CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SAN DIEGO : Antitrust Concerns Gone, Utility Says

The U.S. Department of Justice has reached an agreement with Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric that “adequately resolves” antitrust issues generated by the utilities’ proposed merger, Edison Executive Vice President John E. Bryson said. A Justice Department spokesman was not available for comment on the agreement. But Bryson said that “the Justice Department’s antitrust division no longer has any concerns” about the proposed merger’s impact on utility competition in Southern California and the West. Merger opponents were uncertain what impact the agreement would have on the ongoing state Public Utilities Commission merger review. “We haven’t seen anything in writing yet, but my understanding is that we’re still pursuing our (antitrust) case” through the PUC, state attorney general’s office spokeswoman Regina Birdsell said.