20250228AVU to Staff 5 Attachment A - 2024 OR 1st Qtr - Combined.pdf

ORDER NO. 24-058
ENTERED Feb 27 2024
BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION
OF OREGON
LC 81
In the Matter of
AVISTA CORPORATION, dba AVISTA ORDER
UTILITIES,
2023 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).
DISPOSITION: AMENDED PROPOSED BUDGET FOR ISSUE FUND GRANT
APPROVED
In Order No. 23-200.,the Commission approved the Oregon Citizens' Utility Board
(CUB)'s proposed budget in the amount of$19,000 from the 2023 Arista Utilities Issue
Fund. On February 1, 2024, CUB filed an amended proposed budget for an Issue Fund
Grant in the proceeding. CUB's amended proposed budget shows eligible expenses in the
amount of$36,250; and it seeks an amended Issue Fund Grant in the amount of$29,000,
with the additional $10,000 coming from the 2024 Arista Utilities Issue Fund. In support
of its request, CUB states that there is good cause to support approving the amended
budget because the scope, complexity of issues and changes in the schedule have resulted
in the need for additional funding that were not anticipated when CUB submitted its
initial proposed budget.
The Fifth Amended and Restated Intervenor Funding Agreement (IFA), approved by the
Commission in Order No. 22-506, provides that precertified intervenors must submit a
proposed issue fund budget to the Commission that contains, at a minimum, the
following information:
1) A statement of the work to be performed;
2) A description of the areas to be investigated;
3) A description of the particular customer class(es) that will benefit from the
intervenor's participation;
4) Identification of the specific fund accounts from which the intervenor is seeking
monies and an estimate of the amount of available funds in that account;
5) A budget showing estimated attorney, consultant and expert witness fees,which
may include the cost for appropriate support staff and operations support; and
6) A representation that the intervenor will use matching funds in the form of either
in-house resources or outside funding to account for or pay at least 20 percent of
the eligible expenses for which the intervenor is seeking an Issue Fund Grant.

ORDER NO. 24-058
Once a proposed budget is received,the Commission decides whether Issue Fund Grants
are available for use based on factors identified in the IFA. The Commission has the
authority to accept, deny or partially deny the request, and may place reasonable
conditions on the grant.
As noted in Order No. 23-200, CUB is precertified to receive Issue Fund Grants. CUB's
initial and amended proposed budgets include the requisite information and reflect the
current schedule adopted in this docket.
In light of the issues being addressed,the complexity of the issues and the significant
policy decisions to be made, the Commission believes that CUB's amended proposed
budget is reasonable and should be approved.
ORDER
IT IS ORDERED that:
1. The Oregon Citizens' Utility Board's amended proposed budget for an Issue Fund
Grant is approved.
2. An Issue Fund Grant is approved up to $29,000.
Made, entered, and effective Feb 27,2024
�SILITY COS
w Nolan Moser
Chief Administrative Law Judge
Administrative Hearings Division
OR Go
2

ORDER NO. 24-081
ENTERED Mar 22 2024
BEFORE THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION
OF OREGON
LC 81
In the Matter of
AVISTA CORPORATION, dba AVISTA
UTILITIES ORDER
2023 Natural Gas Integrated Resource
Plan.
DISPOSITION: ISSUE FUND GRANT REQUEST APPROVED
On March 19, 2024, the Alliance for Western Energy Consumers (AWEC), formerly
known as the Northwest Industrial Gas Users, filed a Request for Payment of its
(applicable utility's) Issue Fund Grant. Section 7.3 of the Fifth Amended and Restated
Intervenor Funding Agreement(Agreement), adopted by the Commission in Order
No. 22-506, governs the procedures for payment of Issue Fund Grants. AWEC was
precertified as the Northwest Industrial Gas Users to receive Issue Fund Grants on
February 3, 2004, in Order No. 04-055.
AWEC asks for a final payment of$20,000 from the Avista Utilities Issue Fund. Under
the Agreement, the Request for Payment must:
1) Itemize the expenses, payees and hourly rates of amount to be reimbursed;
2) Demonstrate that the expenses are reasonable and are directly attributable to
issues and positions pursued on behalf of a particular customer class and
consistent with the intervenor's proposed budget;
3) Provide information sufficient to show that the intervenor has complied with any
conditions imposed on the Issue Fund Grant; and
4) Specify whether the request for payment is for a progress payment or a final
payment and indicate whether any approved budget amount may be released back
to the applicable Issue Fund.
Further, under the terms of Section 7.3 of the Agreement, AWEC must establish that it
has "used in-house resources or outside funding to account for or pay at least 20% of the

ORDER NO. 24-081
Eligible Expenses for the work to be performed in the proceeding for which the
intervenor is seeking an Issue Fund Grant." AWEC provided the required documentation
in its request.
The Agreement provides that the Commission will make a determination in each
proceeding as to how the participating utilities are to recover the funding grants from the
various customer classes. Under Section 7.7(b), Issue Fund Grants should be allocated so
as to fairly align the costs of the advocacy with the intended potential beneficiaries of the
advocacy. The Commission has considered the intended beneficiaries and finds that the
issue fund expenditures should be allocated to the industrial customers of Avista Utilities.
The Commission finds that AWEC has met the requirements of the Agreement, and its
request should be approved. Section 7.8 of the Agreement provides that the utility must
pay the Issue Fund Grant to the requesting intervenor within 30 days after receipt of the
Commission directive.
ORDER
IT IS ORDERED that:
1. The Alliance of Western Energy Consumers has met the requirements of the Fifth
Amended and Restated Intervenor Funding Agreement, and its request is
approved.
2. Avista Corporation, dba Avista Utilities pay $20,000 from the Avista Utilities
Issue Fund to the Alliance of Western Energy Consumers within 30 days after
receipt of this Order, and the grant be assessed to the industrial customers of
Avista Utilities.
Made, entered, and effective M a r 22,2024
XLITY Co
Nolan Moser
Chief Administrative Law Judge
Administrative Hearings Division
OFfOREGO�
2