HomeMy WebLinkAbout20230803Public Hearing Transcript Vol I.pdfIn The Matter Of:
Re: Application of Avista Corporation v.
Transcription of Hearing
July 25, 2023
Case Nos. AVU-E-23-01 AVU-G-23-01
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Thursday, August 3, 2023 4:23:50 PM
IDAHO PUBLIC
UTILITIES COMMISSION
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Case Nos. AVU-E-23-01 AVU-G-23-01 1
1 BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
2
3 IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION ) CASE NOS. AVU-E-23-01
OF AVISTA CORPORATION FOR THE ) AVU-G-23-01
4 AUTHORITY TO INCREASE ITS RATES )
AND CHARGES FOR ELECTRIC AND )
5 NATURAL GAS SERVICE TO ELECTRIC )
AND NATURAL GAS CUSTOMERS IN THE )
6 STATE OF IDAHO )
)
7 _________________________________)
8
9
TRANSCRIPT OF PUBLIC HEARING
10
AT COEUR D'ALENE, IDAHO
11
JULY 25, 2023
12
13
14
APPEARANCES: COMMISSIONER ERIC ANDERSON
15
COMMISSIONER JOHN R. HAMMOND, JR.
16
COMMISSIONER EDWARD LODGE
17
18
19
20
21 REPORTED BY:
PATRICIA L. PULLO, CSR
22 Notary Public
23
24
25
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Transcription of Hearing - July 25, 2023
Case Nos. AVU-E-23-01 AVU-G-23-01
2
1 P R O C E E D I N G S
2 TAKEN JULY 25, 2023, 2023, AT 6:00 P.M.
3
4 COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Good evening. This is
5 the time and place for the customer hearing in Cases
6 Nos. AVU-E-23-01 and AVU-G-23-01, also referred to as:
7 "In the matter of the application of Avista Corporation
8 for the authority to increase its rates and charges for
9 electric and natural gas service to electric and natural
10 gas customers in the state of Idaho."
11 The purpose of this hearing is to take
12 testimony from members of the public in reference to
13 Avista's request that was filed with the Commission on
14 February 1st, 2023.
15 My name is Commissioner Eric Anderson. I'm
16 the chair of today's proceedings. I am joined with
17 Commissioner John Hammond, to my right, and Commissioner
18 Ed Lodge, to my left. And we comprise the commission in
19 this case. And we will collectively make a final
20 determination on this matter.
21 To this point we have several parties that
22 have intervened and as an informational workshop for the
23 public that we had held those and they have been
24 conducted in the past.
25 Tonight's objective is to take live testimony
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Transcription of Hearing - July 25, 2023
Case Nos. AVU-E-23-01 AVU-G-23-01
3
1 which will be added to the underlying record in the
2 case, the commissioners will review the facts and
3 evidence in the record and make its final decision at a
4 later date.
5 We have only one person signed up. And we
6 don't know if they're speaking yet or not. But normally
7 we'd talk about conservation of time, but we're not
8 going to talk about that tonight.
9 As far as the procedures go tonight, we will
10 call your name from the sign-up sheet and you will take
11 the stand and be sworn in. I will ask you to raise your
12 right hand and swear to affirm that the testimony you're
13 providing will be the whole truth. The Deputy Attorney
14 General, Mr. Chris Burdin, will at that time ask you to
15 identify yourself and whether or not you're a customer
16 of Avista and what your address is. At that point you
17 may then present your testimony. Please remain on the
18 stand to see if any parties or the commissioners
19 themselves wish to ask any questions. For those in the
20 audience, we ask that you refrain from reacting in any
21 way to testimony that's being given.
22 Our court reporter this evening will be Patty
23 Pullo. And the transcript that she'll be providing is
24 necessary because it is in our role as a quasi-judicial
25 proceeding, we must base our decisions on the official
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Transcription of Hearing - July 25, 2023
Case Nos. AVU-E-23-01 AVU-G-23-01
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1 record of which this is a part of. And that record is
2 also significant in the event of our decision if it is
3 appealed.
4 The appearance of the parties tonight, let's
5 begin with Avista.
6 MR. MEYER: Thank you. David Meyer for
7 Avista.
8 COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Thank you, David. And
9 for the staff of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.
10 MR. BURDIN: Thank you. Chris Burdin for
11 staff.
12 COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: We have other
13 intervenors. Idaho Conservation League, are they
14 present? No. Idaho Forest Group, no. Clearwater
15 Paper, no. And Walmart, no.
16 I don't believe there's any other parties that
17 have to be identified at this time. If so, please
18 correct me now. Hearing none.
