivers greater benefits for D.C., with a settlement package that was specifically shaped to address the concerns of the D.C. Public Service Commission….The Pepco Holdings-Exelon merger is unequivocally in the public interest, and it’s the only way our neighbors, community members and local businesses in D.C. will gain these benefits.”
The full text of the petition is available at PHITomorrow.com. The number of petition signatures continues to grow daily.
“The merger has long had widespread support from dozens of business, nonprofit, environmental and faith groups throughout the District,” said Melissa Sherrod, vice president of Corporate Affairs, Exelon. “Now thousands of District citizens are voicing their agreement that the merger is good for the District, providing better affordability, sustainability and reliability for Pepco customers.”
The merger settlement Pepco Holdings and Exelon recently reached with the District of Columbia government, Office of the People’s Counsel, Attorney General and others provides substantially enhanced benefits to District residents.
“Many people in the District support the merger because of the substantial benefits it offers to consumers and businesses here,” said Donna Cooper, region president, Pepco. “Our new package of benefits includes a variety of commitments that ensure the merger is in the public interest through direct bill credits, and increases in reliability, renewable energy, investments in the local economy and assistance for those most in need.”
Exelon and Pepco Holdings plan to ultimately deliver the petition to the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia to be considered as part of the merger proceeding.
Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Except for the historical information contained herein, certain of the matters discussed in this communication constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, both as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “predict,” “project,” “future,” “potential,” “intend,” “seek to,” “plan,” “assume,” “believe,” “target,” “forecast,” “goal,” “objective,” “continue” or the negative of such terms or other variations thereof and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future plans, actions, or events identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding benefits of the proposed merger, integration plans and expected synergies, the expected timing of completion of the transaction, anticipated future financial and operating performance and results, including estimates for growth. These statements are based on the current expectations of management of Exelon Corporation (Exelon) and Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI), as applicable. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements included in this communication. For example, (1) the uncertainty surrounding reconsideration of the denial of the Merger application by the DC Public Service Commission may delay the merger or cause the companies to abandon the merger; (2) conditions to the closing of the merger may not be satisfied; (3) problems may arise in successfully integrating the businesses of the companies, which may result in the combined company not operating as effectively and efficiently as expected; (4) the combined company may be unable to achieve cost-cutting synergies or it may take longer than expected to achieve those synergies; (5) the merger may involve unexpected costs, unexpected liabilities or unexpected delays, or the effects of purchase accounting may be different from the companies’ expectations; (6) the credit ratings of the combined company or its subsidiaries may be different from what the companies expect; (7) the businesses of the companies may suffer as a result of uncertainty surrounding the merger; (8) the companies may not realize the values expected to be obtained for properties expected or required to be sold; (9) the industry may be subject to future regulatory or legislative actions that could adversely affect the companies; and (10) the companies may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could also have material adverse effects on future results, performance or achievements of the combined company. Therefore, forward-looking statements are not guarantees or assurances of future performance, and actual results could differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements. Discussions of some of these other important factors and assumptions are contained in Exelon’s and PHI’s respective filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, including: (1) Exelon’s 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K in (a) ITEM 1A. Risk Factors, (b) ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and (c) ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data: Note 22; (2) Exelon’s Third Quarter 2015 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in (a) Part II, Other Information, ITEM 1A. Risk Factors; (b) Part 1, Financial Information, ITEM 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and (c) Part I, Financial Information, ITEM 1. Financial Statements: Note 19; (3) the definitive proxy statement that PHI filed with the SEC on August 12, 2014 and mailed to its stockholders in connection with the proposed merger (as supplemented by PHI’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 12, 2014); (4) PHI’s 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K in (a) ITEM 1A. Risk Factors, (b) ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and (c) ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data: Note 15; and (5) PHI’s Third Quarter 2015 Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q in (a) PART I, ITEM 1. Financial Statements, (b) PART I, ITEM 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and (c) Part II, Other Information, ITEM 1A. Risk Factors. In light of these risks, uncertainties, assumptions and factors, the forward-looking events discussed in this communication may not occur. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this communication. Neither Exelon nor PHI undertakes any obligation to publicly release any revision to its forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this communication. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Exelon or PHI to predict all such factors. Furthermore, it may not be possible to assess the impact of any such factor on Exelon’s or PHI’s respective businesses or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any specific factors that may be provided should not be construed as exhaustive.
