Source: http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/4905
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 16:18:50+00:00

Document:
(A) "Railroad" has the same meaning as in section 4907.02 of the Revised Code.
(B) "Motor carrier" has the same meaning as in section 4923.01 of the Revised Code.
(C) " Motor vehicle" and "public highway" have the same meanings as in section 4921.01 of the Revised Code.
"Ohio coal research and development costs" means all reasonable costs associated with a facility or project undertaken by a public utility for which a recommendation to allow the recovery of costs associated therewith has been made under division (B)(7) of section 1551.33 of the Revised Code, including, but not limited to, capital costs, such as costs of debt and equity; construction and operation costs; termination and retirement costs; costs of feasibility and marketing studies associated with the project; and the acquisition and delivery costs of Ohio coal used in the project, less any expenditures of grant moneys.
Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.43, SB 162, §1, eff. 9/13/2010.
(i) The service was not commercially available on September 13, 2010, the effective date of the amendment of this section by S.B. 162 of the 128th general assembly.
(ii) The service employs technology that became available for commercial use only after September 13, 2010, the effective date of the amendment of this section by S.B. 162 of the 128th general assembly.
(1) "Public utility" includes a for-hire motor carrier even if the carrier is operated in connection with an entity described in division (A)(1), (2), (4), or (5) of this section.
Rules governing unified carrier registration adopted under section 4921.11 of the Revised Code.
4905.03 Public utility company definitions.
(D) A gas company, when engaged in the business of supplying artificial gas for lighting, power, or heating purposes to consumers within this state or when engaged in the business of supplying artificial gas to gas companies or to natural gas companies within this state, but a producer engaged in supplying to one or more gas or natural gas companies, only such artificial gas as is manufactured by that producer as a by-product of some other process in which the producer is primarily engaged within this state is not thereby a gas company. All rates, rentals, tolls, schedules, charges of any kind, or agreements between any gas company and any other gas company or any natural gas company providing for the supplying of artificial gas and for compensation for the same are subject to the jurisdiction of the public utilities commission.
(E) A natural gas company, when engaged in the business of supplying natural gas for lighting, power, or heating purposes to consumers within this state. Notwithstanding the above, neither the delivery nor sale of Ohio-produced natural gas or Ohio-produced raw natural gas liquids by a producer or gatherer under a public utilities commission-ordered exemption, adopted before, as to producers, or after, as to producers or gatherers, January 1, 1996, or the delivery or sale of Ohio-produced natural gas or Ohio-produced raw natural gas liquids by a producer or gatherer of Ohio-produced natural gas or Ohio-produced raw natural gas liquids, either to a lessor under an oil and gas lease of the land on which the producer's drilling unit is located, or the grantor incident to a right-of-way or easement to the producer or gatherer, shall cause the producer or gatherer to be a natural gas company for the purposes of this section.
All rates, rentals, tolls, schedules, charges of any kind, or agreements between a natural gas company and other natural gas companies or gas companies providing for the supply of natural gas and for compensation for the same are subject to the jurisdiction of the public utilities commission. The commission, upon application made to it, may relieve any producer or gatherer of natural gas, defined in this section as a gas company or a natural gas company, of compliance with the obligations imposed by this chapter and Chapters 4901., 4903., 4907., 4909., 4921., and 4923. of the Revised Code, so long as the producer or gatherer is not affiliated with or under the control of a gas company or a natural gas company engaged in the transportation or distribution of natural gas, or so long as the producer or gatherer does not engage in the distribution of natural gas to consumers.
Nothing in division (E) of this section limits the authority of the commission to enforce sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code.
(L) An interurban railroad company, when engaged in the business of operating a railroad, wholly or partially within this state, with one or more tracks from one municipal corporation or point in this state to another municipal corporation or point in this state, whether constructed upon the public highways or upon private rights-of-way, outside of municipal corporations, using electricity or other motive power than steam power for the transportation of passengers, packages, express matter, United States mail, baggage, and freight. Such an interurban railroad company is included in the term "railroad" as used in section 4907.02 of the Revised Code.
(M) A sewage disposal system company, when engaged in the business of sewage disposal services through pipes or tubing, and treatment works, or in a similar manner, within this state.
(1) "Gathering lines" has the same meaning as in section 4905.90 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Raw natural gas liquids" and "finished product natural gas liquids" have the same meanings as in section 4906.01 of the Revised Code.
Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.125, SB 315, §101.01, eff. 9/10/2012.
4905.04 Power to regulate public utilities and railroads.
The public utilities commission is hereby vested with the power and jurisdiction to supervise and regulate public utilities and railroads, to require all public utilities to furnish their products and render all services exacted by the commission or by law, and to promulgate and enforce all orders relating to the protection, welfare, and safety of railroad employees and the traveling public, including the apportionment between railroads and the state and its political subdivisions of the cost of constructing protective devices at railroad grade crossings.
4905.041 Exclusive jurisdiction of commission.
(A) The public utilities commission has exclusive jurisdiction to enforce, in accordance with Chapter 4913. of the Revised Code, section 153.64, divisions (A) and (B) of section 3781.26, sections 3781.27 and 3781.28 to 3781.32, and Chapter 4913. of the Revised Code.
(B) The commission's enforcement authority described in division (A) of this section is limited to actions specifically authorized by Chapter 4913. of the Revised Code.
(C) Nothing in this section or Chapter 4913. of the Revised Code gives the commission or the underground technical committee, created under section 3781.34 of the Revised Code, the authority to determine the civil liability of any person for any compliance failure as that term is defined in section 4913.01 of the Revised Code.
4905.042 Commission jurisdiction over advanced or Internet protocol-enabled services.
Regarding advanced services or internet protocol-enabled service as defined by federal law, including federal regulations, the public utilities commission shall not exercise any jurisdiction over those services that is prohibited by, or is inconsistent with its jurisdiction under, federal law, including federal regulations.
The jurisdiction, supervision, powers, and duties of the public utilities commission extend to every public utility and railroad, the plant or property of which lies wholly within this state and when the property of a public utility or railroad lies partly within and partly without this state to that part of such plant or property which lies within this state; to the persons or companies owning, leasing, or operating such public utilities and railroads; to the records and accounts of the business thereof done within this state; and to the records and accounts of any companies which are part of an electric utility holding company system exempt under section 3(a)(1) or (2) of the "Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935," 49 Stat. 803, 15 U.S.C. 79c, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, insofar as such records and accounts may in any way affect or relate to the costs associated with the provision of electric utility service by any public utility operating in this state and part of such holding company system.
Nothing in this section, or section 4905.06 or 4905.46 of the Revised Code pertaining to regulation of holding companies, grants the public utilities commission authority to regulate a holding company or its subsidiaries which are organized under the laws of another state, render no public utility service in the state of Ohio, and are regulated as a public utility by the public utilities commission of another state or primarily by a federal regulatory commission, nor do these grants of authority apply to public utilities that are excepted from the definition of "public utility" under divisions (A)(1) to (3) of section 4905.02 of the Revised Code.
The public utilities commission has general supervision over all public utilities within its jurisdiction as defined in section 4905.05 of the Revised Code, and may examine such public utilities and keep informed as to their general condition, capitalization, and franchises, and as to the manner in which their properties are leased, operated, managed, and conducted with respect to the adequacy or accommodation afforded by their service, the safety and security of the public and their employees, and their compliance with all laws, orders of the commission, franchises, and charter requirements. The commission has general supervision over all other companies referred to in section 4905.05 of the Revised Code to the extent of its jurisdiction as defined in that section, and may examine such companies and keep informed as to their general condition and capitalization, and as to the manner in which their properties are leased, operated, managed, and conducted with respect to the adequacy or accommodation afforded by their service, and their compliance with all laws and orders of the commission, insofar as any of such matters may relate to the costs associated with the provision of electric utility service by public utilities in this state which are affiliated or associated with such companies. The commission, through the public utilities commissioners or inspectors or employees of the commission authorized by it, may enter in or upon, for purposes of inspection, any property, equipment, building, plant, factory, office, apparatus, machinery, device, and lines of any public utility. The power to inspect includes the power to prescribe any rule or order that the commission finds necessary for protection of the public safety. In order to assist the commission in the performance of its duties under this chapter, authorized employees of the motor carrier enforcement unit, created under section 5503.34 of the Revised Code in the division of state highway patrol, of the department of public safety may enter in or upon, for inspection purposes, any motor vehicle of any motor carrier .
In order to inspect motor vehicles owned or operated by a motor carrier engaged in the transportation of persons, authorized employees of the motor carrier enforcement unit, division of state highway patrol, of the department of public safety may enter in or upon any property of any motor carrier engaged in the intrastate transportation of persons.
4905.07 Information and records to be public.
Except as provided in section 149.43 of the Revised Code and as consistent with the purposes of Title XLIX  of the Revised Code, all facts and information in the possession of the public utilities commission shall be public, and all reports, records, files, books, accounts, papers, and memorandums of every nature in its possession shall be open to inspection by interested parties or their attorneys.
A substantial compliance by the public utilities commission with the requirements of Chapters 4901., 4903., 4905., 4907., 4909., 4921., 4923., and 4927. of the Revised Code is sufficient to give effect to all its rules and orders. Those rules and orders shall not be declared inoperative, illegal, or void for an omission of a technical nature . And, those chapters do not affect, modify, or repeal any law fixing the rate that a company operating a railroad may demand and receive for the transportation of passengers.
