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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20101208IPC to Staff 21-33.pdfLISA D. NORDSTROM Lead Counsel Inordstrom~idahopower.com çk esIDA~POR~ An IDACORP Company December 7, 2010 VIA HAND DELIVERY Jean D. Jewell, Secretary Idaho Public Utilties Commission 472 West Washington Street P.O. Box 83720 Boise, Idaho 83720-0074 Re: Case No. IPC-E-10-25 IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICA TlON OF IDAHO POWER COMPANY FOR ACCEPTANCE OF ITS 2011 RETIREMENT BENEFITS PACKAGE Dear Ms. Jewell: Enclosed for filng please find an original and three (3) copies of Idaho Power Company's Response to the Second Production Request ofthe Commission Staff to Idaho Power Company in the above matter. Also enclosed are four (4) copies each of non-confidential and confidential (included in the confidential envelope) disks containing documents being produced in response to Staffs Production Request. The confidential information should be handled in accordance with the Protective Agreement executed in this matter. Very truly yours, oÇ~ß.n~~ Lisa D. Nordstro~ LDN:csb Enclosures 1221 W. Idaho St. (83702) P.o. Box 70 Boise, ID 83707 LISA D. NORDSTROM (ISB No. 5733) DONOVAN E. WALKER (ISB No. 5921) Idaho Power Company P.O. Box 70 Boise, Idaho 83707 Telephone: (208) 388-5825 Facsimile: (208) 388-6936 InordstromCãidahopower.com dwalkerCãidahopower.com RECEl\l Law D£C- 7 Pti 4= 47 Attorneys for Idaho Power Company Street Address for Express Mail: 1221 West Idaho Street Boise, Idaho 83702 BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION ) OF IDAHO POWER COMPANY FOR ) ACCEPTANCE OF ITS 2011 ) RETIREMENT BENEFITS PACKAGE. ) ) ) ) ) ) CASE NO. IPC-E-10-25 IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY COMES NOW, Idaho Power Company ("Idaho Powet' or "Company"), and in response to the Second Production Request of the Commission Staff to Idaho Power Company dated November 29, 2010, herewith submits the following information: IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 1 REQUEST NO. 21: In response to Staff Production Request NO.3 (b & c), the Company states that "at this time, Idaho Powets employee retention is approximately equivalent to that of industry peers." Please provide all analyses, including the retention level or turnover ratios of Idaho Power and the industry peers, to support this statement. RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 21: Please see pages 2 and 3 of the News Release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics regarding turnover statistics provided on the enclosed CD. Turnover rates for employees leaving Idaho Power (not internal department moves) are listed below: Terminations Voluntary and Involuntary terminations YTD (excluding retirees) Retirees Total 41 25 66 Turnover Rate Voluntary & Involuntary Retirees Total Rate 2.00% 1.20% 3.20% The response to this Request was prepared by Sharon Gerschultz, Director of Compensation and Benefits, Idaho Power Company, in consultation with Lisa D. Nordstrom, Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 2 REQUEST NO. 22: In response to Staff Production Request No.5, the Company states that "It should be noted that the level of risk borne by customers between 2004 and 2010 resulted in significant customer benefits during those years in that no customer costs related to the defined benefi plan occurred unti the spring of 2010. It is also important to recognize that the avoidance of risk may also mean avoidance of any associated reward." Please identify any incremental benefit customers received between 2004-2010 from the defined benefit pension plan. Please also provide what is meant by "avoidance of any associated reward" as it pertains to customers and the defined benefit pension plan. RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 22: The Company has history going back at least to 1976 regarding the market value of, the contributions to, and the distributions from the pension plan trust fund. At the beginning of that time period, the trust had plan assets with a market value of approximately $13 millon. As can be seen on the schedule provided on the enclosed CD, during the time period 1976 through 2009, inclusive, the Company made contributions to the plan of approximately $86 milion for a total investment of less than $100 milion. During that same time period, the earnings of the trust fund have permitted it to pay benefit payments and plan expenses of about $305 millon while stil having an ending market value of $313 millon at December 31, 2009. Essentially (and expressed in nominal dollars), the Company has received more than $600 millon in value from approximately $100 milion of contributions. This performance would not have been possible without the assumption of some market risk. The same dollars contributed, if invested at a risk free rate, would have resulted in a much smaller value today. Had the Company sought to eliminate investment risk while IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 3 