JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Public Service Commission tackled a handful of orders related to potential rule changes at its weekly agenda meeting Wednesday, striking down some and setting staff deadlines in others.
The commission denied a petition from the Office of the Public Counsel (OPC) requesting the promulgation of rules regarding affiliate transactions of water corporations with draft language. The PSC said staff is already reviewing the commissission’s affiliate transaction rules in other working files.
Since staff has already started the informal rule review and workshop process — which stakeholders have been able to participate in — the petition was denied. However, the PSC asked staff to expeditiously file proposed rule language for the commission’s consideration.
The PSC denied a petition for a proposed rule change regarding cogeneration from Renew Missouri on Wednesday. The order did, however, instruct staff to submit a proposal by August 30.
Commissioners also unanimously approved an order directing staff to come up with a new affiliate transaction rule for water and sewer corporations with no more than 8,0000 customers by September 16.
Additionally, the PSC set a September 16 deadline for staff’s draft rules in two working cases. One dealt with the writing of a new rule regarding the treatment of customers’ information by commission-regulated electric, gas, steam heating, water, and sewer utilities; the other was in regards to the rewriting and writing of new and existing affiliate transaction rules and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) transaction rules.
Aside from rules changes, the PSC also approved similar interim demand side investment mechanism rider rate adjustments from both Kansas City Power and Light Company (KCP&L) and the electric utility company’s Greater Missouri Operations Company.
Last week, Gov. Mike Parson signed several bills into law, including HB 355 which changes how individuals can appeal orders and decisions made by the PSC.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
