Wire
9.98% MISO rate stays in place after Louisiana appeal
The D.C. Circuit left MISO’s 9.98% transmission rate in place and rejected Louisiana regulators’ bid for more customer refunds, keeping bills tied to that rate for now.
Louisiana regulators did not get the extra refund path they wanted for Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, transmission charges. The D.C. Circuit said the Louisiana Public Service Commission could not revive its attack on the 9.98% return, so the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, did not have to order another round of refunds.
For customers and utilities on the regional grid, that keeps the same benchmark rate at the center of the dispute instead of opening a new refund lane.
The rate that kept its footing
The court said FERC had to apply the return in effect when it made its decision, including in related proceedings. Using that method, the agency found the 9.98% base return had not been shown to be unjust and unreasonable.
That finding mattered because it left FERC with no basis to order refunds in the second complaint proceeding. The practical result is narrow but real: the challenged transmission bills stay linked to the same rate framework, and the latest bid to squeeze out more customer relief failed.
What stays on the bill
For households and businesses on the MISO grid, the ruling means the disputed charges are not being reset by this case. Utilities and transmission owners still have to work inside the same rate structure that has already driven the fight over refunds.
The decision does not create a new refund right. It closes off one more attempt to reopen the benchmark rate and leaves the old billing dispute in place.