19960108_1.docx

MINUTES OF DECISION MEETING
January 8, 1996 - 2:00 p.m.
In attendance at this time were Commissioners Ralph Nelson and Marsha H. Smith.  Commissioner Dennis Hansen was ill and was not in attendance at this meeting.  Also present were staff members Don Howell, Scott Woodbury, Tonya Clark, Ron Law, Weldon Stutzman, Don Oliason, Rick Sterling, Randy Lobb, Terri Carlock and Myrna Walters.  Also in attendance were Jeanette Bowman of Idaho Power Company; Peter Richardson, Attorney at Law; Conley Ward, Attorney at Law; Dean J. Miller, Attorney at Law and Ron Lightfoot of U S West.
Items from the January 8, 1996 Agenda were discussed and acted upon as follows.
1.  Regulated Carrier Division Agenda dated January 8, 1996.
Commissioner Smith moved approval of this item.  Commissioner Nelson concurred.
2.  Discussion on whether or not to issue a Notice of Inquiry in Generic Electric Case re:  Restructuring of the Electric Utility Industry (BP).  Held from 12-21-95 and 1-2-96 Decision Meetings.
Item 2 was held at this time, until Commissioner Hansen would be in attendance.
3.  Scott Woodbury and Randy Lobb's January 4, 1996 Decision Memorandum re:  Case No. IPC-E-95-19  Rupert & Glenns Ferry Cogeneration Projects Amendments to Firm Energy Sales Agreements.  (Is update to December 20, 1995 Decision Memo held from 12-21-95 and 1-2-96 Decision Meetings.)
Commissioner Nelson reviewed the filing.
Commissioner Smith made a motion that the amendments to the contracts be approved by Minute Entry.  Commissioner Nelson concurred.  Commissioner Nelson had spoken to Commissioner Hansen and he also concurred in approving the contract amendments.
Then went on to Items 6, 7 and 8.
6.  Birdelle Brown's January 5, 1996 Decision Memorandum re:  U S West Tariffs Regarding Universal Service fund Surcharges - Advice Nos. 95-04-S, 95-05-S, 95-08-N, 95-11-N;  7.  Birdelle Brown's January 5, 1996 Decision Memorandum re:  GTE Advice 95-20 to Simplify the Company's Supersede Process and 8.  Birdelle Brown's January 5, 1996 Decision Memorandum re:  Silver Star Telecom Revision to Clarify Out-of-Service Provisions, submitted December 26, 1995.
Commissioner Smith said she assumed everything was okay with Item
6 but that she wasn't sure what Birdelle was talking about in her decision memo.
Birdelle assured the commissioners that the filings were all correctly-filed.
Commissioners Nelson and Smith then approved staff recommendations on Items 6, 7 and 8.
5.  Case No. IPC-E-95-17  Arkoosh/Faulkner v. IPCo.  Contract dispute re:  Calculation of variable rate.  Discussion re:  Procedure (SW)  (No Decision Memo).
Scott Woodbury explained the filing - complaint of Arkoosh/Faulkner v. IPCo.  He has talked to both parties.  They would like to set the matter for prehearing conference.  
Commissioner Nelson asked if the prehearing would be more than a "scheduling" conference?
Scott replied it would.
**Prehearing conference will be scheduled - to meet commissioners' schedules.
4.  Case Nos. IPC-E-95-8; WWP-E-95-2; UPL-E-95-5.  Electric Integrated Resource Plans - Discussion re:  Procedure (SW) (No decision memo).
Scott said there have been formal workshops concerning how the IRPs should be used for calculation of the avoided costs of large QFs.  So have stayed any procedure on those.  It is the agreement of the utilities and the qfs that we should proceed to allow the utilities to update some of the data in their IRPs and put the matter out initially for comment as to what would then be filed.  Owen Orndorff also wants to conduct discovery.  Staff is asking at this point to establish a schedule.
In the WWP and IPC matters, notices of the filings have been issued.  Pacificorp just filed their plan on January 5.  Pacificorp would also now like to amend their filing.  All of the utilities believe that the market prices should be factored into their IRPs and that is not found in Pacificorp. filing.  Will need 6 weeks to update their filing.  
Scott Woodbury will work on a scheduling notice and will send it over for the commissioners to review.
Meeting was then adjourned.
Dated at Boise, Idaho, this 10th day of January, 1996.
Myrna J. Walters
Commission Secretary