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PSC prepares for busy schedule, sets more hearings in Great Plains-Westar merger

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – It would only make sense for this week’s agenda meeting of the Missouri Public Service Commission to finish quickly.

The PSC is bracing for a hectic schedule, with eight public hearings concerning the proposed Grain Belt Express Line taking place over the next two weeks.

This week’s agenda meeting was moved to Tuesday afternoon to help accommodate the two hearings that kick off the commission’s tour through eight counties, though only two members of the commission were able to attend in person. Commissioners Scott Rupp and Bill Kenney were conferenced in by phone, while Commissioner Maida Coleman was absent.

Commissioner Coleman didn’t miss too much, as Tuesday’s meeting lasted a total of 20 minutes.

With only four items on the agenda, the commission quickly moved through each one.

The first item approved by the PSC was an order setting a procedural schedule in the case of Great Plains Energy’s merger with Westar. Great Plains Energy Incorporated, Kansas City Power & Light Company and KCP&L Greater Missouri filed a joint application asking for a variance from the Commission’s Affiliate Transactions Rule. With a 4-0 vote, the commission approved the schedule, setting a hearing date to run from March 15-17th.

“The desire is to resolve the issues related to the proposed merger as soon as possible,” Chairman Daniel Hall said. “I believe this order furthers that purpose.”

The $12 billion merger has become a topic of much concern for utility customers in Kansas and Missouri. The merger combines roughly 1.5 million customers under KCP&L, Great Plains Energy, but many are concerned about a raise in customer rates, since the company will also be absorbing Westar’s $3.5 billion debt.

In their last meeting , the PSC approved a procedural schedule in the case of Midwest Energy Consumers Group vs. Westar Energy and Great Plains Energy, Inc., which centers around a complaint concerning jurisdiction. An oral argument for that hearing is scheduled for Dec. 21 at 10 a.m.

The second item on the agenda was the quickest one to pass before the commission. In it, the commission was asked to deny a request for a re-hearing in Chantel Muhammad’s case against Laclede Electric. Muhammad had argued that Laclede incorrectly billed him in 2008 and unlawfully disconnected his gas line in 2015. The Public Service Commission’s staff investigation found that the disconnection was done because of a safety hazard. The 2008 bills charged Mr. Muhammad for only one year out of three under-billed years. With that in mind, the PSC took little time before denying the request.

The last order to appear before the commission was a working case that looked at policies to improve electric utility regulation. In this case, staff worked with various stakeholders to find out what suggestions and improvements they might make in terms of legislative reform for utility rates. The PSC approved the report, saying they hoped it would be helpful to the legislature.

All of the members present agreed that it was important to make sure that the report was neither an endorsement or opposition to legislation, stating that the commission’s duty is to remain neutral and fair.

The last item was a case discussion on a motion to change state code. The PSC is looking to incorporate portions of the National Electrical Safety Code into rule 4 CSR 240-18.010, which applies to minimum operation safety standards that must be met by electrical corporations, telecommunications companies and rural electric cooperatives.

The code is updated periodically with corrections, so all this does is update the language to match that of the most recent issuance.

As the commission prepares for a busy schedule, finding working time for the weekly agenda meetings may require some creativity. But for now, the normally scheduled time of 9:30 a.m. every Wednesday stands.