PSC sets schedules for ATXI, Liberty Utilities cases
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Five orders appeared before the Missouri Public Service Commission this week, returning to business the week after the Thanksgiving holiday.
The first item approved by the commission was the establishment of a procedural schedule in Liberty Utilities’ tariff request for an annual revenue increase for gas service. The request is seeking an increase of approximately $7.5 million, which approximately $500,000 is already being recovered from customers through the Infrastructure System Replacement Surcharge (ISRS).
The proposed rate increase for a residential customer with average usage would be about $2.06 a month in the Northeast District (NEMO); approximately $14.09 a month in the Southeast District (SEMO); and approximately $7.62 a month in the Western District (WEMO).
The evidentiary hearings in the case are scheduled for May 21-25, 2018 and May 30-June 1, 2018.
The PSC also approved a hearing schedule in the case of Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI). ATXI is seeking Commission authority and a certificate of convenience and necessity to build, operate and maintain a 96-mile-long 345-kV electric transmission line from Palmyra, Missouri to the Iowa border and an associated substation near Kirksville, Missouri.
Evidentiary hearings are scheduled for Feb. 20, 2018, through the 22nd.
The commission will hold local public hearings in both cases, which will be announced when the dates, times and locations have been finalized.
The PSC also approved staff’s prudence review of Kansas City Power & Light’s fuel adjustment clause. During the course of their audit, staff found no example of imprudence. With no parties requesting a hearing, the commission approved the staff report, and the file will be closed on Dec. 11.
The commission also approved Missouri American Water’s application for an accounting authority order (“AAO”) for the cost of replacing the customers’ portion of MAWC’s lead service lines. The PSC granted the company the authority to defer and book to NARUC Account 186 the costs of all customer-owned lead service line replacements made from January 1, 2017, through May 31, 2018, using its short-term borrowing rate as its carrying cost. The company may defer and maintain the costs on its books until the effective date of the report and order in its pending general rate case.
The final order the PSC ruled on concerned KCPL’s request for a CCN to include in its certificated area customers that it was already serving in parts of Johnson and Pettis counties. KCPL agreed to pay $5,000 to the Public School Fund of the State of Missouri for operating in the area without PSC authority.
Benjamin Peters was a reporter for The Missouri Times and Missouri Times Magazine and also produced the #MoLeg Podcast. He joined The Missouri Times in 2016 after working as a sports editor and TV news producer in mid-Missouri. Benjamin is a graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield.
