New delay in ONEOK merger hearings

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Friday, Jan. 21, 2000 | 11:52 a.m.

The Arizona Corporation Commission again delayed hearings on Las Vegas-based Southwest Gas Corp.'s $1.8 billion merger with Oklahoma-based ONEOK Inc.

Southwest Gas announced Thursday that the ACC staff delayed the Arizona hearings for 11 days, to Feb. 22. The delay, the sixth so far, came after ONEOK requested more time to prepare a rebuttal to an ACC staff report.

Earlier this month, the staff recommended against approval of the Southwest Gas-ONEOK merger at the present time.

The merger has been caught in regulatory delays in Arizona for five months, as Arizona regulators investigate allegations of wrongdoing by ONEOK and current and former regulatory officials. Arizona's approval is required for the merger to be consummated.