LETTER NO. L‐18‐09 ERICA M. HAMILTON SIXTH FLOOR, 900 HOWE STREET, BOX 250 COMMISSION SECRETARY VANCOUVER, B.C. CANADA V6Z 2N3 Commission.Secretary@bcuc.com TELEPHONE: (604) 660‐4700 web site: http://www.bcuc.com BC TOLL FREE: 1‐800‐663‐1385 FACSIMILE: (604) 660‐1102 VIA E‐MAIL March 24, 2009 All Regulated Companies: Re: British Columbia Utilities Commission (“Commission”) Annual Forecasting of Commission Regulatory Filing Requirements In order to effectively plan the regulatory requirements for the current and upcoming fiscal year, the Commission requests that you provide a list of expected regulatory requirements and when you anticipate making the filing. Prospective applications would include: 1. Revenue Requirements, 2. Rate Design, 3. Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity, 4. Long‐Term Action Plans or Integrated Energy/Resource Plans 5. Tariffs, and 6. Other filing matters. The Commission will use the information provided to balance its regulatory schedule and effectively assign its resources. We acknowledge that there are unanticipated matters such as complaint reviews, cost of service product pass‐throughs and other normal, routine tariff filings that may be beyond the control of the utility and the Commission to effectively forecast and thus cannot be accurately planned for. However, the initiative in providing planning for anticipated events will result in a more efficient regulatory service not only to the applicants but also to the public. The information supplied should include brief descriptions of the following: 1. Applications to be submitted to the Commission, 2. Approximate date (month/year) of the expected filings, and 3. Indication of any special filings anticipated that will require involvement of Commissioner and staff time. While the forecasts are not binding, the Commission would appreciate receiving, every January 1 st and July 1 st , a rolling 12‐ month forecast of anticipated filings. The Commission’s “Timing and Guidelines for Filing of Information” is attached for your information. Your assistance and cooperation is appreciated. Yours truly, Original signed by: Erica M. Hamilton cms MiscCor/L‐18‐09_Regulatory Filing Guidelines
APPENDIX 1 to Letter No. L‐18‐09 Page 1 of 1 BRITISH COLUMBIA UTILITIES COMMISSION TIMING AND GUIDELINES FOR THE FILING OF INFORMATION These guidelines cover the filing of information required by the Commission to carry out its responsibilities under the Utilities Commission Act (“Act”). The guidelines are intended to provide sufficient lead time to enable the Commission and its staff to make and implement decisions efficiently and expeditiously. ∗ Filings should be received by the Commission Secretary a minimum of 30 days in advance of the desired effective date. Please provide an explanation if the application is filed under this minimum. ∗ The timing of the filings should accommodate at least 30 days customer notice prior to the desired effective date in cases such as rate increases where customer notification is required prior to Commission approval. An exception to this requirement would be filings made under subsection 61(4) of the Act for pass‐through of uncontrollable costs. ∗ The timing of filings for hearings will be established on an individual basis, by Order of the Commission, depending on the complexity of issues, the number of interested parties, urgency, and other factors. ∗ The filing of an application may include a proposed regulatory schedule and a proposed review process. Any proposed regulatory schedule should allow for sufficient review of the filing by all stakeholders. ∗ In order to avoid unnecessary delays or extensive information requests, every effort should be made to ensure that filings are complete, self‐explanatory, and follow any applicable published filing guidelines. ∗ In a filing, the figures contained in the body of the text should reference back to the relevant financial schedule. Financial schedules should be cross‐referenced (both source and destination). Reconciliations should be provided where appropriate to enable greater transparency. Totals and subtotals should be used in the financial schedules to aid in understanding. ∗ Parties are encouraged to discuss filing schedules periodically with Commission staff to exchange information on upcoming filings by the regulated entity and on the regulatory schedule anticipated by the Commission. In addition, where specific filings will contain unusual complexity or innovation, the prospective applicant is encouraged to pre‐file some or all of the material, or to request a pre‐filing conference with Commission staff in order to plan an efficient regulatory review of the application. ∗ While the Commission normally commences dealing with a filing in less than 30 days, this will depend on the complexity and completeness of the filing and the Commission’s workload at the time of filing. The Commission recognizes that, in exceptional circumstances, certain filings may be received and processed on an emergency basis. MiscCor/L‐18‐09_Regulatory Filing Guidelines
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