at the same time providing the same level of benefis to employees in order to remain competitive, the cost to customers would almost certainly have been significantly higher. This is what is meant by the phrase "avoidance of risk may also mean avoidance of any associated reward." The Company's intent in its response to Staffs Production Request NO.5 is to point out that the growth in plan assets due to the assumption of market risk is precisely the reason that the Commission, in Order No. 29505 and subsequent rate orders, provides no current recovery of pension costs while, at the same time, the Company has been able to provide a competitive benefit to its employees. The sentence from the Company's response to Staffs Production Request No. 5 would probably have been more clearly stated as follows, "It should be noted that the level of risk borne by customers over the life of the plan resulted in significant customer benefits during the years 2004 through 2010 in that no customer costs related to the defined benefit plan occurred until the spring of 2010." The response to this Request was prepared by Ken Petersen, Controller and Corporate Chief Accounting Offcer, in consultation with Lisa D. Nordstrom, Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 4 REQUEST NO. 23: Please provide the amounts of pension expense included in rates for each year between 1990-2010. Please separate the amounts by O&M Expense and Capitalized Overhead in rate base. Please also provide the amounts the Company contributed to the pension plan for the same time period. RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 23: The requested information is included on the schedule provided on the enclosed CD. The information is provided according to the following three categories for each of the requested years: 1. The allowed pension expense recovery that was classified as O&M expense based on the general rate case orders in effect during the respective time periods. It should be noted that these amounts reflect the allowed pension expense recovery and not actual recovery. 2. The estimated amount of pension expense capitalized to plant each year. These amounts are calculated as a percentage of total annual FAS 87 pension expense each year. The percentage is based on an estimated split of labor between O&M and capitaL. These amounts do not represent amounts actually collected in rates. - Instead, they represent the amounts capitalized for future recovery through depreciation and return on rate base. The capitalized pension expense amounts that are ultimately included in rate base are embedded in the associated plant balances and are not specifically tracked by the Company. 3. The Company's defined benefit plan cash contributions for each year. When comparing the allowed pension expense recovery to actual cash contributions, it should be noted that the pension expense amounts that were allowed IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 5 for recovery from 1990 through May 2004 were based upon FAS 87 and not actual cash contributions. The response to this Request was prepared by Ken Petersen, Controller and Corporate Chief Accounting Offcer, in consultation with Lisa D. Nordstrom, Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 6 REQUEST NO. 24: The analysis provided to Staff in response to Production Request No. 12 uses an assumed 401 (k) contribution rate of 7% and a discount rate of 6.6%. Please provide the rationale for each of those two assumptions. Please also provide copies of the ADP/ACP non-discrimination test for 2009. RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 24: The discount rate of 6.6 percent is the Company's current (as of December 1, 2010) effective interest rate or discount rate for present value and actuarial calculations related to the Company's current defined benefit pension plan. The 401 (k) contribution rate of 7 percent was the calculated 401 (k) contribution needed to result in a similar retirement benefi at retirement age between the Company's current defined benefi pension plan and an alternative 401 (k) plan for the average new hire, which currently is at an average age of 35 years old for the Company. Also, please see the copy of the ADP/ACP non-discrimination test for 2009 provided on the enclosed CD. The response to this Request was prepared by Ken Petersen, Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Offcer, Idaho Power Company, in consultation with Lisa D. Nordstrom, Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COryMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 7 REQUEST NO. 25: Please provide the complete report from Millman entitled "Retirement Plan of Idaho Power Company Revised Actuary Report" using data as of January 1, 2010. RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 25: Please see the confidential report from Milliman entitled "Retirement Plan of Idaho Power Company Actuary's Report - Revised" using data as of Jsnuary 1, 2010, provided on the enclosed confidential CD. Since this data is proprietary and a trade