CONSOLIDATED EDISON INC
35-CERT, 1999-08-04
ELECTRIC & OTHER SERVICES COMBINED
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                                                                FILE NO. 70-9447


                                 UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                 -------------------------------------------

                         CERTIFICATE PURSUANT TO RULE 24

                ---------------------------------------------

                            Consolidated Edison, Inc.
                                 4 Irving Place
                            New York, New York 10003

                     (Name of company filing this statement
                   and address of principal executive offices)

                                      None

                (Name of top registered holding company parent
                       of each applicant or declarant)

Peter A. Irwin                                      John L. Carley
Consolidated Edison, Inc.                           Orange and Rockland
4 Irving Place                                        Utilities, Inc.
New York, New York  10003                           One Blue Hill Plaza
                                                    Pearl River, New York 10965
(212) 460-4600                                      (914) 352-6000

                   (Name and address of agents for service)

The  Commission  is  requested  to  mail  copies  of  all  notices,  orders  and
communications in connection with this Certificate to:
                                 J.A. Bouknight
                                Douglas G. Green
                                 James B. Vasile
                              Steptoe & Johnson LLP
                           1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW
                           Washington, D.C. 20036-1795
                                 (202) 429-3000


<PAGE>


                                 UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20545


                            CONSOLIDATED EDISON, INC.
                         CERTIFICATE PURSUANT TO RULE 24

      This Certificate is filed by Consolidated Edison, Inc. ("CEI"), a New York
corporation  and an exempt  holding  company  under the Public  Utility  Holding
Company  Act of 1935,  as amended  ("Act") in  connection  with the  transaction
proposed in the Form U-1 Application or Declaration, as amended, ("Application")
of CEI in File No.  70-9447.  The  transaction  was  authorized  by Order of the
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") dated May 13, 1999, Rel. No. 35-27021
("Order).  CEI hereby  certifies the matters set forth below pursuant to Rule 24
of the SEC rules under the Act:

      1. On July 8, 1999,  Orange and  Rockland  Utilities,  Inc.  ("Orange  and
Rockland"),  a New York public utility company and a holding company, was merged
with and into C Acquisition  Corp.,  with Orange and Rockland  continuing as the
surviving corporation and becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of CEI, pursuant to
the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger among Orange and Rockland, CEI and
C Acquisition Corp., dated as of May 10, 1998 (the "Merger"). Through the Merger
CEI also indirectly acquired all of the issued and outstanding stock of Rockland
Electric Company, a New Jersey corporation and an electric utility company,  and
Pike County Light & Power Company,  a Pennsylvania  corporation  and an electric
and gas utility company under the Act.

      2. As  consideration  for the  Merger,  each share of Orange and  Rockland
common stock was  cancelled and  converted  into the right to receive  $58.50 in
cash,  without interest ("Merger  Consideration")  payable to the holder of such
share upon  surrender.  All preferred  stock and preference  stock of Orange and
Rockland was redeemed at a redemption  price equal to the  respective  price set
forth in Orange and Rockland's restated  Certificate of Incorporation,  together
with all dividends accrued and unpaid to the date of redemption.

      3. The Merger became  effective on July 8, 1999 ("Effective  Date"),  when
the  certificate of merger was delivered and filed by the Department of State of
the State of New York. On July 8, 1999,  CEI  designated The Bank of New York as
Paying Agent to effect the payment of the Merger Consideration. The Paying Agent
has mailed to each  holder of record of a  certificate  or  certificates  (which
immediately prior to the Effective Date represented outstanding shares of common
stock of Orange and Rockland that were cancelled and became instead the right to
receive  the  consideration  for the  Merger)  instructions  for  effecting  the
surrender of the  certificates  in exchange for the Merger  Consideration.  Upon
surrender of the certificates the holders will be entitled to receive the Merger
Consideration.

      4. The transaction  approved by the SEC has been carried out in accordance
with the terms  and  conditions  of,  and for the  purposes  requested  in,  the
Application, and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Order.

      5. Filed  herewith as Exhibit  F-2 is the "past  tense"  legal  opinion of
counsel in accordance with paragraph d (2) of the Instructions As To Exhibits to
Form U-1.


<PAGE>




                                    SIGNATURE

      Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Public Utility  Holding Company Act,
the  undersigned  Company has duly caused this  Certificate  to be signed on its
behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
                                          CONSOLIDATED EDISON, INC.

