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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20090914Protective Agreement.pdfPROTECTIVE AGREEMENT BETWEEN IDAHO POWER COMPAN AND IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION STAFF RECE D 2009 SEP '4 AM 9: 36 This Protective Agreement is entered into this 21\1 day of September 2009 by Idaho Power Company and the Idaho Public Utilties Commission (Staff. Recitals: i. WHEREAS, Idaho Power Company (Idaho Power) desires to make available to the Staff cerain information respecting Idaho Power's Application in Case No. IPC-E-09-24, and Staff desires to receive such information. 2. WHEREAS, Idaho Power and Staff anticipate that Idaho Power may provide, or make available for review, certain information, considered by Idaho Power to be of a trade secret, privileged or confidential natle (as defined in Idaho CQ.4e~ 9-340 et seq. and § 48::.801 et seq.). 3. WHEREAS, Idaho Power and Staff agree that entering into a Protective Agreement wil expedite the production of documents; wil afford the necessar protection to Idaho Power's and Staffs employees and/or representatives in this proceeding who might review the information and subsequently be requested to reveal its contents by setting fort clear cut parameters for use of Confidential Information, and wil protect Confidential Information which might be provided hereafter, IT IS HEREBY STIPULATED AND AGREED AS FOLLOWS: 1. (a) Confidential Information. All documents, data, information, studies and other materials fuished pursuant to any requests for information, subpoenas or other modes of discovery (formal or informal), and including depositions, that are claimed to be of trade secret, proprietar or confidential natue (herein refered to as "Confidential Information") shall be so marked by the pary or entity providing the information by stamping the same with a designation indicating its trade secret, proprietar or confidential natue and printed on "colored" paper. Any claim of confidentiality must be accompanied by an attorney's certificate that the material is protected by law from public disclosure and cite the specific legal authority to support the claim. IDAPA 31.01.01.233. Access to and review of Confidential Information shall be strictly controlled by the ters of this Agreement. PROTECTIVE AGREEMENT 1 (b) Use of Confidential Information All persons who may be entitled to review, or who are afforded access to any Confidential Information by reason ofthis Agreement shall neither use nor disclose the Confidential Information for puroses of business or competition, or any puipse other than the purose of preparation for and conduct of the proceedings, and then solely as contemplated herein, and shall keep the Confidential Information secure as trade secret, confidential or proprietar information and in accordance with the purposes and intent of this Agreement. (c) Persons Entitled to Review. Access to Confidential Information shall be limited to counsel of the undersigned parties, employees, expers, agents or representatives of the undersigned paries who have executed an Exhibit "A" to this Agreement. Such information wil be clearly marked and protected from unauthorized public disclosure. (d) Nondisclosure Agreement. "'-., Confidential Information shall not be disclosed to any person who has not signed a nondisclosure agreement on this form, which is attached hereto as Exhbit "A" and incorporated herein. The nondisclosure agreement or Exhibit "A" shall require the person to whom disclosure is to be made to read a copy of ths Protective Agreement and to cerify in wrting that he or she has reviewed the same and has consented to be bound by its ters. The Agreement shall contain the signatory's full name, permanent address and employer. Such agreement shall be delivered to counsel for the providing pary, before disclosure is made. 2. (a) Copies. No copies or transcriptions of the Confidential Information shall be made by the recipient except as necessar to make the information available to individuals who have executed an Exhibit "A" to this Protective Agreement. (b) Return of confidential Information. Upon request of the providing pary, all original documents and copies of the Confidential Information shall be: (1) returned to the providing par or (2) shredded by the holder of such documents within thirty (30) days after the final settlement or conclusion of the proceedings, including administrative or judicial review thereof. Unless otherwise ordered, Confidential Information, including transcripts or depositions containing information to which a claim of confidentiality is made, shall remain under seal, shall PROTECTIVE AGREEMENT 2 continue to be subject to the protective requirements of this Agreement, and slUill likewise, be returned to counsel for the providing pary withn thrty (30) days after final settlement or conclusion of the proceedings, including administrative or judicial review thereof. After retu of documents pursuant to this paragraph, and upon request, a written receipt verfyng return shall be provided by counsel. (c) Return of Notes. Any notes maintained by a recipient of Confidential Information which embody or reflect any ofthe Confidential Information provided under this Agreement shall, upon request of the providing par, be either retued to the providing pary or, at the option of the recipient, destroyed. 