SB 647

This bill establishes certain requirements of the Public Service Commission

with respect to its website and the issuance of an annual report relating to PSC

dockets. A “docket” is defined as an investigation, proceeding, or other matter

opened by a vote of PSC, except for rule making.

Under the bill, PSC must include, with at least the first reference to a public

utility in any page or document PSC produces and publishes on its website, all names

by which the public is likely to know the utility, such as the name of a parent

company.

The bill requires PSC, in its website that offers public access to docket

information, to establish a function that allows a person to sign up to receive email

notifications relating to a single docket or a single utility and to specify the type of

activity relating to that docket or utility about which the person would like to receive

notifications.

The bill requires PSC to produce a report each year that shows each docket that

either was opened or had a decision issued on it during the prior calendar year,

organized into the following two lists: one list that includes dockets relating to

investor-owned utilities and one list that includes dockets relating to municipal

water, electric, gas and sewer utilities. Under the bill, PSC must organize each list

by utility and include for each docket the docket identification number, the title of

the proceeding, the number of public comments received in the docket if a public

comment period was held, the date of the application, and, if applicable, the dates of

the notice of investigation and the decision.

The bill also requires the annual report to include for each docket in which a

PSC decision was issued during the prior calendar year an opinion on the likely

impact on ratepayers, based on how the decision will impact public utility costs.

Under the bill, each opinion must state whether the impact on public utility costs,

and therefore on ratepayers, is likely to be positive (will lower public utility costs),

negligible (will have little to no impact), negative (will increase the public utility

costs), or other (will have both increased and decreased costs—for example, if the

early retirement of a plant increases costs but the use of environmental trust

financing in that retirement decreases costs). The bill provides that such an opinion

is for informational purposes only, is not on the merits of the proceeding, and is not

binding on future PSC decisions.

The bill authorizes PSC to allow for public comments on these reports,

including comments from the public utility referenced in the report, and to adjust the

reports based on comments received. The bill requires PSC, no later than April 30

of the year after the year that is the subject of the report, to submit the reports to the

standing committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over energy and utilities and

to make the reports available to the public on PSC's website.