(A) For the sole purpose of maintaining and administering the public utilities commission and exercising its supervision and jurisdiction over the railroads and public utilities of this state, an amount equivalent to the appropriation from the public utilities fund created under division (B) of this section to the public utilities commission for railroad and public utilities regulation in each fiscal year shall be apportioned among and assessed against each railroad and public utility within this state by the commission by first computing an assessment as though it were to be made in proportion to the intrastate gross earnings or receipts, excluding earnings or receipts from sales to other public utilities for resale, of the railroad or public utility for the calendar year next preceding that in which the assessment is made. The commission may include in that first computation any amount of a railroad's or public utility's intrastate gross earnings or receipts that were underreported in a prior year. In addition to whatever penalties apply under the Revised Code to such underreporting, the commission shall assess the railroad or public utility interest at the rate stated in division (A) of section 1343.01 of the Revised Code. The commission shall deposit any interest so collected into the public utilities fund. The commission may exclude from that first computation any such amounts that were overreported in a prior year. The final computation of the assessment shall consist of imposing upon each railroad and public utility whose assessment under the first computation would have been one hundred dollars or less an assessment of one hundred dollars and recomputing the assessments of the remaining railroads and public utilities by apportioning an amount equal to the appropriation to the public utilities commission for administration of the utilities division in each fiscal year less the total amount to be recovered from those paying the minimum assessment, in proportion to the intrastate gross earnings or receipts of the remaining railroads and public utilities for the calendar year next preceding that in which the assessments are made. In the case of an assessment based on intrastate gross receipts under this section against a public utility that is an electric utility as defined in section 4928.01 of the Revised Code, or an electric services company, electric cooperative, or governmental aggregator subject to certification under section 4928.08 of the Revised Code, such receipts shall be those specified in the utility's, company's, cooperative's, or aggregator's most recent report of intrastate gross receipts and sales of kilowatt hours of electricity, filed with the commission pursuant to division (F) of section 4928.06 of the Revised Code, and verified by the commission. In the case of an assessment based on intrastate gross receipts under this section against a retail natural gas supplier or governmental aggregator subject to certification under section 4929.20 of the Revised Code, such receipts shall be those specified in the supplier's or aggregator's most recent report of intrastate gross receipts and sales of hundred cubic feet of natural gas, filed with the commission pursuant to division (B) of section 4929.23 of the Revised Code, and verified by the commission. However, no such retail natural gas supplier or such governmental aggregator serving or proposing to serve customers of a particular natural gas company, as defined in section 4929.01 of the Revised Code, shall be assessed under this section until after the commission, pursuant to section 4905.26 or 4909.18 of the Revised Code, has removed from the base rates of the natural gas company the amount of assessment under this section that is attributable to the value of commodity sales service, as defined in section 4929.01 of the Revised Code, in the base rates paid by those customers of the company that do not purchase that service from the natural gas company.
(B) Through calendar year 2005, on or before the first day of October in each year, the commission shall notify each such railroad and public utility of the sum assessed against it, whereupon payment shall be made to the commission, which shall deposit it into the state treasury to the credit of the public utilities fund, which is hereby created. Beginning in calendar year 2006, on or before the fifteenth day of May in each year, the commission shall notify each railroad and public utility that had a sum assessed against it for the current fiscal year of more than one thousand dollars that fifty per cent of that amount shall be paid to the commission by the twentieth day of June of that year as an initial payment of the assessment against the company for the next fiscal year. On or before the first day of October in each year, the commission shall make a final determination of the sum of the assessment against each railroad and public utility and shall notify each railroad and public utility of the sum assessed against it. The commission shall deduct from the assessment for each railroad or public utility any initial payment received. Payment of the assessment shall be made to the commission by the first day of November of that year. The commission shall deposit the payments received into the state treasury to the credit of the public utilities fund. Any such amounts paid into the fund but not expended by the commission shall be credited ratably, after first deducting any deficits accumulated from prior years, by the commission to railroads and public utilities that pay more than the minimum assessment, according to the respective portions of such sum assessable against them for the ensuing fiscal year. The assessments for such fiscal year shall be reduced correspondingly.
(C) Within five days after the beginning of each fiscal year through fiscal year 2006, the director of budget and management shall transfer from the general revenue fund to the public utilities fund an amount sufficient for maintaining and administering the public utilities commission and exercising its supervision and jurisdiction over the railroads and public utilities of the state during the first four months of the fiscal year. The director shall transfer the same amount back to the general revenue fund from the public utilities fund at such time as the director determines that the balance of the public utilities fund is sufficient to support the appropriations from the fund for the fiscal year. The director may transfer less than that amount if the director determines that the revenues of the public utilities fund during the fiscal year will be insufficient to support the appropriations from the fund for the fiscal year, in which case the amount not paid back to the general revenue fund shall be payable to the general revenue fund in future fiscal years.
Effective Date: 06-26-2001; 06-30-2005 .
A railroad company that violates section 4905.10, 4907.13, or 4907.15 of the Revised Code shall forfeit to the state one thousand dollars, and twenty-five dollars for each day the company fails to comply with a requirement of any such section. The forfeiture does not release the company from the assessment provided in section 4905.10 of the Revised Code.
4905.13 System of accounts for public utilities.
The public utilities commission may establish a system of accounts to be kept by public utilities or railroads, including municipally owned or operated public utilities, or may classify said public utilities or railroads and establish a system of accounts for each class, and may prescribe the manner in which such accounts shall be kept. Such system shall, when practicable, conform to the system prescribed by the department of taxation. The commission may prescribe the forms of accounts, records, and memorandums to be kept by such public utilities or railroads, including the accounts, records, and memorandums of the movement of traffic as well as of the receipts and expenditure of moneys, and any other forms, records, and memorandums which are necessary to carry out Chapters 4901., 4903., 4905., 4907., 4909., 4921., and 4923. of the Revised Code. The system of accounts established by the commission and the forms of accounts, records, and memorandums prescribed by it shall not be inconsistent, in the case of corporations subject to the act of congress entitled "An act to regulate commerce" approved February 4, 1887, and the acts amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto, with the systems and forms established for such corporations by the interstate commerce commission. This section does not affect the power of the public utilities commission to prescribe forms of accounts, records, and memorandums covering information in addition to that required by the interstate commerce commission. The public utilities commission may, after hearing had upon its own motion or complaint, prescribe by order the accounts in which particular outlays and receipts shall be entered, charged, or credited. Where the public utilities commission has prescribed the forms of accounts, records, or memorandums to be kept by any public utility or railroad for any of its business, no such public utility or railroad shall keep any accounts, records, or memorandums for such business other than those so prescribed, or those prescribed by or under the authority of any other state or of the United States, except such accounts, records, or memorandums as are explanatory of and supplemental to the accounts, records, or memorandums prescribed by the commission. The commission shall at all times have access to all accounts kept by such public utilities or railroads and may designate any of its officers or employees to inspect and examine any such accounts. The auditor or other chief accounting officer of any such public utility or railroad shall keep such accounts and make the reports provided for in sections 4905.14 and 4907.13 of the Revised Code. Any auditor or chief accounting officer who fails to comply with this section shall be subject to the penalty provided for in division (B) of section 4905.99 of the Revised Code. The attorney general shall enforce such section upon request of the public utilities commission by mandamus or other appropriate proceedings.
(1) Every public utility shall file an annual report with the public utilities commission. The report shall be filed at the time and in the form prescribed by the commission, shall be duly verified, and shall cover the yearly period fixed by the commission. The commission shall prescribe the character of the information to be embodied in the annual report, and shall furnish to each public utility a blank form for it. Every public utility also shall file a copy of the annual report with the office of the consumers' counsel; the copy shall be filed at the same time that the original is filed with the commission. If any annual report filed with the commission is defective or erroneous, the commission may order that it be amended within a prescribed time. Any amendments made pursuant to such an order shall be filed with the commission and with the office of the consumers' counsel. Each annual report filed with the commission shall be preserved in the office of the commission. The commission may, at any time, require specific answers to questions upon which it desires information.
(a) Except as provided in division (A)(2)(b) of this section, in the case of a telephone company, including a wireless service provider, the annual report shall be limited to information necessary for the commission to calculate the assessment provided for in section 4905.10 of the Revised Code. The commission shall protect any confidential information in every company and provider report.
(b) With respect to a telephone company subject to section 4905.71 of the Revised Code, the commission shall adopt rules that require such a telephone company to also include in the annual report information required by the commission to calculate pole attachment and conduit occupancy rates and any other information the commission determines necessary and requires by rule for the commission to fulfill its responsibility under section 4905.71 of the Revised Code.
(3) Where it appears from a comparison of the information reported in division (B)(1) of this section with that reported in division (B)(2) of this section that the total demand projected by the company for the twelve months following the date of the report will exceed the ability of the company to furnish it, the means which the company intends to employ in order to prevent any interruption or curtailment of service.
Each public utility shall furnish to the public utilities commission, in such form and at such times as the commission requires, such accounts, reports, and information as shall show completely and in detail the entire operation of the public utility in furnishing the unit of its product or service to the public.
4905.16 Copy of contract may be required by commission.
When and as required by the public utilities commission, every public utility shall file with it a copy of any contract, agreement, or arrangement, in writing, with any other public utility relating in any way to the construction, maintenance, or use of its plant or property, or to any service, rate, or charge.
The public utilities commission shall keep informed of all new construction, extensions, and additions to the property of public utilities, and may prescribe the necessary forms, regulations, and instructions to the officers and employees of such public utilities for the keeping of construction accounts. Such construction accounts shall clearly distinguish all operating expenses and new construction.
Every public utility shall carry a proper and adequate depreciation or deferred maintenance account, whenever the public utilities commission, after investigation, determines that a depreciation account can be reasonably required. The commission shall ascertain, determine, and prescribe what are proper and adequate charges for depreciation of the several classes of property for each public utility. The charge for depreciation shall be such as will provide the amount required over the cost and expense of maintenance to keep the property of the public utility in a state of efficiency corresponding to the progress of the art or industry. The commission may prescribe such changes in such charges for depreciation as it finds necessary.
The moneys for depreciation charges provided for by section 4905.18 of the Revised Code shall be set aside out of the earnings and carried as a depreciation fund. The moneys in such fund may be expended in new construction, extensions, or additions to the property of the public utility, or may be invested. If such moneys are invested, the income from the investment shall also be carried in the depreciation fund. Such fund and its proceeds may be used for the purpose of renewing, restoring, replacing, or substituting depreciated property in order to keep the plant in a state of efficiency. Such fund and the proceeds or income from it shall be used for no purpose other than those purposes provided in this section except upon the approval of the public utilities commission.
No railroad as defined in section 4907.02 of the Revised Code, operating any railroad in this state, and no public utility as defined in section 4905.02 of the Revised Code furnishing service or facilities within this state, shall abandon or be required to abandon or withdraw any main track or depot of a railroad, or main pipe line, gas line, electric light line, water line, sewer line, steam pipe line, or any portion thereof, pumping station, generating plant, power station, sewage treatment plant, or service station of a public utility, or the service rendered thereby that has once been laid, constructed, opened, and used for public business, nor shall any such facility be closed for traffic or service thereon, therein, or thereover except as provided in section 4905.21 of the Revised Code. Any railroad or public utility violating this section shall forfeit and pay into the state treasury not less than one hundred dollars, nor more than one thousand dollars, and shall be subject to all other legal and equitable remedies for the enforcement of this section and section 4905.21 of the Revised Code.