3. Non-Waiver of Objection to Admissibilty. The fuishing of any document, information, data, study or other materals pursuant to ths Protective Agreement shall in no way limit or waive the right of the providing pary to object to its relevance or admissibility in arty proceedings before thS'Cmnission. 4. Challenge to Confidentiality. (a) Initial Challenge. This Protective Agreement establishes a procedure for the expeditious handling of infomiation that a par claims is confidentiaL. Any par may challenge the characterization of any information, document, data or study claimed by the providing pary to be a trade secret, proprietar or confidential information. A pary seeking to challenge the confdentiality of any information shall first contact counsel for the providing pary and attempt to resolve any difference by stipulation. Resolution may include removing the confidential classifications, creating a non-confidential summar, reformatting the information, etc. (b) Subsequent Challenge. In the event that the paries canot agree as to the character of the information challenged, any par challenging the confidentiality may petition the Commission to rule upon the disputed information. The Petition shall be served upon the Commission and all parties to the case who have signed on Exhibit "A" as provided in this Protective Agreement. The Petition shall designate with specificity the document or material challenged and state the grounds upon which the subject material are deemed to be non-confidential by the challenging par. PROTECTIVE AGREEMENT 3 (c) Challenge Hearing. The challenging pary shall request that the Commission conduct an in camera proceeding where only those persons duly authorized to have access to such challenged materials under ths Protective Agreement shall be present. This heag shall be commenced no earlier than five (5) business days after serving the Petition on the providing par and the Commission. The record of the in camera hearng shall be marked "CONFIDENTIAL - Subject to Protective Agreement." To the extent necessar, the transcript of such hearng shall be separately bound, segregated, sealed, and witheld from public inspection by any person not bound by the ters of this Agreement. (d) Determination. The paries wil ask the Commission to issue an Order deterining whether any challenged information or material is not properly deemed to be exempt from public disclosure pursuant to the Idaho Public Records Act (Idaho Code §§ 9-335, 9-337 et seq.). If information is found to be not exempt from disclosure, no par shall disclose such challenged material or use it in the public record, or otherise outside the proceedings for at least five (5) business days unless the providing pary consents to such conduct. Ths procedure enables the restrictions of this Agreement from material claimed to be confidentiaL. Such relief may be sought from the Commission or a court of competent jursdiction. 5. (a) Receipt Into Evidence. Provision is hereby made for receipt into evidence in this proceeding of materials claimed to be confidential in the following maner: (1) If the requesting par intends to use Confidential Information or to make substantive reference to Confidential Information supplied to it under this Agreement, it shall give reasonable prior notice of such intention to the providing par and shall provide copies of the used Confidential Information or substantive reference to Confidential Information only to the providing pary, and such other paries, if any, who have executed an Exhibit "A" to this Protective Agreement. (2) One (I) copy of the used Confidential Information or substantive reference to Confidential Information or substantive reference to Confidential Information described in paragraph 5(a)(I) shall be placed in the sealed record. (3) Only one (1) copy of the documents designated to be placed in a sealed record shall be made, which copy shall be supplied by the providing par. PROTECTIVE AGREEMENT 4 (4) The copy of the documents to be placed in the sealed record shall be tendered by counsel for the providing par Commission, and shall be maintained in accordance with the terms of this Protective Agreement. (b) SeaL. Whle in the custody of the Commission, materials containng Confidential Information shall be marked "CONFIDENTIAL - SUBJECT TO ATTORNEY'S CERTIFICATE OF CONFIDENTIALITY" and shall not be examined by any person except under the conditions set fort in this Agreement, if applicable. (c) In Camera Hearing and Transcripts. Any Confidential Information