Currents

An Energy Newsletter for Local Governments

CPUC Proceedings Updates

The two proceedings we have been following at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) are still awaiting draft decisions.

The Community Choice Aggregation rulemaking (R.03-10-003) was split into two phases, the first dealing basically with issues related to costs and the second with everything else. In the first phase, interested parties including the investor owned utilities, consumer groups, local governments, and a coalition led by the Local Government Commission (LGC) filed testimony on the cost issues, and in June presented expert witnesses at CPUC hearings. In July interested parties will file briefs and reply briefs, followed by the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) issuing a draft decision. It is hoped that decision would come in August or September. The CPUC would then rule on the draft decision or offer an alternative or alternatives. The ALJ is interested in starting phase two before a final decision is issued for phase 1 in order to keep the momentum rolling.

The other rulemaking (R.01-08-028) concerns the future administration of public goods charge funding and ranges from determining customer needs, encouraging partnerships, defining energy savings goals, refining measurement and evaluation protocols, and choosing an administrative structure. Administrative structure proposals were submitted to the CPUC in May, and work is progressing in areas where there was little variation among them. It is not known when a draft decision will be issued in this proceeding.

As LGC follows these proceedings, updates are posted on our Community Discussion Board.