4905.21 Application to commission to abandon, withdraw or close.
Any railroad or any political subdivision desiring to abandon, close, or have abandoned, withdrawn, or closed for traffic or service all or any part of a main track or depot, and any public utility or political subdivision desiring to abandon or close, or have abandoned, withdrawn, or closed for traffic or service all or any part of any line, pumping station, generating plant, power station, sewage treatment plant, or service station, referred to in section 4905.20 of the Revised Code, shall make application to the public utilities commission in writing. The commission shall thereupon cause reasonable notice of the application to be given, stating the time and place fixed by the commission for the hearing of the application.
Upon the hearing of the application, the commission shall ascertain the facts and make its findings thereon, and if such facts satisfy the commission that the proposed abandonment, withdrawal, or closing for traffic or service is reasonable, having due regard for the welfare of the public and the cost of operating the service or facility, it may allow such abandonment, withdrawal, or closing; otherwise it shall be denied, or if the facts warrant, the application may be granted in a modified form. If the application asks for the abandonment or withdrawal of any main track, main pipe line, gas line, electric light line, water line, sewer line, steam pipe line, pumping station, generating plant, power station, sewage treatment plant, service station, or the service rendered thereby, in such manner as can result in the permanent abandonment of service between any two points on such railroad, or of service and facilities of any such public utility, no application shall be granted unless the railroad or public utility has operated the track, pipe line, gas line, electric light line, water line, sewer line, steam pipe line, pumping station, generating plant, power station, sewage treatment plant, or service station for at least five years. The notice shall be given by publication in a newspaper of general circulation throughout any county or municipal corporation that has granted a franchise to the railroad or public utility, under which the track, pipe line, gas line, electric light line, water line, sewer line, steam pipe line, pumping station, generating plant, power station, sewage treatment plant, or service station is operated or in which the same is located, once a week for two consecutive weeks before the hearing of the application. Notice of the hearing shall be given such county, municipal corporation, or public utility in the manner provided for the service of orders of the commission in section 4903.15 of the Revised Code. This section and section 4905.20 of the Revised Code do not apply to a gas company when it is removing or exchanging abandoned field lines.
This section applies to all service now rendered and facilities furnished or hereafter built and operated, and an order of the commission authorizing the abandonment or withdrawal of any such service or facility shall not affect rights and obligations of a railroad or public utility beyond the scope of the order, anything in its franchise to the contrary notwithstanding.
4905.22 Service and facilities required - unreasonable charge prohibited.
Every public utility shall furnish necessary and adequate service and facilities, and every public utility shall furnish and provide with respect to its business such instrumentalities and facilities, as are adequate and in all respects just and reasonable. All charges made or demanded for any service rendered, or to be rendered, shall be just, reasonable, and not more than the charges allowed by law or by order of the public utilities commission, and no unjust or unreasonable charge shall be made or demanded for, or in connection with, any service, or in excess of that allowed by law or by order of the commission.
4905.23 [Repealed] Inadequate service by telephone company.
Repealed by 128th General AssemblyFile No.43, SB 162, §2, eff. 9/13/2010.
4905.231 [Repealed] Prescribing reasonable standards of telephone service.
4905.24 [Repealed] Company not permitted to exercise right of franchise where another is giving adequate service.
4905.241 [Repealed] Applications to render service.
4905.242 [Repealed] Companies integrated, merged, consolidated, or otherwise combined when service inadequate.
4905.243 [Repealed] Petition for change in service.
4905.25 [Repealed] Petition for service in area not served by telephone company.
4905.26 Complaints as to service.
Upon complaint in writing against any public utility by any person, firm, or corporation, or upon the initiative or complaint of the public utilities commission, that any rate, fare, charge, toll, rental, schedule, classification, or service, or any joint rate, fare, charge, toll, rental, schedule, classification, or service rendered, charged, demanded, exacted, or proposed to be rendered, charged, demanded, or exacted, is in any respect unjust, unreasonable, unjustly discriminatory, unjustly preferential, or in violation of law, or that any regulation, measurement, or practice affecting or relating to any service furnished by the public utility, or in connection with such service, is, or will be, in any respect unreasonable, unjust, insufficient, unjustly discriminatory, or unjustly preferential, or that any service is, or will be, inadequate or cannot be obtained, and, upon complaint of a public utility as to any matter affecting its own product or service, if it appears that reasonable grounds for complaint are stated, the commission shall fix a time for hearing and shall notify complainants and the public utility thereof. The notice shall be served not less than fifteen days before hearing and shall state the matters complained of. The commission may adjourn such hearing from time to time.
The parties to the complaint shall be entitled to be heard, represented by counsel, and to have process to enforce the attendance of witnesses.
This section does not apply to matters governed by Chapter 4913. of the Revised Code.
Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 378, §1, eff. 3/23/2015.
4905.261 Telephone call center for consumer complaints.
The public utilities commission shall operate a telephone call center for consumer complaints, to receive complaints by any person, firm, or corporation against any public utility. The commission shall expeditiously provide the consumers' counsel with all information concerning residential consumer complaints received by the commission in the operation of the telephone call center and with any materials produced in the operation of the telephone call center by the commission concerning residential consumer complaints. If technology is reasonably available, the commission shall provide the consumers' counsel with real-time access to the commission's residential consumer complaint information.
The public utilities commission shall ascertain and prescribe suitable and convenient standard commercial units of the product or service of any public utility when the character of its product or service is such that it can be determined. Such units shall be the lawful units for the purposes of Chapters 4901., 4903., 4905., 4907., 4909., 4921., 4923., and 4925. of the Revised Code.
The public utilities commission may ascertain and fix adequate and serviceable standards for the measurement of quality, pressure, initial voltage, or other conditions pertaining to the supply or quality of the product furnished or adequacy of service rendered by any public utility and may prescribe reasonable regulations for examination, testing, and measurement of such product or service. It may establish reasonable rules, regulations, specifications, and standards to secure the accuracy of all meters and appliances for measurements.
The public utilities commission may provide instruments for, and carry on, the examination and testing of all appliances used for the measurement of any product or service of a public utility or for the examination and testing of any devices or appliances of such public utility used for testing for accuracy any appliance used for the measurement of any product or service of such public utility. Any consumer or user may have any such appliance tested upon payment of the fees fixed by the commission. The commission may establish reasonable fees to be paid for testing such appliances on the request of the consumers or users. The fees shall be paid by the consumer or user at the time the request is made, but shall be paid by the public utility and repaid to the consumer or user if the appliance is found commercially defective or incorrect, to the disadvantage of the consumer or user.
4905.30 Printed schedules of rates must be filed.
(A) A public utility shall print and file with the public utilities commission schedules showing all rates, joint rates, rentals, tolls, classifications, and charges for service of every kind furnished by it, and all rules and regulations affecting them. The schedules shall be plainly printed and kept open to public inspection. The commission may prescribe the form of every such schedule, and may prescribe, by order, changes in the form of such schedules. The commission may establish and modify rules and regulations for keeping such schedules open to public inspection. A copy of the schedules, or so much thereof as the commission deems necessary for the use and information of the public, shall be printed in plain type and kept on file or posted in such places and in such manner as the commission orders.
(B) Division (A) of this section applies to a telephone company only regarding rates, joint rates, tolls, classifications, charges, rules, and regulations established pursuant to sections 4905.71, 4927.12, 4927.13, 4927.14, 4927.15, and 4927.18 of the Revised Code.
Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.166, HB 360, §1, eff. 12/20/2012.
4905.302 Purchased gas adjustment clause.
(b) A provision in an ordinance adopted pursuant to section 743.26 or 4909.34 of the Revised Code or Section 4 of Article XVIII, Ohio Constitution, with respect to which a gas company or natural gas company is required or allowed to adjust the rates it charges under such an ordinance in accordance with any fluctuation in the cost to the company of obtaining the gas that it sells, that has occurred since the time of the adoption of the ordinance.
(2) For the purpose of this section, the term "special purchase" means any purchase of interstate natural gas, any purchase of liquefied natural gas, and any purchase of synthetic natural gas from any source developed after the effective date of this section, April 27, 1976, provided that this purchase be of less than one hundred twenty days duration and the price for this purchase is not regulated by the federal power commission. For the purpose of this division, the expansion or enlargement of a synthetic natural gas plant existing at such date shall be considered a source so developed.
(3) For the purpose of this section, the term "residential customer" means urban, suburban, and rural patrons of gas companies and natural gas companies insofar as their needs for gas are limited to their residence. Such term includes those patrons whose rates have been set under an ordinance adopted pursuant to sections 743.26 and 4909.34 of the Revised Code or Section 4 of Article XVIII, Ohio Constitution.
(1) The commission shall promulgate a purchased gas adjustment rule, consistent with this section, that establishes a uniform purchased gas adjustment clause to be included in the schedule of gas companies and natural gas companies subject to the jurisdiction of the public utilities commission and that establishes investigative procedures and proceedings including, but not limited to, periodic reports, audits, and hearings.
(4) Unless otherwise ordered by the commission for good cause shown either by an interested party or by the commission on its own motion, no natural gas company having fifteen thousand or fewer customers in this state shall be subject under the purchased gas adjustment rule to any audit or other investigation or any related hearing, other than a financial audit or, as necessary, any hearing related to a financial audit.
(5) In issuing an order under division (C)(3) or (4) of this section, the commission shall file a written opinion setting forth the reasons showing good cause under such division and the specific matters to be audited, investigated, or subjected to hearing. Nothing in division (C)(3) or (4) of this section relieves such a natural gas company from the duty to file such information as the commission may require under the rule for the purpose of showing that a company has charged its customers accurately for the cost of gas obtained.
(D) A natural gas company that does not sell natural gas under a purchased gas adjustment clause shall not be subject to this section.
(E) Nothing in this section or any other provision of law shall be construed to mean that the commission, in the event of any cost distribution allowed under this section, may issue an order pursuant to which the prudent and reasonable cost of gas to a gas company or natural gas company of any special purchase may not be recovered by the company. For the purpose of this division, such cost of gas neither includes any applicable franchise taxes nor the ordinary losses of gas experienced by the company in the process of transmission and distribution.