that must be orally disclosed at a hearng in the proceedings shall be offered at an in camera hearng, attended only by persons authorized to have access to the information under this Protective Agreement. Similarly, any transcription of any examination or other reference to Confidential Information (or that porfíoif of the record containing Confidential Information) shall be marked and treated as provided herein for Confidential Information. (d) Access to Record. Access to sealed testimony, records, and information shall be limited to the Commssion and persons who have signed an Exhibit "A" as provided in this Protective Agreement, unless such information is released from the restrctions of ths Agreement either though agreement of the paries or after notice to the paries and hearng, pursuant to the order of the Commission and/or the final order of a court having final jurisdiction. (e) Appeal. Should an appeal from the proceeding be taken, sealed portions of the record may be forwarded to any court of competent jurisdiction for purposes of an appeal, but under seal as designated herein for the information and use ofthe court. If a portion of the record is forwarded to a court under seal for the purposes of an appeal, the providing pary shall be notified which portion of the sealed record has been designated by the appealing party as necessar to the record on appeaL. 6. Destruction (or Return). Unless otherwise ordered, Confidential Information provided pursuant to a discovery request and this Agreement, including transcripts of any discovery depositions to which a claim of confidentiality is made, shall remain under seal, shall continue to be subject to the protective requirements of this Agreement, and shall be destroyed (shall be returned to counsel for the PROTECTIVE AGREEMENT 5 providing pary) within thirt (30) days after final settlement or conclusion of ths matter, including administrative or judicial review thereof. 7. Use in Pleadings. Where references to Confidential Information in the sealed record or with the custodian is required in pleadings, briefs, arguents, or motions (except as provided in Paragraph 5), it shall be by citation to title or exhibit number or some other descrption that wil not disclose the substantive Confidential Information contained therein. Any use of or substantive references to Confidential Information shall be placed in a separate section of the pleading or brief and submitted to the Commission pursuant to Paragraph 5. Ths sealed section shall be sericed only on counsel of record who have signed the nondisclosure agreements set fort in Exhibit "A" attached to this Protective Agreement, and may, in turn, be disclosed by them only to individuals who likewise signed Exhibit "A". 8. Summary of Record. ...-., If deemed necessar by the Commission, the providing paries shall prepare a written summar of the Confidential Information refered to in Orders to be issued to the public and the paries. 9. This Protective Agreement shall become effective on the date hereof. PROTECTIVE AGREEMENT 6 DATED at Boise, Idaho thi~ay of September 2009. IDAHO POWER COMPANY By van E. Walker Idaho Power Company POBox 70 Boise, il 83707-0070 By ~¿ý .. Baron L. Kline Idaho Power Company POBox 70 Boise, il 83707-0070 Attorneys for Idaho Power Company IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION STAFF By - ~'$~. cd-'~~woodbury ~ Deputy Attorney General Idaho Public Utilities Commission 472 West Washington Street Boise, il 83702 Attorney Representing Idaho Public Utilities Commission Staff PROTECTIVE AGREEMENT 7 EXHIBIT A I have reviewed the foregoing Protective Agreement dated September 2, 2009, in Case No. IPC-E-09-24.and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of such Agreement. Rady C. Allphin Printed Name 'fJ Ci' Si ature Idaho Power Company Employer ôt F1rm 1221 West Idaho Street Business Address Idaho Power CompanyPar f/2,/)W íDate EXHIBIT "A" I have reviewed the foregoing Protective Agreement dated September 2, 2009 in Case No. IPC-E-09- 24 and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of such Agreement. Jv CwcJ Terri Carlock Idaho Public Utilities Commission Employer or Firm 472 W. W2lhiRgton Street, Boise, ID 83702 Business Address Commission Staff Party q /8) ;)009 Date EXHIBIT "A" I have reviewed the foregoing Protective Agreement dated September 2, 2009 in Case No. IPC-E-09- 24 and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of such Agreement. ~~Rick S erling '7 Idaho Public Utilities Commission Employer or Firm 472 W. Washington Street, Boise, ID 83702 Business Address Commission Staff Party EXHIBIT "A" I have reviewed the foregoing Protective Agreement dated September 2,2009 in Case No. IPC-E~09- 24 and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of such Agreement. B:tfRandy Lobb ~ Idaho Public Utilities Commission Employer or Firm ~,-- .,z 472 W. Washington Street, Boise, ID 83702 Business Address Commission Staff Pary 9/JJ/ ()1 Date