20150731Decision Memo.pdf

DECISION MEMORANDUM 1
DECISION MEMORANDUM

TO: COMMISSIONER KJELLANDER
COMMISSIONER SMITH
COMMISSIONER RAPER COMMISSION SECRETARY COMMISSION STAFF
LEGAL

FROM: KARL KLEIN DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL
DATE: JULY 24, 2015

SUBJECT: AVISTA GENERAL RATE CASE – ELECTRIC AND GAS CASE NOS. AVU-E-15-05 AND AVU-G-15-01
On June 1, 2015, Avista Corporation applied to the Commission for authority to
increase the Company’s general rates for electric and natural gas service. The Company
proposes a two-phase rate plan that would increase rates on January 1, 2016, and again on
January 1, 2017. The Commission subsequently issued a Notice of Application and Notice of
Intervention Deadline and suspended the first proposed effective date. Community Action
Partnership Association of Idaho, Idaho Conservation League (ICL), Snake River Alliance,
Clearwater Paper Corporation, and Idaho Forest Group, LLC then intervened as parties. The
parties then conferred and agreed to the following schedule:

1 ICL has a prior commitment that precludes it from attending the settlement conference. ICL intends to supply the parties with its views before the meeting, and the parties will inform ICL about what occurs at the meeting, and
obtain ICL’s input before a final settlement, if any, is reached.
DECISION MEMORANDUM 2
The parties believe this schedule will enable the Commission to issue its final Order by
December 28, 2015, and before the first proposed effective date of January 1, 2016.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Commission issue an Order that adopts the above schedule
and sets a technical hearing for November 23-24, 2015. Further, because Avista has applied for
a rate increase, Staff recommends the Commission’s Order schedule public informational
workshops to be conducted by Staff on September 1 and 2 in Moscow and Coeur d’Alene. Staff
does not recommend that the Commission’s Order schedule a public hearing for customers at this
time, but Staff believes the Commission ultimately should schedule a customer hearing through a
separate Order at a later date.
COMMISSION DECISION
Does the Commission wish to issue an Order that adopts the agreed-upon schedule
and sets public workshops and a technical hearing as described above?

_Karl Klein_________________________ Karl Klein Deputy Attorney General

M:AVU-E-15-05_AVU-G-15-01_kk