Date: August 4, 1999                            By:  /s/ Peter A. Irwin
                                                         Peter A. Irwin

<PAGE>


                                                   Exhibit F-2

                            Consolidated Edison, Inc.
                                 4 Irving Place
                            New York, New York 10003


                                                      August 4, 1999


Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C.  20549

            RE:  Consolidated Edison, Inc.
                    Form U-1 Application-Declaration (File No. 70-9447)

Ladies and Gentlemen:

            Reference is made to the Form U-1 Application  (the  "Application"),
under Sections 9(a)(2) and 10 of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935,
as amended (the "Act"),  filed with the Securities and Exchange  Commission (the
"Commission") by Consolidated Edison, Inc. ("CEI"), a New York corporation, with
respect  to the  acquisition  of all the  common  stock of Orange  and  Rockland
Utilities,  Inc.  ("Orange and  Rockland")  for $58.50 per share in cash and the
merger  of  Orange  and  Rockland  with C  Acquisition  Corp.,  a  wholly  owned
subsidiary  of CEI,  after  which  Orange  and  Rockland  became a wholly  owned
subsidiary  of CEI  (the  "Transaction"),  and the  Order of the  United  States
Securities and Exchange Commission ("the Commission"), dated May 13, 1999, (Rel.
No. 35-70-0447). Capitalized terms used in this letter but otherwise not defined
shall  have  the  meanings  ascribed  to such  terms  in the  Application.  I am
furnishing this opinion to you in connection with CEI's Rule 24 Certificate (the
"Rule 24 Certificate")  which CEI is filing with the Commission under the Public
Utility  Holding  Company  Act of  1935,  as  amended,  in  connection  with the
Transaction.

            I am an attorney licensed in the State of New York and am the Senior
Vice  President,  General  Counsel  and chief  legal  officer  of CEI and of its
principal  subsidiary,  Consolidated  Edison  Company  of New York,  Inc.  ("Con
Edison").  I  and  other  members  of  the  Con  Edison's  Law  Department  have
represented  CEI in connection  with the  Application and I am familiar with the
corporate proceedings taken by CEI and by O&R in connection with the Transaction
as described in the Application.

    I have examined originals,  or copies certified to my satisfaction,  of such
corporate records of CEI and O&R and other instruments, agreements and documents
as I have deemed it necessary to examine as a basis for the opinions hereinafter
expressed.  In such

<PAGE>

examination I have assumed the genuineness of all signatures
and the  authenticity  of all  documents  submitted to me as  originals  and the
conformity with the originals of all documents  submitted to me as copies. As to
various  questions of fact material to such opinions I have, when relevant facts
were not independently  established,  relied upon representations of officers of
CEI and  Orange  and  Rockland  and other  appropriate  persons  and  statements
contained  in the  Application  and the exhibits  thereto.  I am not a member of
either the New Jersey bar or the  Pennsylvania bar and do not hold myself out as
an  expert  on the  law of  the  State  of New  Jersey  or the  Commonwealth  of
Pennsylvania. As to matters governed by the laws of New Jersey and Pennsylvania,
I am  relying  solely on an  examination  of orders of the New  Jersey  Board of
Public Utilities and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.



    Based upon the foregoing I am of the opinion

1. The laws of the States of New York and New Jersey,  and the  Commonwealth  of
   Pennsylvania applicable to the Transaction have been complied with.

2. CEI is a corporation  validly  organized and duly existing  under the laws of
   the State of New York.

3. Orange and Rockland is a  corporation  validly  organized  and duly  existing
   under the laws of the State of New York.

4. CEI has  legally  acquired  all of the  shares of common  stock of Orange and
   Rockland in the Transaction.

5. All shares of common stock of Orange and Rockland are validly  issued,  fully
   paid and  nonassessable,  and the holder  thereof,  CEI,  is  entitled to the
   rights and privileges appertaining thereto set forth in Orange and Rockland's
   Restated Certificate of Incorporation.

6. The  consummation  of the Transaction did not violate the legal rights of the
   holders of any securities  issued  respectively by CEI or its subsidiaries or
   Orange and Rockland or its subsidiaries.

    I hereby consent to the use of this opinion as an exhibit in connection with
the rule 24 Certificate.

                                           Very truly yours,

                                           s\John D. McMahon
                                           John D. McMahon
                                          Senior Vice President
                                          and General Counsel


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