(F) The commission shall not at any time prevent or restrain such costs as are distributable under this section from being so distributed, unless the commission has reason to believe that an arithmetic or accounting inaccuracy exists with respect to such a distribution or that the company has not accurately represented the amount of the cost of a special purchase, or has followed imprudent or unreasonable procurement policies and practices, has made errors in the estimation of cubic feet sold, or has employed such other practices, policies, or factors as the commission considers inappropriate.
(G) The cost of natural gas under this section shall not include any cost recovered by a natural gas company pursuant to section 4929.25 of the Revised Code.
Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.20, HB 95, §1, eff. 9/9/2011.
4905.303 Approving purchases of synthetic natural gas.
(A) Before entering into an agreement to purchase synthetic natural gas or other fuels produced by a facility originated under the auspices of the federal government pursuant to a contract with the federal energy research and development administration or its successor agencies for the purpose of converting coal to gaseous, liquid, or solid fuels or by-products of such fuels, and the construction of which began on or after July 1, 1975, but not later than December 31, 1982, a gas company or natural gas company shall obtain approval of such agreement from the public utilities commission, which approval shall be granted if the purchase price is to be based on the total cost of service of the facility developer or developers in producing the synthetic natural gas or other fuels for a reasonable profit to said developer or developers, taking into account the desirability of encouraging energy research and development, the developmental nature of the facility involved, and the attendant risks for the developer or developers. Promptly after the filing with it of an application to obtain such approval, the public utilities commission shall set the matter for public hearing and shall render a final decision of such application within sixty days of its filing.
(B) Notwithstanding division (B) of section 4905.302 of the Revised Code, any gas company or natural gas company that, pursuant to terms approved by the public utilities commission, enters into an agreement to purchase synthetic natural gas or fuels produced by such a facility for distribution to some or all of its customers shall adjust its rates pursuant to and in accordance with a purchased gas adjustment rule promulgated by the commission pursuant to this section.
(C) The commission may adjust any proposed rate change under division (B) of this section on account of arithmetic or clerical error.
4905.304 Examining coal research and development costs incurred by gas or natural gas company.
(C) Requires the reporting of such data by gas and natural gas companies as the commission considers necessary for the purposes of this section.
4905.31 Reasonable arrangements allowed - variable rate.
(B) A sliding scale of charges, including variations in rates based upon stipulated variations in cost as provided in the schedule or arrangement.
(E) Any other financial device that may be practicable or advantageous to the parties interested. In the case of a schedule or arrangement concerning a public utility electric light company, such other financial device may include a device to recover costs incurred in conjunction with any economic development and job retention program of the utility within its certified territory, including recovery of revenue foregone as a result of any such program; any development and implementation of peak demand reduction and energy efficiency programs under section 4928.66 of the Revised Code; any acquisition and deployment of advanced metering, including the costs of any meters prematurely retired as a result of the advanced metering implementation; and compliance with any government mandate. No such schedule or arrangement is lawful unless it is filed with and approved by the commission pursuant to an application that is submitted by the public utility or the mercantile customer or group of mercantile customers of an electric distribution utility and is posted on the commission's docketing information system and is accessible through the internet. Every such public utility is required to conform its schedules of rates, tolls, and charges to such arrangement, sliding scale, classification, or other device, and where variable rates are provided for in any such schedule or arrangement, the cost data or factors upon which such rates are based and fixed shall be filed with the commission in such form and at such times as the commission directs. Every such schedule or reasonable arrangement shall be under the supervision and regulation of the commission, and is subject to change, alteration, or modification by the commission.
Effective Date: 10-29-1993; 2008 SB221 07-31-2008 .
No public utility shall charge, demand, exact, receive, or collect a different rate, rental, toll, or charge for any service rendered, or to be rendered, than that applicable to such service as specified in its schedule filed with the public utilities commission which is in effect at the time. No public utility shall refund or remit directly or indirectly, any rate, rental, toll, or charge so specified, or any part thereof, or extend to any person, firm, or corporation, any rule, regulation, privilege, or facility except such as are specified in such schedule and regularly and uniformly extended to all persons, firms, and corporations under like circumstances for like, or substantially similar, service.
4905.33 Rebates, special rates, and free service prohibited.
(A) No public utility shall directly or indirectly, or by any special rate, rebate, drawback, or other device or method, charge, demand, collect, or receive from any person, firm, or corporation a greater or lesser compensation for any services rendered, or to be rendered, except as provided in Chapters 4901., 4903., 4905., 4907., 4909., 4921., and 4923. of the Revised Code, than it charges, demands, collects, or receives from any other person, firm, or corporation for doing a like and contemporaneous service under substantially the same circumstances and conditions.
(B) No public utility shall furnish free service or service for less than actual cost for the purpose of destroying competition.
4905.34 Free service or reduced rates.
Except as provided in sections 4905.33 and 4905.35 and Chapter 4928. of the Revised Code, Chapters 4901., 4903., 4905., 4907., 4909., 4921., 4923., and 4927. of the Revised Code do not prevent any public utility or railroad from granting any of its property for any public purpose, or granting reduced rates or free service of any kind to the United States, to the state or any political subdivision of the state, for charitable purposes, for fairs or expositions, to a law enforcement officer residing in free housing provided pursuant to section 3735.43 of the Revised Code, or to any officer or employee of such public utility or railroad or the officer's or employee's family. All contracts and agreements made or entered into by such public utility or railroad for such use, reduced rates, or free service are valid and enforcible at law. As used in this section, "employee" includes furloughed, pensioned, and superannuated employees.
(A) No public utility shall make or give any undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any person, firm, corporation, or locality, or subject any person, firm, corporation, or locality to any undue or unreasonable prejudice or disadvantage.
(1) A natural gas company that is a public utility shall offer its regulated services or goods to all similarly situated consumers, including persons with which it is affiliated or which it controls, under comparable terms and conditions.
(2) A natural gas company that is a public utility and that offers to a consumer a bundled service that includes both regulated and unregulated services or goods shall offer, on an unbundled basis, to that same consumer the regulated services or goods that would have been part of the bundled service. Those regulated services or goods shall be of the same quality as or better quality than, and shall be offered at the same price as or a better price than and under the same terms and conditions as or better terms and conditions than, they would have been had they been part of the company's bundled service.
(3) No natural gas company that is a public utility shall condition or limit the availability of any regulated services or goods, or condition the availability of a discounted rate or improved quality, price, term, or condition for any regulated services or goods, on the basis of the identity of the supplier of any other services or goods or on the purchase of any unregulated services or goods from the company.
When complaint is made of more than one rate, charge, or service, the public utilities commission may order separate hearings on such complaint and may consider and determine the matters complained of separately at such times and places as it prescribes. No complaint shall necessarily be dismissed because of the absence of direct damage to the complainant.
4905.37 Commission may change rules and regulations of public utilities.
Whenever the public utilities commission is of the opinion, after hearing had upon complaint or upon its own initiative or complaint, served as provided in section 4905.26 of the Revised Code, that the rules, regulations, measurements, or practices of any public utility with respect to its public service are unjust or unreasonable, or that the equipment or service of such public utility is inadequate, inefficient, improper, insufficient, or cannot be obtained, or that a telephone company refuses to extend its lines to serve inhabitants within the telephone company operating area, the commission shall determine the regulations, practices, and service to be installed, observed, used, and rendered, and shall fix and prescribe them by order to be served upon the public utility. After service of such order such public utility and all of its officers, agents, and official employees shall obey such order and do everything necessary or proper to carry it into effect. This section does not give the commission power to make any order requiring the performance of any act which is unjust, unreasonable, or in violation of any law of this state or the United States.
4905.38 Repairs and improvements may be ordered by commission.
Whenever the public utilities commission is of the opinion, after hearing had, as provided in section 4905.26 of the Revised Code, or upon its own initiative or complaint, that repairs, improvements, or additions to the plant or equipment of any public utility should reasonably be made, in order to promote the convenience or welfare of the public or of employees, or in order to secure adequate service or facilities, the commission may make and serve an appropriate order directing that such repairs, improvements, or additions be made within a reasonable time and in a manner specified in such order. Every such public utility, its officers, agents, and official employees, shall obey such order.
4905.381 [Repealed] Ordering repairs and improvements in telephone service.
4905.39 Power to require additions and extensions.
The legislative authority of any municipal corporation may, upon the filing of an application by any person, firm, or corporation, require of any public utility, by ordinance or otherwise, such additions or extensions to its distributing plant within such municipal corporation as the legislative authority deems reasonable and necessary in the interest of the public, and, subject to section 4951.06 of the Revised Code, such municipal corporation may designate the location and nature of all such additions and extensions, the time within which they must be completed, and all conditions under which they must be constructed and operated. Such requirements and orders of the legislative authority shall be subject to review by the public utilities commission, as provided in sections 4909.34 and 4909.39 of the Revised Code. The legislative authority and commission, in determining the practicability of such additions and extensions, shall take into consideration the supply of the product furnished by such public utility available, the returns upon the cost and expense of constructing such extensions, and the amount of revenue to be derived from such extensions, as well as the earning power of the public utility as a whole.
4905.40 Issuance of stocks, bonds, and notes.
(2) For reorganization or readjustment of its indebtedness and capitalization, for the discharge or lawful refunding of its obligation, or for the reimbursement of moneys actually expended for such purposes from income or from any other moneys in the treasury of the public utility or railroad not secured or obtained from the issue of stocks, bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness of such public utility or railroad. No reimbursement of moneys expended for such purposes from income or other moneys in the treasury shall be authorized unless the applicant has kept its accounts and vouchers of such expenditures in such manner as to enable the commission to ascertain the amount and purposes of such expenditures.
(B) Any public utility, subject to the jurisdiction of the commission, may, when authorized by the commission, issue shares of common capital stock to acquire or pay for shares of common capital stock of a public utility of this or an adjoining state whose property is so located as to permit the operation of the properties of such utilities as an integrated system if the applicant owns, or by this issue will acquire, not less than sixty-five per cent of the issued and outstanding common capital shares of the company whose shares are to be acquired, and if the consideration to be capitalized by the acquiring company does not exceed the par or stated value at which the shares so acquired were issued.
(C) Any bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness payable at periods of more than twelve months after their date may be issued as provided in sections 4905.40 to 4905.43 of the Revised Code, regardless of the amount of the capital stock of the public utility or railroad, subject to the approval of the commission of the excess of such bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness above the amount of the capital stock of such public utility or railroad.
