Biz Beat Blog: Kelcy Warren’s $38 billion pipeline merger under federal scrutiny
SMU Law Professor Paul Rogers comments on Kelcy Warren’s $38 billion pipeline merger.
By James Osborne
Energy Transfer’s planned $38 billion merger with Oklahoma rival Williams Co. is being held up by the Federal Trade Commission, pending a review for compliance with federal antitrust laws.
Energy Transfer Equity, run by Dallas billionaire Kelcy Warren, announced Monday it had agreed to turn over additional documents to regulators and would not to complete the deal before March 21. . .
But whether regulators are actually taking a harder line on mergers in general or are simply responding to the increase in transactions is hard to say, said Paul Rogers, a professor at SMU Dedman School of Law.
“The last time we had this frequency of mergers was the late 1990s,” he said. The government has “been challenging a number of them. I think when they’re successful, like anyone, it spurs them to challenge more.”
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