secret, Idaho Power is providing this information only to parties that have executed the Protective Agreement. The response to this Request was prepared by Sharon Gerschultz, Director of Compensation and Benefits, Idaho Power Company, in consultation with Lisa D. Nordstrom, Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 8 REQUEST NO. 26: Please explain how the Company wil experience savings in 2011 with the new pension plan formula, when the formula only applies to employees who are hired after January 1, 2011, and the plan requires 12 consecutive months of service before those employees wil be eligible to enter the plan. RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 26: Although eligible employees must complete 12 months of consecutive service before they are eligible to participate in the pension plan, those that remain employed through the first 12 months and continue on through the 5-year vesting period receive credited service back to their original date of hire for pension accrual purposes. The response to this Request was prepared by Sharon Gerschultz, Director of Compensation and Benefits, Idaho Power Company, in consultation with Lisa D. Nordstrom, Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 9 REQUEST NO. 27: In response to Production Request No. 17, the Company states that other defined contribution plan formulas were evaluated. Please provide a complete list of all defined contribution plan formulas that were evaluated during the annual review and provide copies of that analysis. RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 27: The Company evaluated three general thematic changes to the Company's defined benefit plan: 1. Increases to the Company's matching formula on employee 401 (k) accounts. 2. Increasing the Company's matching formula with employee seniority, so that a more generous matching formula is available as employees approach retirement. 3. Reduce the annual defined benefit pension accrual for all employees and add an additional Company contribution to each employee's 401 (k) account to compensate for the reduced pension accruaL. As stated in the Company's response to Staffs Production Request No. 17, the maximum 401 (k) vesting allowed by law is three years for cliff vesting and six years for graded vesting. After these vesting periods are fulfiled, both employer and employee contributions are fully portable by the employee should he/she leave the Company. As a result of these inherent legal limitations, which limit the employee retention capabilities of a defined contribution plan, evaluation one generally increases Company costs without providing additional employee retention potentiaL. Evaluation two proved inconsistent with the purpose of a 401(k) plan, which is to incent employee savings early in their careers to take full advantage of compound returns throughout a career. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY -10 Evaluation three prompted the Company to request Miliman to generate an analysis combining a 1.2 percent annual pension accrual factor for new and existing employees, with a 1 percent additional Company contribution to each employee's 401 (k) account. A summary of Miliman's analysis is provided on the enclosed confidential CD. Since this data is proprietary and a trade secret, Idaho Power is providing this information only to parties that have executed the Protective Agreement. Evaluation three was ultimately dismissed, as the resulting benefit level was not competitive and the cost savings were modest. The response to this Request was prepared by Sharon Gerschultz, Director of Compensation and Benefits, Idaho Power Company, in consultation with Lisa D. Nordstrom, Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 11 REQUEST NO. 28: In response to Production Request No. 20, the Company states that the executive management team reviewed the "Annual Retirement Benefits Review Summary" provided on the enclosed CD. The enclosed CD did not include this summary. Please provide a copy of the summary. RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 28: The Company's response to Staffs Production Request No. 20 provided the redacted Annual Retirement Benefits Review Summary on the non-confidential CD labeled IPCO's Responses to Staffs Production Requests Nos. 11, 12, 13 & 20. For Staffs convenience, the report is provided again on the enclosed non-confidential CD. The response to this Request was prepared by Sharon Gerschultz, Director of Compensation and Benefis, Idaho Power Company, in consultation with Lisa D. Nordstrom, Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 12 REQUEST NO. 29: In Idaho Power's response to the Industrial Customers of Idaho Power (ICIP) Production Request NO.1 (c & d), the Company states that "Of the 92 energy services companies in the Towers Watson database, 66 companies, or 72 percent, have defined benefit pension programs available to new salaried employees. Thirty-six percent of these are traditional defined benefi plans similar to Idaho Powets. Twenty-six of