The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) requested “documents and other information” from American Electric Power (AEP) in January in connection with an agency investigation of activities affecting the price of natural gas last fall, the Columbus, OH-based utility told the Securities and Exchange Commission in its 10-K filing.

“We are responding to that request,” said AEP, but it declined to provide any other information. It was not clear if the request of AEP was directly tied to the ongoing agency investigation into the run-up in gas prices, which began shortly after Thanksgiving. The CFTC reported to a Senate committee in January that it had not uncovered any evidence of market manipulation at that time.

AEP and subsidiary, AEP Energy Services Inc., also are the target of a CFTC complaint that was filed last September in an Ohio federal court, alleging they reported false information on natural gas trades to published indexes in an attempt to manipulate prices.

“Although management is unable to predict the outcome of this case…the action is not expected to have a material effect on results of operations,” AEP assured federal regulators.

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