(D) The commission shall authorize on the best terms obtainable such issues of stocks, bonds, and other evidences of indebtedness as are necessary to enable any public utility to comply with any contract made between such public utility and any municipal corporation prior to June 30, 1911.
(E) The commission may authorize a public utility that is an electric light company to issue equity securities, or debt securities having a term of more than twelve months from the date of issuance, for the purpose of yielding to the company the capacity to acquire a facility that produces fuel for the generation of electricity.
(3) What effect, if any, the issuance of such stocks, bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness and the cost thereof will have upon the present and prospective revenue requirements of the utility.
(G) Sections 4905.40 to 4905.42 of the Revised Code do not apply to stocks, bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness issued for the purpose of financing oil or natural gas drilling, producing, gathering, and associated activities and facilities by a producer which supplies to no more than twenty purchasers only such gas as is produced, gathered, or purchased by such producer within this state.
(H) Each public utility seeking authorization from the commission for the issuance of securities to finance the installation, construction, extension, or improvement of an air quality facility, as defined in section 3706.01 of the Revised Code, shall consider the availability of financing therefor from the Ohio air quality development authority and shall demonstrate to the commission that the proposed financing will be obtained on the best terms obtainable.
(I) This section does not apply to a telephone company.
4905.401 Issuing notes or other evidences of indebtedness.
(B) The issue, renewal, or assumption of liability on such notes, or other evidences of indebtedness which have been, or are the subject of an order of the securities and exchange commission under the "Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935," 49 Stat. 838, 15 U.S.C. 79, as amended. In the case of stocks, bonds, notes, and other evidences of indebtedness having no par value, the "par value" for the purpose of this section shall be the fair market value as of the date of issue. Sections 4905.40 to 4905.43 of the Revised Code, shall be applicable to notes, and other evidences of indebtedness issued under this section, except the provision of section 4905.42 of the Revised Code exempting from the jurisdiction of the public utilities commission the issuance of notes of public utilities payable at periods of not more than twelve months insofar as such provision is applicable to electric light companies.
4905.402 Acquiring or merging with domestic telephone or electric utility company or holding company.
(1) "Control" means the possession of the power to direct the management and policies of a domestic telephone company or a holding company of a domestic telephone company, or the management and policies of a domestic electric utility or a holding company of a domestic electric utility through the ownership of voting securities, by contract, or otherwise, but does not include the power that results from holding an official position or the possession of corporate office with the domestic company or utility or the holding company. Control is presumed to exist if any person, directly or indirectly, owns, controls, holds the power to vote, or holds with the power to vote proxies that constitute, twenty per cent or more of the total voting power of the domestic company or utility or the holding company.
(2) "Electric utility" has the same meaning as in section 4928.07 of the Revised Code.
(3) "Holding company" excludes any securities broker performing the usual and customary broker's function.
(4) "Telephone company" means any company described in division (A) of section 4905.03 of the Revised Code that is a public utility under section 4905.02 of the Revised Code and provides basic local exchange service, as defined in section 4927.01 of the Revised Code.
(1) No person shall acquire control, directly or indirectly, of a domestic telephone company or a holding company controlling a domestic telephone company or of a domestic electric utility or a holding company controlling a domestic electric utility unless that person obtains the prior approval of the public utilities commission under this section.
(2) To obtain approval required under division (B)(1) of this section, the person seeking the approval shall file an application with the public utilities commission demonstrating that the acquisition will promote public convenience and result in the provision of adequate service for a reasonable rate, rental, toll, or charge. The application shall contain such information as the public utilities commission may require. If the public utilities commission considers a hearing necessary, it may fix a time and place for hearing. If, after review of the application and after any necessary hearing, the public utilities commission is satisfied that approval of the application will promote public convenience and result in the provision of adequate service for a reasonable rate, rental, toll, or charge, the public utilities commission shall approve the application and make such order as it considers proper. If the public utilities commission fails to issue an order within thirty days of the filing of the application under this division, or within twenty days of the conclusion of a hearing, if one is held, the application shall be deemed approved by operation of law.
(1) No domestic telephone company shall merge with another domestic telephone company unless the merging companies obtain the prior approval of the public utilities commission.
(2) An application seeking approval required under division (C)(1) of this section shall be filed, processed, and decided in the manner provided for an application under division (B)(2) of this section.
(D) The public utilities commission shall adopt such rules as it finds necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. The rules shall specify the time and manner in which a company must file the notice required under division (G) of this section.
(E) If it appears to the public utilities commission or to any person that may be adversely affected that any person is engaged in or about to engage in any acts or practices that would violate division (B) or (C) of this section or any provision of a rule adopted under this section, the attorney general, when directed to do so by the public utilities commission, or the person claiming to be adversely affected may bring an action in any court of common pleas that has jurisdiction and venue to enjoin such acts or practices and enforce compliance. Upon a proper showing, the court shall grant, without bond, a restraining order or temporary or permanent injunction.
(F) The courts of this state have jurisdiction over every person not a resident of or domiciled or authorized to do business in this state that files, or is prohibited from acting without first filing, an application under division (B) or (C) of this section, and over all actions involving such person arising out of violations of any provision of this section or of a rule adopted under this section. The secretary of state shall be the agent for service of process for any such person in any action, suit, or proceeding arising out of such violations. Copies of all such lawful process shall be served upon the secretary of state and transmitted by certified mail, with return receipt requested, by the secretary of state to such person at the person's last known address.
(G) A domestic telephone company or a holding company controlling a domestic telephone company that files an application with the federal communications commission seeking authority for a merger or transfer of control shall file notice of the application with the public utilities commission. The notice shall include an internet link to the application.
(1) Divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section do not apply to the acquisition of control of a domestic telephone company or a holding company controlling a domestic telephone company if there is a pending application with the federal communications commission regarding the acquisition. If the federal communications commission waives the exercise of its authority regarding the acquisition or otherwise chooses not to exercise its authority regarding the acquisition, then divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section apply.
(2) Divisions (C)(1) and (2) of this section do not apply if there is a pending application with the federal communications commission regarding a merger of domestic telephone companies. If the federal communications commission waives the exercise of its authority regarding the merger or otherwise chooses not to exercise its authority regarding the merger, then divisions (C)(1) and (2) of this section apply.
(I) Nothing in division (G) or (H) of this section shall affect the obligations and rights described in division (A) of section 4927.101 of the Revised Code.
Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 402, §1, eff. 3/20/2019.
4905.403 Filing control bid for a natural gas company.
(c) Pursuant to a merger, consolidation, combination, majority share acquisition, or other transaction, the acquisition of any equity security of a natural gas company in this state that is a public utility under section 4905.02 of the Revised Code or any equity security of a holding company controlling such a company, if, prior to the date upon which the offeror becomes the owner of more than ten per cent of any class of the issued and outstanding equity securities of the subject natural gas company or holding company, the directors of the subject natural gas company or subject holding company had approved the acquisition.
(2) "Dealer" has the same meaning as in section 1707.01 of the Revised Code.
(3) "Equity security" means any share or similar security, or any security convertible into any such security, or carrying any warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase any such security, or any such warrant or right, or any other security that, for the protection of security holders, is deemed an equity security by the public utilities commission.
(4) "Offeror" means a person that makes, or in any way participates or aids in making, a control bid. "Offeror" includes persons acting jointly or in concert in exercising, or that intend to exercise jointly or in concert, any voting rights attached to the securities for which the control bid is made, but excludes a subject natural gas company in this state that is a public utility under section 4905.02 of the Revised Code or a subject holding company controlling such a company when making a control bid for its own securities.
(B) No offeror shall make a control bid for a natural gas company in this state that is a public utility under section 4905.02 of the Revised Code, or a holding company controlling such a company, without the offeror filing the control bid with the public utilities commission, in such form and pursuant to such procedures as the commission prescribes. Not later than three days after the date of the filing, the commission shall fix a time for a hearing and shall notify the offeror and the subject natural gas company or subject holding company. The exclusive purpose of the hearing shall be to determine whether acceptance of the control bid will promote public convenience in this state and result in the provision of adequate natural gas service in this state by the natural gas company at a reasonable rate, rental, toll, or charge. Not later than twenty days after the date of the filing or not later than such later date as is agreed to by both the offeror and the subject natural gas company or subject holding company, the commission shall issue a report of its findings and make the report available to the general public.
(C) With respect to a control bid to which division (B) of this section applies, the filing required by that division shall be made at the time of making the control bid in the case of a control bid initiated on or after the effective date of this section, and shall be made not later than five days after the effective date of this section in the case of a pending control bid initiated prior to the effective date of this section.
(D) The commission shall adopt rules to carry out this section, including rules identifying any additional securities that it deems equity securities under division (A)(3) of this section and rules prescribing the form and procedures pertaining to a filing under division (B) of this section.
(E) The authority conferred by this section is in addition to any authority of the commission under this chapter with respect to a natural gas company that is a public utility under section 4905.02 of the Revised Code or a holding company controlling such a company.
(F) This section does not apply to acquisitions that, prior to July 15, 1999, had received the approval of the board of directors of the subject natural gas company or subject holding company, or the approval of a majority of that company's shareholders.
4905.41 Proceedings to obtain authority.
Such other facts and information pertinent to the inquiry as the commission requires.
(7) Such other facts and information pertinent to the inquiry as the commission requires.
This section and section 4905.40 of the Revised Code do not apply to union depot companies organized and under contract prior to June 30, 1911, until the same are completed.
This section does not apply to a telephone company.
4905.42 Hearings on issuance of stocks, bonds, and notes.
To determine whether it should issue the order referred to in section 4905.40 of the Revised Code, the public utilities commission shall hold such hearings, make such inquiries or investigations, and examine such witnesses, books, papers, documents, and contracts as it deems proper.
An order issued under this section shall fix the amount, character, and terms of any issue of stocks, bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness, and the purposes to which the issue or any proceeds of it shall be applied, shall recite that the money, property, consideration, or labor procured or to be procured or paid for by such issue was or is reasonably required for the purposes specified in the order, and shall recite the value of any property, consideration, or service, as found by the commission, for which in whole or in part such issue is proposed to be made.
No public utility or railroad shall, without the consent of the commission, apply any such issue or its proceeds to any purpose not specified in the order. Such public utilities or railroads may issue notes for proper corporate purposes, payable at periods of not more than twelve months, without the consent of the commission, but no such notes shall, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, be refunded by any issue of stocks or bonds, or by any evidence of indebtedness, running for more than twelve months, without the consent of the commission.