the 92 energy service companies, or 28 percent, have defined contributions plans as the sole source for retirement savings." Please provide the underlying information that supports these statistics. RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 29: The Company-specific data gathered by Towers Watson is not in the Company's possession and is proprietary and confidential to Towers and Watson. Towers Watson has provided the names of energy services companies currently in its database and provided the statistics previously provided to the Industrial Customers of Idaho Power. Although Towers Watson could not confirm the same companies were used for its earlier analysis, according to Towers Watson, it is likely that only a few may have changed. Allant Energy Corporation Ameren Corporation American Electric Power System American Water ATC Management Inc. Atmos Energy Corporation Avista Corporation Basin Electric Power Cooperative Black Hils Corporation California Independent System Operator Corporation Calpine Corporation CenterPoint Energy, Inc. Central Maine Power Connecticut Natural Gas Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. Constellation Energy Group, Inc. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY -13 Consumers Energy Company CPS Energy The Dayton Power & Light Company DCP Midstream, LP DTE Energy Duquesne Light Holdings, Inc. E.ON U.S. LLC Electric Reliabilty Council of Texas, Inc. EI Paso Corporation EI Paso Electric Company The Empire District Electric Company Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. Energy Future Holdings Corp. Energy Northwest Entergy Corporation Equitable Resources, Inc. FirstEnergy Corp. FPL Group, Inc. Georgia Power Company Great Plains Energy Inc. Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc. Idaho Power Company Indianapolis Power & Light Company Integrys Energy Group, Inc. ISO New England Keyspan Energy Kinder Morgan, Inc. Lower Colorado River Authority Madison Gas and Electric Company MDU Resources Group, Inc. Midwest ISO Minnesota Power National Grid New York State Electric & Gas Corp. Northeast Utilties Service Company NorthWestern Energy NSTAR NV Energy NYISO OGE Energy Corporation Orange & Rockland Utilties, Inc. Orlando Utilties Commission Otter Tail Power Company Pacific Gas and Electric Company PacifiCorp Pinnacle West Capital Corporation IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 14 PJM Interconnection PNM Resources, Inc. Portland General Electric Company Potomac Electric Power Company PPL Progress Energy, Inc. Public Service Enterprise Group Puget Sound Energy, Inc. Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation Salt River Project San Diego Gas & Electric Company SCANA Corporation Sempra Energy Southern California Edison Southern California Gas Company Southern Company Services, Inc. The Southern Connecticut Gas Company Southern Union Company STP Nuclear Operating Company SunCoke Energy, Inc. TECO Energy, Inc. Tennessee Valley Authority Tucson Electric Power Company The United Iluminating Company Uniti Corporation Vectren Corporation We Energies Westar Energy, Inc. The Wiliams Companies, Inc. Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation Xcel Energy Inc. The response to this Request was prepared by Sharon Gerschultz, Director of Compensation and Benefis, Idaho Power Company, in consultation with Lisa D. Nordstrom, Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 15 REQUEST NO. 30: In Idaho Powets response to the Industrial Customers of Idaho Power (ICIP) Production Request No.2 (c & d), the Company states that "of the 12 peer companies selected for a custom analysis, 8 companies, or 67 percent have defined benefit pension programs available to new salaried employees. Fifty percent of these are traditional defined plans similar to Idaho Powets. Four of the 12 energy service companies, or 33 percent, have defined contribution plans as the sole source for retirement savings." Please provide the underlying information that supports these statistics. RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 30: Company-specific data gathered by Towers Watson and included in its Employee Benefits Information Center database is not in the Company's possession and is proprietary and confidential to Towers Watson. The response to this Request was prepared by Sharon Gerschultz, Director of Compensation and Benefits, Idaho Power Company, in consultation with Lisa D. Nordstrom, Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 16 REQUEST NO. 31: In Idaho Powets response to the Industrial Customers of Idaho Power (ICIP) Production Request No. 9 (a), the Company states that "Mr. Anderson's instructions to Ms. Gerschultz detailed on page 5, lines 14 through 22, of his Direct Testimony and Ms. Gerschultz's execution of those instructions demonstrates that shareowner liabilties are an important consideration in the annual review process and ultimately helped to shape the modified package structure." The referenced lines in Mr. Anderson's Direct Testimony reads "I asked her