ENERGY / UTILITIES
PUC Streamlines Reporting Requirements and Procedures
November
2003
By Heidi
L. Kroll
On October 24th, the New Hampshire
Public Utilities Commission (PUC) took an important step toward streamlining
its reporting requirements and procedures. In its Order, the Commission adopted
certain changes that should reduce the reporting burdens and expenses placed
on regulated utilities and improve the efficiency of Commission operations.
The first change is that the Commission has suspended the requirement
that electric, natural gas, water, sewer, steam, and telecommunications
utilities file the E-20-A Report. This report tracks changes in a utility’s
fixed capital, and is filed annually after the close of the fiscal
year. The PUC Staff recommended that the Report be suspended because “it
is voluminous and duplicative of information” provided in other
reports. The Commission agreed with the recommendation, finding that
it would “reduce utility regulatory expenses and free Commission
resources.” (See Order No. 24,223, at 2 and 7.)
In addition, the Commission has suspended the reporting requirements
that are placed on water utilities when the NH Department of Environmental
Services investigates or reviews water quality. On a forward-going
basis, the PUC will obtain the necessary information directly from
DES. This step will improve the timely exchange of information by eliminating
a water utility’s unnecessary role as an intermediary.
Perhaps most importantly, the PUC has decided that the nearly 200
reports and forms that the various utilities are required to submit
on a regular basis can be filed electronically, along with a single
paper copy. Currently, utilities are required to file an original and
eight copies of these annual, quarterly, monthly, and other periodic
reports. By eliminating the filing of paper copies when electronic
filing is feasible, utilities will avoid the expense of supplying the
Commission with large volumes of paperwork, and the Commission will
avoid the administrative costs associated with processing it. The PUC
indicated that it will develop electronic filing protocols within the
next few months. Obviously, the sooner this can happen, the better.
These streamlined reporting requirements and procedures provide some
evidence that the Commission is making progress toward “creating
a culture of timeliness,” a goal it recently outlined in its
Biennial Report to the Governor and Executive Council. There,
the PUC stated that it intends to make “the lessons from the
world of business management” a cornerstone of its efforts. Hopefully,
we will soon see evidence of this principal in all aspects of
the Commission’s
day-to-day operations – including its preferred approaches to
regulation and its decisions about the scope and sheer number
of dockets it opens – to improve the efficiency and effectiveness
of its efforts. (See, also, “PUC May
Require Utilities to Accept Customer Credit Cards.”)
Download the PUC’s Order:
order24223.pdf (PDF, 1.59MB)
The document includes a list of affected
reports and forms provided in the Order’s appendices.
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