All stocks, bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness issued by any public utility or railroad without the permission of the commission are void. No interstate railroad or public utility shall be required to apply to the commission for authority to issue stocks, bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness for the acquisition of property, the construction, completion, extension, or improvement of its facilities, or the improvement or maintenance of its service outside this state, or for authority for the discharge or refunding of obligations issued or incurred for such purposes or the reimbursement of moneys actually expended for such purposes outside this state.
No pipe-line companywhen engaged in the business of transporting oil through pipes or tubing, either wholly or partly within this state, shall be required to apply to the commission for authority to issue stocks, bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness for the purpose of acquiring or paying for stocks, bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness of any other corporation organized under the laws of this state, any other state, the District of Columbia, the United States, any territory of the United States, any foreign country, or otherwise.
No company that is both a pipe-line company engaged as such in the business of transporting natural gas through pipes or tubing in interstate commerce, wholly or partly within this state, and a natural gas company engaged as such in this state solely in the business of supplying natural gas to gas companies or to natural gas companies shall be required to apply to the commission for authority to issue stocks, bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness.
4905.43 Public utility in possession of receiver exempted.
Where a public utility or railroad was, on June 30, 1911, in the possession of one or more receivers or its property was under foreclosure, and a reorganization of such public utility or railroad was pending, any new company organized after such date to acquire such property or any part of it, is exempt from Chapters 4901., 4903., 4905., 4907., 4909., 4921., 4923., and 4925. of the Revised Code with respect to the issue of bonds, stocks, and evidences of debt, but the total debts, obligations, and securities of such new or reorganized company exclusive of bonds, obligations, stocks, and other securities that may be issued or authorized for additional capital shall not exceed the debts, obligations, stocks, and other securities of the existing company. After its organization and the issue of such bonds, obligations, stocks, and other securities such chapters do apply to such new or reorganized company.
4905.45 Indorsement of public utility or railroad securities.
Public utility or railroad corporations may, incident to the sale or pledge of bonds, notes, or other securities owned by them, jointly or severally indorse such securities and guarantee due payment of them, in any case in which such indorsement and guarantee is authorized by the public utilities commission or the interstate commerce commission.
This section does not apply to telephone companies.
4905.46 Restrictions on dividend or distribution.
No public utility or railroad shall declare any stock, bond, or scrip dividend or distribution, or divide the proceeds of the sale of any stock, bond, or scrip among its stockholders, unless it is authorized to do so by the public utilities commission.
The public utilities commission shall not authorize the capitalization of any franchise or right to own, operate, or enjoy any franchise in excess of the amount, exclusive of any tax or annual charge, actually paid to any political subdivision of the state or county as the consideration for the grant of such franchise or right, nor shall the capital stock of a public utility or railroad corporation formed by the merger or consolidation of two or more corporations exceed the sum of the capital stock of the corporations consolidated or merged, at the par value of such stock, and such sum or any additional sum actually paid in cash. No contract for consolidation or lease shall be capitalized in the stock of any public utility or railroad corporation, and no such corporation shall issue any bonds against or as a lien upon any contract for consolidation or merger. The aggregate amount of the debt of such consolidated companies by reason of such consolidation shall not be increased.
4905.48 Transactions between public utilities.
(A) Any two or more public utilities furnishing a like service or product and doing business in the same municipal corporation or locality within this state, or any two or more public utilities whose lines intersect or parallel each other within this state, may enter into contracts with each other that will enable them to operate their lines or plants in connection with each other.
(B) Any public utility may purchase or lease the property, plant, or business of any other such public utility.
(C) Any such public utility may sell or lease its property or business to any other such public utility.
(D) Any such public utility may purchase the stock of any other such public utility. To obtain the consent and approval of the commission for such authority, a petition, joint or otherwise, signed and verified by the president and the secretary of the respective companies, clearly setting forth the object and purposes desired, and stating whether or not it is for the purchase, sale, lease, or making of contracts, or for any other purpose provided in this section, and also the terms and conditions of the same, shall be filed with the commission. If the commission deems it necessary, it shall, upon the filing of such petition, fix a time and place for a hearing. If, after such hearing or in case no hearing is required, the commission is satisfied that the prayer of such petition should be granted and the public will thereby be furnished adequate service for a reasonable and just rate, rental, toll, or charge, it shall make such order as it deems proper and the circumstances require, and thereupon the things provided for in such order may be done.
4905.481 Purchase of municipal water-works or sewage disposal system company.
With the consent and approval of the public utilities commission, a large water-works or sewage disposal system company may purchase the property, plant, or business of any municipal water-works or sewage disposal system company, as those companies are defined in section 4909.051 of the Revised Code. A petition filed under this section may also seek approval of a certificate of public convenience and necessity and the approval of an original cost valuation under section 4909.052 of the Revised Code.
To obtain the consent and approval of the commission for such authority, a petition, signed and verified by the president of the large water-works or sewage disposal system company, clearly setting forth the object and purposes desired, and the terms and conditions of the same, shall be filed with the commission. If the commission deems it necessary, it shall, upon the filing of such petition, fix a time and place for a hearing.
The commission shall approve any petition filed with the commission under this section related to an acquisition described in section 4909.052 of the Revised Code, including a petition seeking the approval of a certificate of public convenience and necessity, provided that a large water-works or sewage disposal system company pursuant to section 4909.051 of the Revised Code sufficiently demonstrates, and the commission finds, that such petition is just and reasonable. A petition filed under this section shall be deemed approved if the commission fails to issue a final order not later than two hundred seventy days after the date the initial petition is filed, unless the commission suspends review of the petition for good cause shown.
Added by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 422, §1, eff. 4/5/2019.
4905.49 Acquisition of water-works or sewage disposal system; rate division.
(A) As used in this section and section 4905.491 of the Revised Code, "rate division" means a separate tariff of a water-works or sewage disposal system company for one or more geographic customer areas.
(B) A water-works or sewage disposal system company acquiring a municipal water-works or sewage disposal system company as described in section 4909.052 of the Revised Code shall recommend whether the geographic area of the customers of the company being acquired shall be integrated into an existing rate division of the acquiring company or given a new rate division. If the recommendation is for integration into an existing rate division, the acquiring company shall recommend how the area is to be integrated.
(C) The recommendations made under division (B) of this section shall be mutually agreed upon by the two companies.
4905.491 Contents of order of approval.
(B) The rate division under which the geographic area of the customers of the company being acquired shall be served.
4905.50 [Repealed] Power to form continuous line.
4905.51 Use of equipment over street by other public utility.
Every public utility having any equipment on, over, or under any street or highway shall, subject to section 4951.04 of the Revised Code, for a reasonable compensation, permit the use of such equipment by any other public utility whenever the public utilities commission determines, as provided in section 4905.51 of the Revised Code, that public convenience, welfare, and necessity require such use or joint use, and that such use or joint use will not result in irreparable injury to the owner or other users of such equipment or any substantial detriment to the service to be rendered by such owners or other users.
In case of failure to agree upon such use or joint use, or upon the conditions or compensation for such use or joint use, any public utility may apply to the commission, and if after investigation the commission ascertains that the public convenience, welfare, and necessity require such use or joint use and that it would not result in irreparable injury to the owner or other users of such property or equipment or in any substantial detriment to the service to be rendered by such owner or other users, the commission shall direct that such use or joint use be permitted and prescribe reasonable conditions and compensation for such joint use.
Such use or joint use so ordered shall be permitted and such conditions and compensation so prescribed shall be the lawful conditions and compensation to be observed, followed, and paid, subject to recourse to the courts by any interested party as provided in Chapters 4901., 4903., 4905., 4907., 4909., 4921., 4923., and 4927. of the Revised Code. The commission may revoke or revise any such order.
4905.52 Refusal to answer questions in examination.
No officer, agent, or employee of a railroad company shall refuse to answer a question propounded to the officer, agent, or employee by a public utilities commissioner in the course of an examination authorized by Chapters 4901., 4903., 4905., 4907., 4909., 4921., 4923., and 4927. of the Revised Code. The property of the railroad company of which such person is an officer, agent, or employee, is liable to be taken in execution to satisfy the fines and costs in case of a violation of this section.
Every public utility or railroad and every officer of a public utility or railroad shall comply with every order, direction, and requirement of the public utilities commission made under authority of this chapter and Chapters 4901., 4903., 4907., and 4909. of the Revised Code, so long as they remain in force. Except as otherwise specifically provided in section 4905.95 of the Revised Code, the public utilities commission may assess a forfeiture of not more than ten thousand dollars for each violation or failure against a public utility or railroad that violates a provision of those chapters or that after due notice fails to comply with an order, direction, or requirement of the commission that was officially promulgated. Each day's continuance of the violation or failure is a separate offense. All forfeitures collected under this section shall be credited to the general revenue fund.
4905.55 Liability for act of agent.
The act, omission, or failure of any officer, agent, or other person, acting for or employed by a public utility or railroad, while acting within the scope of his employment, is the act or failure of the public utility or railroad.
No officer, agent, or employee in an official capacity of a public utility or railroad shall knowingly violate sections 4905.01 to 4905.07, inclusive, 4905.14 to 4905.19, inclusive, 4905.22 to 4905.51, inclusive, 4905.54 to 4905.57, inclusive, or 4905.60 to 4905.63, inclusive, of the Revised Code, or willfully fail to comply with any lawful order or direction of the public utilities commission made with respect to any public utility or railroad. Each day's continuance of such failure is a separate offense.
4905.57 Actions to recover forfeitures.
Except as otherwise specifically provided in sections 4905.96 and 4923.99 of the Revised Code, actions to recover forfeitures provided for in this chapter and Chapters 4901., 4903., 4907., 4909., and 4923. of the Revised Code shall be prosecuted in the name of the state and may be brought in the court of common pleas of any county in which the public utility , railroad, or motor carrier is located. Such actions shall be commenced and prosecuted by the attorney general when the attorney general is directed to do so by the public utilities commission. Moneys recovered by such actions shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the general revenue fund.
All prosecutions against a railroad or an officer, agent, or employee thereof, under Chapters 4901., 4903., 4905., 4907., and 4909. and other sections of the Revised Code for penalties involving imprisonment shall be by indictment.