to make recommendations for changes to the Company's retirement benefits package based upon the Company's desire to remain competitive to the representative employment market, but with an eye toward perpetuating a package which encourages employee retention. i encouraged her to recognize that retirement benefit portabilty is not in alignment with the Company's employee retention goals and may not be in the best interests of customers." Please explain how Mr. Anderson's instructions and Ms. Gerschultz's execution of those instructions demonstrate how shareholder liabilties are an important consideration in the annual review process. In responding to this question, please note that the Company's response to Commission Staff's Production Request NO.5 where the Company acknowledges that all market risk associated by the defined benefit plan is ultimately borne by customers. RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 31: Idaho Powets response to the Industrial Customers of Idaho Power's Production Request No. 9 points out that Idaho Power's shareowner risk or liabilty associated with the defined benefi plan is not market risk, but rather regulatory risk or cost recovery risk. Under the current regulatory framework, Idaho Power is allowed an opportunity to recover its prudently incurred expenses IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY -17 through rates. Mr. Anderson's instructions to Ms. Gerschultz and Ms. Gerschultz's execution of those instructions is reflective of the Company's efforts to prudently manage its cost of providing retirement benefits, thereby mitigating its cost recovery risk. The Company believes that shareowners should not bear any market risk associated with its retirement benefits package. The Company further believes that the 2011 Retirement Benefis Package properly balances the risk/reward equation for employees, shareowners, and customers. The response to this Request was prepared by Greg Said, General Manager of Regulatory Affairs, Idaho Power Company, in consultation with Lisa D. Nordstrom, Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY -18 REQUEST NO. 32: Please identify any of the 92 energy services companies that serve under the jurisdiction of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. Please provide the percentage of a new salaried employee's base pay that is attributable to retirement benefits for these companies. RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 32: The energy services companies that Idaho Power is aware of that serve under the jurisdiction of the Idaho Public Utilties Commission are: Avista, Idaho Power Company, MDU Resources, and PacifiCorp. Company-specific data such as the percentage of a new salaried employee's base pay that is attributable to retirement benefits for these companies is not in the Company's possession and is proprietary and confidential to Towers Watson. The response to this Request was prepared by Sharon Gerschultz, Director of Compensation and Benefits, Idaho Power Company, in consultation with Lisa D. Nordstrom, Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company. IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 19 REQUEST NO. 33: Please provide the dates of all changes made to the retirement package since inception and explain those changes. RESPONSE TO REQUEST NO. 33: Please see the table summarizing the substantive historical Retirement Package information with dates and changes identified provided on the enclosed CD. The response to this Request was prepared by Sharon Gerschultz, Director of Compensation and Benefis, Idaho Power Company, in consultation with Lisa D. Nordstrom, Lead Counsel, Idaho Power Company. DATED at Boise, Idaho, this ih day of December 2010. æ. lJ. 't /dLISA D. NORD ROM Attorney for Idaho Power Company IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 20 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I HEREBY CERTIFY that on this th day of December 2010 I served a true and correct copy of IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTION REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY upon the following named parties by the method indicated below, and addressed to the following: Commission Staff Weldon B. Stutzman Deputy Attorney General Idaho Public Utilities Commission 472 West Washington P.O. Box 83720 Boise, Idaho 83720-0074 -- Hand Delivered U.S. Mail _ Overnight Mail FAX -- Email Weldon.StutzmanCcpuc.idaho.gov Industrial Customers of Idaho Power Peter J. Richardson Gregory M. Adams RICHARDSON & O'LEARY, PLLC 515 North 27th Street P.O. Box 7218 Boise, Idaho 83702 Hand Delivered -- U.S. Mail _ Overnight Mail FAX -- Email peterCcrichardsonandoleary.com gregCcrichardsonandoleary.com Dr. Don Reading Ben Johnson Associates 6070 Hil Road Boise, Idaho 83703 Hand Delivered -- U.S. Mail _ Overnight Mail FAX -- Email dreadingCcmindspring.com ik£1.';~¡s D~ordstrom IDAHO POWER COMPANY'S RESPONSE TO THE SECOND PRODUCTIÒN REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION STAFF TO IDAHO POWER COMPANY - 21