Essential Utilities and American Water file Pennsylvania merger settlement
Consumer Advocate joins the deal, though one or more parties in the case did not sign on
Published
Essential Utilities said American Water Works, Essential Utilities and certain affiliates filed a joint petition for a non-unanimous settlement with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on September 15, 2026, in the proceeding to approve their pending merger.
The settlement was entered into with the Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement, the Office of the Consumer Advocate, the Office of the Small Business Advocate and certain other parties. One or more parties to the case did not join it. The agreement now goes to the assigned administrative law judges for a recommended decision before the commission reviews it for approval.
Pennsylvania has been the toughest regulatory hurdle for this merger. The state's Office of Consumer Advocate had filed formal protests questioning whether the deal serves the public interest, according to reports, while Kentucky and Ohio cleared the merger without such friction. Bringing that same office into a signed settlement, even a non-unanimous one, removes the most contentious obstacle still standing and pushes the deal a step closer to completion, a modestly bullish development pending the judges' recommendation and full commission approval.