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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20170130_5189.pdfDECISION MEMORANDUM 1 DECISION MEMORANDUM TO: COMMISSIONER KJELLANDER COMMISSIONER RAPER COMMISSIONER ANDERSON COMMISSION SECRETARY COMMISSION STAFF LEGAL FROM: DAPHNE HUANG DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL DATE: JANUARY 25, 2017 SUBJECT: ICL AND SIERRA CLUB’S JOINT PETITION FOR LATE INTERVENTION IN IDAHO POWER’S APPLICATION TO INCREASE RATES DUE TO REVISED DEPRECIATION RATES, CASE NO. IPC-E- 16-23 On October 21, 2016, Idaho Power Company filed an Application asking the Commission to adopt revised depreciation rates for its electric plant-in-service and correspondingly adjust Idaho jurisdictional base rates. Application (Case No. IPC-E-16-23) at 1. The proposed adjustment in this Application is an overall rate increase of 0.59 percent. Errata to Application (Case No. IPC-E-16-23). The Company concurrently filed an Application for authority to (1) accelerate the depreciation schedule for the North Valmy power plant; (2) establish a balancing account to track the incremental costs and benefits associated therewith; and (3) adjust customer rates to recover the associated incremental annual levelized revenue requirement. Application (Case No. IPC-E-16-24) at 1. The result of this Application is an overall rate increase of 2.51 percent. Errata to Application (Case No. IPC-E-16-24). With the filings, the Company intends to facilitate a single rate change for customers. The Commission issued Orders providing notice of the Applications, setting a deadline for interventions, and directing the parties to confer about a schedule for the cases. Order Nos. 33650, 33652. The Commission granted timely-filed motions to intervene in both cases from the Idaho Irrigation Pumpers Association, Inc., Micron Technology, Inc., and the U.S. Department of Energy and the Federal Executive Agencies. Order Nos. 33659, 33660, 33670, 33671, 33673 and 33674. The Commission also granted intervention to Idaho DECISION MEMORANDUM 2 Conservation League and Sierra Club in the North Valmy case, and to the Industrial Customers of Idaho Power (ICIP) in the Revised Depreciation case. Order Nos. 33672 and 33676. The parties conferred informally and agreed to a schedule to process the matter under Modified Procedure. The Commission issued a Notice adopting the proposed agreed schedule on January 17, 2017. Order No. 33690. As part of the schedule, the parties agreed to meet on February 2 to discuss negotiated solutions in both cases. See id. at 2. Because the parties in the Revised Depreciation case are not identical to the parties in the Valmy case, the parties acknowledged that settlement discussions will need to be conducted separately, and parties must be mindful of confidentiality requirements in Rule 272. On January 18, 2017, ICL and Sierra Club filed a joint petition for late intervention in the Revised Depreciation case, which it supplemented with an addendum on January 24. (ICL and Sierra Club stated that the addendum was filed “to more clearly state for the record the direct and substantial interest of Sierra Club’s members in this docket.”) The Commission received no objections to the petition for late intervention by the January 25 deadline per Rule 75. ICL and Sierra Club’s Petition is now before the Commission. LATE PETITIONS TO INTERVENE Commission Rules provides that a petitioner seeking intervention must state its “direct and substantial interest . . . in the proceeding.” IDAPA 31.01.01.072. Petitions to intervene that are not timely filed “must state a substantial reason for delay.” IDAPA 31.01.01.073. “The Commission may deny or conditionally grant petitions to intervene that are not timely filed for failure to state good cause for untimely filing, to prevent disruption, prejudice to existing parties or undue broadening of the issues, or for other reasons.” Id. Also, “Intervenors who do not file timely petitions are bound by orders and notices earlier entered as a condition of granting the untimely petition.” Id. ICL AND SIERRA CLUB’S PETITION FOR INTERVENTION ICL states that it has a direct and substantial interest in the Revised Depreciation case because of the impact caused by the revised depreciation rates contemplated in Idaho Power’s filing on ICL’s members served by Idaho Power, and also based on ICL’s “long-term role advocating for public values” as Idaho’s largest state-based conservation organization. Petition at 2. Sierra Club asserts it has a direct and substantial interest in this proceeding because of the matter’s impact on its members who are customers of Idaho Power. Addendum to Petition. DECISION MEMORANDUM 3 ICL and Sierra Club (“Petitioners”) state that they considered intervening in both dockets but are focusing their resources on their “primary interest, the North Valmy docket.” Petition at 1. The Petitioners believe that the other parties’ negotiations in the Revised Depreciation docket may impact their interests in the North Valmy case. Id. at 1-2. Further, the Petitioners believe that their intervention in both matters could simplify settlement discussions in the cases, as well as “promote judicial efficiency and encourage settlement of the issues.” Id. at 2. For these reasons, the Petitioners assert they have good cause for their late intervention. Finally, both Petitioners assert that their intervention “will not unduly broaden the issues or delay the proceeding.” Id. at 3. COMMISSION DECISION Does the Commission wish to find that ICL and Sierra Club have stated good cause for their late petition, have identified direct and substantial interest in this case, and will not unduly broaden the issues, and thus grant the late petition to intervene? M:IPC-E-16-23_djh2