First Electric Cooperative Corporation; Notice of Issuance of Order

First Electric Cooperative Corporation (First Electric) made a rate filing in Docket No. ER00-1258-000 pertaining to arrangements under which it provides facilities to Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation to provide wheeling services to Entergy Arkansas and C&L Cooperative. Also, in Docket No. EL00-37-000, First Electric filed a request for certain waivers of the Commission's regulations. In particular, First Electric requested that the Commission grant blanket approval under 18 CFR Part 34 of all future issuances of securities and assumptions of liabilities by First Electric. On March 15, 2000, the Commission issued an Order Granting Request for Waivers Of Order Nos. 888 And 889, Addressing Requests for Other Waivers And Accepting Rate Filing (Order), in the above-docketed proceedings.

The Commission's March 15, 2000 Order granted the request for blanket approval under Part 34, subject to the conditions found in Ordering Paragraphs (C), (D), and (H):

(C) Within 30 days of the date of this order, any person desiring to be heard or to protest the Commission's blanket approval of issuances of securities or assumptions of liabilities by First Electric should file a motion to intervene or protest with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, in accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of the Commission's Rules of Practice And Procedure, 18 CFR 385.211 and 385.214.

(D) Absent a request to be heard within the period set forth in Ordering Paragraph (C) above, First Electric is hereby authorized to issue securities and assume obligations and liabilities as guarantor endorser, surety or otherwise in respect of any security of another person; provided that such issue or assumption is for some lawful object within the corporate purposes of First Electric, compatible with the public interest, and reasonably necessary or appropriate for such purposes.

(H) The Commission reserves the right to modify this order to require a further showing that neither public nor private interests will be adversely affected by continued Commission approval of First Electric's issuances of securities or assumptions of liabilities * * *.

Notice is hereby given that the deadline for filing motions to intervene or protests, as set forth above, is April 14, 2000.

Copies of the full text of the Order are available from the Commission's Public Reference Branch, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426. The Order may also be viewed on the Internet at   http://www.ferc.fed.us/online rims. htm (call 202-208-2222 for assistance).