4905.59 Action for forfeiture by prosecuting attorney.
If the public utilities commission, the officer requested by it, or a village solicitor or city director of law, when the cause of action arises in a municipal corporation, fails to prosecute a civil action for forfeiture against a railroad or an officer, agent, or employee thereof as provided by law, the prosecuting attorney of the county in which a cause of action for forfeiture arises, upon the request of any taxpayer of the county, shall bring such action if the prosecuting attorney is furnished with evidence that in the prosecuting attorney's judgment will sustain it. If the action fails, the costs of the action shall be adjudged against the county.
If a cause of action for forfeiture arises within a municipal corporation, and the commission, the officer requested by it, or the prosecuting attorney, fails to prosecute such action, the village solicitor or city director of law of the municipal corporation, when required by resolution of the legislative authority, shall institute the action and prosecute it to final judgment. If the action fails, the cost of the action shall be adjudged against the municipal corporation. The time for notice of appeal and giving a bond does not apply to cases within the meaning of this section.
4905.60 Writ of mandamus - injunction.
Whenever the public utilities commission is of the opinion that any public utility or railroad has failed or is about to fail to obey any order made with respect to it, or is permitting anything or about to permit anything contrary to or in violation of law, or of an order of the commission, authorized under Chapters 4901., 4903., 4905., 4907., 4909., 4921., 4923., and 4925. of the Revised Code, the attorney general, upon the request of the commission, shall commence and prosecute such action, or proceeding in mandamus, by injunction, or by other appropriate civil remedies in the name of the state, as is directed by the commission against such public utility or railroad, alleging the violation complained of and praying for proper relief. In such a case the court may make such order as is proper in the premises.
If any public utility or railroad does, or causes to be done, any act or thing prohibited by Chapters 4901., 4903., 4905., 4907., 4909., 4921., 4923., and 4927. of the Revised Code, or declared to be unlawful, or omits to do any act or thing required by the provisions of those chapters, or by order of the public utilities commission, the public utility or railroad is liable to the person, firm, or corporation injured thereby in treble the amount of damages sustained in consequence of the violation, failure, or omission. Any recovery under this section does not affect a recovery by the state for any penalty provided for in the chapters. This section does not apply to a telephone company.
No franchise, permit, license, or right to own, operate, manage, or control any public utility which is an electric light company, gas company, water-works company, sewage disposal system company, or heating and cooling company shall be granted or transferred to any corporation not incorporated under the laws of this state.
4905.63 Company formed to acquire property or transact business subject to certain laws.
A company formed to acquire property or to transact business that would be subject to Chapters 4901., 4903., 4905., 4907., 4909., 4921., 4923., and 4927. of the Revised Code, and a company owning or possessing franchises for any of the purposes contemplated in those chapters, are subject to those chapters' provisions, although no property has been acquired, no business has been transacted, or no franchises have been exercised by the company.
4905.64 Forfeiture shall be cumulative.
All forfeitures under Chapters 4901., 4903., 4905., 4907., 4909., 4921., 4923., and 4925. of the Revised Code are cumulative, and a suit for and recovery of one does not bar the recovery of any other.
4905.65 Local regulation restricting construction, location, or use of public utility facility.
(1) "Public utility" means any electric light company, as the same is defined in sections 4905.02 and 4905.03 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Public utility facility" means any electric line having a voltage of twenty-two thousand or more volts used or to be used by an electric light company and supporting structures, fixtures, and appurtenances connected to, used in direct connection with, or necessary for the operation or safety of such electric lines.
(3) "Local regulation" means any legislative or administrative action of a political subdivision of this state, or of an agency of a political subdivision of this state, having the effect of restricting or prohibiting the use of an existing public utility facility or facilities or the proposed location, construction, or use of a planned public utility facility or facilities.
(3) Does not unreasonably affect the welfare of the general public. Nothing in this section prohibits a political subdivision from exercising any power which it may have to require, under reasonable regulations not inconsistent with this section, a permit for any construction or location of a public utility facility proposed by a public utility in such political subdivision.
The public utilities commission shall initiate programs that will promote and encourage conservation of energy and a reduction in the growth rate of energy consumption, promote economic efficiencies, and take into account long-run incremental costs. Notwithstanding sections 4905.31, 4905.33, 4905.35, and 4909.151 of the Revised Code, the commission shall examine and issue written findings on the declining block rate structure, lifeline rates, long-run incremental pricing, peak load and off-peak pricing, time of day and seasonal pricing, interruptible load pricing, and single rate pricing where rates do not vary because of classification of customers or amount of usage. The commission, by a rule adopted no later than October 1, 1977, and effective and applicable no later than November 1, 1977, shall require each electric light company to offer to such of their residential customers whose residences are primarily heated by electricity the option of their usage being metered by a demand or load meter. Under the rule, a customer who selects such option may be required by the company, where no such meter is already installed, to pay for such meter and its installation. The rule shall require each company to bill such of its customers who select such option for those kilowatt hours in excess of a prescribed number of kilowatt hours per kilowatt of billing demand, at a rate per kilowatt hour that reflects the lower cost of providing service during off-peak periods.
4905.71 Filing tariffs for charges for attachment to pole or conduit use of equipment.
(A) Every telephone or electric light company that is a public utility as defined by section 4905.02 of the Revised Code and, subject to section 4927.15 of the Revised Code, every incumbent local exchange carrier as defined by section 4927.01 of the Revised Code shall permit, upon reasonable terms and conditions and the payment of reasonable charges, the attachment of any wire, cable, facility, or apparatus to its poles, pedestals, or placement of same in conduit duct space, by any person or entity other than a public utility that is authorized and has obtained, under law, any necessary public or private authorization and permission to construct and maintain the attachment, so long as the attachment does not interfere, obstruct, or delay the service and operation of the company or carrier, or create a hazard to safety. Every such company or carrier shall file tariffs with the public utilities commission containing the charges, terms, and conditions established for such use.
(B) The commission shall regulate the justness and reasonableness of the charges, terms, and conditions contained in any such tariff, and may, upon complaint of any persons in which it appears that reasonable grounds for complaint are stated, or upon its own initiative, investigate such charges, terms, and conditions and conduct a hearing to establish just and reasonable charges, terms, and conditions, and to resolve any controversy that may arise among the parties as to such attachment.
4905.72 Changes in provider of natural gas service or public telecommunications service to consumer.
(1) "Natural gas service" means the sale of natural gas, exclusive of any distribution or ancillary service.
(2) "Public telecommunications service" means the transmission by a telephone company, by electromagnetic or other means, of signs, signals, writings, images, sounds, messages, or data originating in this state regardless of actual call routing, but does not include a system, including its construction, maintenance, or operation, for the provision of telecommunications service, or any portion of such service, by any entity for the sole and exclusive use of that entity, its parent, a subsidiary, or an affiliated entity, and not for resale, directly or indirectly; the provision of terminal equipment used to originate telecommunications service; broadcast transmission by radio, television, or satellite broadcast stations regulated by the federal government; or cable television service.
(1) No public utility shall request or submit, or cause to be requested or submitted, a change in the provider of natural gas service or public telecommunications service to a consumer in this state, without first obtaining, or causing to be obtained, the verified consent of the consumer in accordance with rules adopted by the public utilities commission pursuant to division (D) of this section.
(2) No public utility shall violate or fail to comply with any provision of a rule adopted by the commission pursuant to division (D) of this section or any provision of an order issued by the commission pursuant to division (B) or (C) of section 4905.73 of the Revised Code.
(1) Division (B) of this section does not apply to the transfer of a customer's natural gas service or public telecommunications service that occurs solely due to the operation of default provisions in the schedule of the public utility filed under section 4905.30 of the Revised Code.
(2) Consistent with the exclusion, under 47 C.F.R. 64.1100(a)(3), of commercial mobile radio service providers from the verification requirements adopted in 47 C.F.R. 64.1100, 64.1150, 64.1160, 64.1170, 64.1180, and 64.1190 by the federal communications commission, division (B) of this section does not apply to a provider of commercial mobile radio service insofar as such provider is engaged in the provision of commercial mobile radio service. However, when that exclusion no longer is in effect, division (B) of this section shall apply to such a provider, and the commission shall adopt rules applicable to such a provider in accordance with division (D) of this section.
(D) The commission shall adopt competitively neutral rules prescribing procedures necessary for verifying the consent of a consumer for purposes of division (B)(1) of this section and any procedures necessary for the filing of a security under division (C)(5) of section 4905.73 of the Revised Code, and may adopt such other competitively neutral rules as the commission considers necessary to carry out this section and section 4905.73 of the Revised Code. With respect to public telecommunications service only, the rules prescribing procedures necessary for verifying consumer consent shall be consistent with the rules of the federal communications commission in 47 C.F.R. 64.1100 and 64.1150.
(A) The public utilities commission, upon complaint by any person or complaint or initiative of the commission, has jurisdiction under section 4905.26 of the Revised Code regarding any violation of division (B) of section 4905.72 of the Revised Code by a public utility.
(4) Require the public utility to make the consumer whole regarding any bonuses or benefits, such as airline mileage or product discounts, to which the consumer is entitled, by restoring bonuses or benefits the consumer lost as a result of the violation or failure to comply and providing bonuses or benefits the consumer would have earned if not for the violation or failure to comply, or by providing something of equal value.
(4) Assess upon the public utility forfeitures of not more than one thousand dollars for each day of each violation or failure to comply. However, if the commission finds that the public utility has engaged or is engaging in a pattern or practice of committing any such violations or failures to comply, the commission may assess upon the public utility forfeitures of not more than five thousand dollars for each day of each violation or failure. Any forfeiture collected pursuant to this division shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the general revenue fund.
(6) Rescind the public utility's authority to provide natural gas service or public telecommunications service within this state.
(D) Proceedings of the commission pursuant to division (B) or (C) of this section are governed by Chapter 4903. of the Revised Code.
(E) The commission may direct the attorney general to commence an action under section 4905.57 or 4905.60 of the Revised Code to enforce an order of the commission issued under division (B) or (C) of this section, including orders assessing forfeitures. Notwithstanding section 4905.57 of the Revised Code, an action authorized under this division may be brought in the court of common pleas of Franklin county or the court of common pleas of any county in which venue is proper under the Rules of Civil Procedure.
(F) The remedy available under section 4905.61 of the Revised Code may be applied to any violation of section 4905.72 of the Revised Code.