19 With that, we will go ahead and see if
20 Ellen S. would like to speak and give testimony.
21 ELLEN S.: Hi. I'm sorry. I thought signing
22 was mandatory. I ...
23 COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: If you don't wish to
24 speak, you don't have to. But you're welcome to.
25 ELLEN S.: No. I -- we came here just out of
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Transcription of Hearing - July 25, 2023
Case Nos. AVU-E-23-01 AVU-G-23-01
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1 curiosity. And I'm sorry to say that we came here kind
2 of flat-footed and not having done any kind of research
3 or kind of -- really the purpose of this meeting is
4 other than the proposed rate increases for both gas and
5 electric.
6 And so I just want to hear what your rationale
7 was for the rate increases.
8 COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And unfortunately
9 tonight's proceedings -- that would have been done in
10 the workshop prior to this meeting. This meeting is
11 simply to take testimony from the public. And we don't
12 interact with questions or anything else. And we're
13 sorry for that. But that's the way this procedure does
14 work tonight, and we'll probably not vary from that.
15 So if you wish to say anything more, we need
16 to swear you in and have that done. If not, we'll wait
17 a few minutes to see if anybody else shows up.
18 MR. MEYER: And we have several people from
19 the company here. If afterwards you'd like to visit
20 with us to know more about the case, we'd be happy to
21 visit with you. Okay?
22 MR. BURDIN: And all of the information is
23 also filed online. So if you'd like, I can show you
24 where to go online to look at the application and
25 everything that's been filed so far.
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Transcription of Hearing - July 25, 2023
Case Nos. AVU-E-23-01 AVU-G-23-01
6
1 ELLEN S.: And when was that done, in February
2 you said? The -- the workshops or ...
3 MR. BURDIN: The workshops were -- I don't
4 know. I can look it up.
5 ELLEN S.: But that's where --
6 MR. BURDIN: So the workshop is where
7 commission staff just went through the application, sort
8 of the bare bones of the application as a whole.
9 THE COURT REPORTER: Do you want this on the
10 record?
11 COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So before we
12 completely let this meeting unravel, even though we
13 don't have anybody, what I'm going to do is I'm just
14 going to take a five-minute recess. And, please, we do
15 have Avista here. If you have any questions of them,
16 you can certainly ask them. That's why they're here.
17 We're taking a five-minute recess right now.
18 (A short break was taken.)
19 COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: I guess we'll come
20 back to order.
21 We don't have any additional people to
22 testify. If you wish to write written testimony, we
23 will take that until 5:00 o'clock tomorrow as the
24 drop-off date for that. And you can do that online.
25 ELLEN S.: When do you hope to make your
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Transcription of Hearing - July 25, 2023
Case Nos. AVU-E-23-01 AVU-G-23-01
7
1 decision as to the rate increase?
2 COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: I didn't hear you.
3 ELLEN S.: When do you anticipate making your
4 decision about the proposed rate increase?
5 COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: It will be after we
6 have our technical hearing next week. Sometime in the
7 near future after that.
8 ELLEN S.: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
9 COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So with that, if
10 there's any other business before the committee today?
11 MR. MEYER: (Nodding.)
12 COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: If not, we are
13 adjourned.
14 (Whereupon, the public hearing was
15 adjourned at 6:15 p.m.)
16
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24
25
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Case Nos. AVU-E-23-01 AVU-G-23-01 8
1 REPORTER'S CERTIFICATE
2
3 I, Patricia L. Pullo, Certified Shorthand
4 Reporter, do hereby certify:
5 That the foregoing proceedings were taken
6 before me at the time and place therein set forth, at
7 which time any witnesses were placed under oath;
8 That the testimony and all objections made
9 were recorded stenographically by me and were thereafter
10 transcribed by me or under my direction;
11 That the foregoing is a true and correct
12 record of all testimony given, to the best of my
13 ability;
14 That I am not a relative or employee of any
15 attorney or of any of the parties, nor am I financially
16 interested in the action.
17 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my
18 hand and seal this 31st day of July, 2023.
19
20
__________________________________
21 PATRICIA L. PULLO, C.S.R. #697
Notary Public
22 816 Sherman Avenue, Suite 7
Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814
23
My Commission Expires 11/13/2024.
24
25
Re: Application of Avista Corporation v.Case Nos. AVU-E-23-01 AVU-G-23-01 Transcription of Hearing
July 25, 2023
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Re: Application of Avista Corporation v.Case Nos. AVU-E-23-01 AVU-G-23-01 Transcription of Hearing
July 25, 2023
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