Cantwell, West Coast Senators: CFTC Must Sufficiently Regulate Energy Markets

Statement

Yesterday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined her West Coast colleagues in a comment letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) reiterating their desire for sufficient regulation of energy markets.

Specifically, the letter comments on the CFTC's Swap Dealer De Minimis Exception Preliminary Report.

"We urge you not to weaken the threshold for swap dealer registration," the senators wrote in the letter. "We are concerned that any weakening could negatively impact oversight of the U.S. energy market."

"We twice wrote to the CFTC to voice our concerns and ask critical questions about determining the appropriate threshold for exemption from registration with the CFTC. However, these concerns were not considered in the Preliminary Report."

The senators previously wrote letters on the topic in July 2015 and May 2013.

Senators Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-Ore.) signed the letter.