(G) The powers, remedies, forfeitures, and penalties provided by this section and section 4905.72 and division (C) of section 4905.99 of the Revised Code are in addition to any other power, remedy, forfeiture, or penalty provided by law.
4905.74 Persistent practice or pattern of violative conduct.
No public utility shall knowingly engage in a persistent practice or pattern of conduct of violating division (B) of section 4905.72 of the Revised Code.
4905.75 Payments to agent not considered past due.
If a customer makes payment on or before the due date of a bill to an agent designated or authorized by the public utility to accept payment, the payment shall not be considered past due regardless of whether or not it is received in the company offices by the due date.
4905.79 Tax credits for costs of service to aid communicatively impaired.
Any telephone company, as defined in section 5727.01 of the Revised Code, or, as authorized by the public utilities commission, any affiliate of such a company, that provides any telephone service program implemented after March 27, 1991, to aid the communicatively impaired in accessing the telephone network shall be allowed a tax credit for the costs of any such program under section 5733.56 of the Revised Code. Relative to any such program, the commission, in accordance with its rules, shall allow interested parties to intervene and participate in any proceeding or part of a proceeding brought before the commission pursuant to this section. The commission shall adopt rules it considers necessary to carry out this section.
Effective Date: 12-31-2004; 03-30-2006 .
4905.80 State policy regarding motor carriers.
(E) Cooperate with the federal government and the several states, and the authorized officials thereof, and with any organization of motor carriers in the administration and enforcement of this chapter and Chapters 4901., 4903., 4907., 4909., 4921., and 4923. of the Revised Code.
Added by 129th General AssemblyFile No.127, HB 487, §101.01, eff. 6/11/2012.
Repealed by 129th General AssemblyFile No.127, HB 487, §105.01, eff. 6/11/2012.
Renumbered as § 4905.801 by 129th General AssemblyFile No.7, HB 114, §101.01, eff. 6/29/2011.
Added by 128th General Assemblych.7, HB 2, §101.01, eff. 7/1/2009. .
4905.81 Duties of public utilities commission.
(D) Adopt safety rules applicable to the transportation and offering for transportation of hazardous materials in interstate and intrastate commerce by motor carriers. The rules shall not be incompatible with the requirements of the United States department of transportation.
(G) Supervise and regulate motor carriers in all other matters affecting the relationship between those carriers and the public to the exclusion of all local authorities, except as provided in this section. The commission, in the exercise of the jurisdiction conferred upon it by this chapter and Chapters 4901., 4903., 4907., 4909., 4921., and 4923. of the Revised Code, may adopt rules affecting motor carriers, notwithstanding the provisions of any ordinance, resolution, license, or permit enacted, adopted, or granted by any township, municipal corporation, municipal corporation and county, or county. In case of conflict between any such ordinance, resolution, license, or permit, the order or rule of the commission shall prevail. Local subdivisions may adopt reasonable local police rules within their respective boundaries not inconsistent with those chapters and rules adopted under them.
The commission has jurisdiction to receive, hear, and determine as a question of fact, upon complaint of any party or upon its own motion, and upon not less than fifteen days' notice of the time and place of the hearing and the matter to be heard, whether any corporation, company, association, joint-stock association, person, firm, or copartnership, or their lessees, legal or personal representatives, trustees, or receivers or trustees appointed by any court, is engaged as a motor carrier. The finding of the commission on such a question is a final order that may be reviewed as provided in section 4923.15 of the Revised Code.
4905.84 Annual assessment to pay for TRS service.
(1) "Telecommunications relay service" means intrastate transmission services that provide the ability for an individual who has a hearing or speech impairment to engage in a communication by wire or radio with a hearing individual in a manner that is functionally equivalent to the ability of an individual who does not have a hearing or speech impairment to communicate using voice communication services by wire or radio. "Telecommunications relay service" includes services that enable two-way communication between an individual who uses a telecommunications device for the deaf or other nonvoice terminal device and an individual who does not use such a device.
(2) "TRS provider" means an entity selected by the public utilities commission as the provider of telecommunications relay service for this state as part of the commission's intrastate telecommunications relay service program certified pursuant to federal law.
(B) For the sole purpose of funding telecommunications relay service, the commission shall, not earlier than January 1, 2009, impose on and collect from each service provider that is required under federal law to provide its customers access to telecommunications relay service an annual assessment to pay for costs incurred by the TRS provider for providing such service in Ohio. The commission shall determine the appropriate service providers to be assessed the telecommunications relay service costs, including telephone companies as defined in division (A) of section 4905.03 of the Revised Code, commercial mobile radio service providers, and providers of advanced services or internet protocol-enabled services that are competitive with or functionally equivalent to basic local exchange service as defined in section 4927.01 of the Revised Code.
(C) The assessment shall be allocated proportionately among the appropriate service providers using a competitively neutral formula established by the commission based on the number of retail intrastate customer access lines or their equivalent. The commission shall annually reconcile the funds collected with the actual costs of providing telecommunications relay service when it issues the assessment and shall either proportionately charge the service providers for any amounts not sufficient to cover the actual costs or proportionately credit amounts collected in excess of the actual costs. The total amount assessed from all service providers shall not exceed the total telecommunications relay service costs.
Each service provider that pays the assessment shall be permitted to recover the cost of the assessment. The method of recovery may include, but is not limited to, a customer billing surcharge.
The commission shall deposit the money collected in the telecommunications relay service fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury, and shall use the money in that fund solely to compensate the TRS provider.
(D) The commission shall take such measures as it considers necessary to protect the confidentiality of information provided to the commission pursuant to this section by service providers required to pay the assessment.
(E) The commission may assess a forfeiture of not more than one thousand dollars on any service provider failing to comply with this section. Each day's continuance of such failure is a separate offense. The forfeiture shall be recovered in accordance with sections 4905.55 to 4905.60 of the Revised Code.
(F) The jurisdiction and authority granted to the commission by this section is limited to the administration and enforcement of this section. The commission may adopt such rules as it finds necessary to carry out this section. The commission shall adopt rules under section 111.15 of the Revised Code to establish the assessment amounts and procedures.
4905.86 Sulfur dioxide emission allowances.
At the request of an electric light company, the public utilities commission shall provide information and assistance to the electric light company in obtaining any bonus, extension, or other Phase I sulfur dioxide emission allowance that the company may be eligible to receive from the administrator of the United States environmental protection agency under Title IV of the "Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990," 104 Stat. 2584, 42 U.S.C.A. 7651.
4905.87 Biomass energy program fund.
(A) To the extent funding is available in the biomass energy program fund, the public utilities commission shall maintain a program to promote the development and use of biomass energy.
(B) The biomass energy program fund is hereby created in the state treasury. Money received by the commission for the program maintained under this section shall be credited to the fund, and used for that program.
4905.90 Natural gas pipeline safety standards definitions.
(A) "Contiguous property" includes, but is not limited to, a manufactured home park as defined in section 4781.01 of the Revised Code; a public or publicly subsidized housing project; an apartment complex; a condominium complex; a college or university; an office complex; a shopping center; a hotel; an industrial park; and a race track.
(B) "Gas" means natural gas, flammable gas, or gas which is toxic or corrosive.
(C) "Gathering line" and the "gathering of gas" have the same meaning as in the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act and the rules adopted by the United States department of transportation pursuant to the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act, including 49 C.F.R. part 192, as amended.
(D) "Gas gathering pipeline" means a gathering line that is not regulated under the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act and the rules adopted by the United States department of transportation pursuant to the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act, including 49 C.F.R. part 192, as amended. "Gas gathering pipeline" includes a pipeline used to collect and transport raw natural gas or transmission quality gas to the inlet of a gas processing plant, the inlet of a distribution system, or to a transmission line.
(E) "Gas processing plant" means a plant that processes raw natural gas into merchantable products, including transmission quality gas or natural gas liquids and also may include a plant that treats raw natural gas to remove impurities such as carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen or water.
(F) "Intrastate pipe-line transportation" has the same meaning as in 82 Stat. 720 (1968), 49 U.S.C.A. App. 1671, as amended, but excludes the gathering of gas exempted by the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act.
(G) "MAOP" means the maximum pressure at which a gas gathering pipeline, a processing plant gas stub pipeline, or any segment of such a pipeline may be operated under sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code.
(H) "Master-meter system" means a pipe-line system that distributes gas within a contiguous property for which the system operator purchases gas for resale to consumers, including tenants. Such pipe-line system supplies consumers who purchase the gas directly through a meter, or by paying rent, or by other means. The term includes a master-meter system as defined in 49 C.F.R. 191.3, as amended. The term excludes a pipeline within a manufactured home, mobile home, or a building.
(I) "Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act" means the "Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act of 1968," 82 Stat. 720, 49 U.S.C.A. App. 1671 et seq., as amended.
(c) A master-meter system within this state.
"Operator" does not include an ultimate consumer who owns a service line, as defined in 49 C.F.R. 192.3, as amended, on the real property of that ultimate consumer.
(K) "Operator of a master-meter system" means a person described under division (J)(4)(c) of this section. An operator of a master-meter system is not a public utility under section 4905.02 or a gas or natural gas company under section 4905.03 of the Revised Code.
(2) Any trustee, receiver, assignee, or personal representative of persons defined in division (L)(1) of this section.
(M) "Processing plant gas stub pipeline" means a gas pipeline that transports transmission quality gas from the tailgate of a gas processing plant to the inlet of an interstate or intrastate transmission line and that is considered an extension of the gas processing plant, is not for public use, and is not regulated under the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act and the rules adopted by the United States department of transportation pursuant to the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act, including 49 C.F.R. part 92, as amended.
(N) "Safety audit" means the public utilities commission's audit of the premises, pipe-line facilities, and the records, maps, and other relevant documents of a master-meter system to determine the operator's compliance with sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code and the pipe-line safety code.
(O) "Safety inspection" means any inspection, survey, or testing of a master-meter system which is authorized or required by sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code and the pipe-line safety code. The term includes, but is not limited to, leak surveys, inspection of regulators and critical valves, and monitoring of cathodic protection systems, where applicable.
(P) "Safety-related condition" means any safety-related condition defined in 49 C.F.R. 191.23, as amended.
(R) "Transmission quality gas" means gas consisting predominantly of methane that meets all downstream specifications for transportation in an intrastate or interstate transmission pipeline and that is suitable for use by public consumers.
(S) "Raw natural gas" has the same meaning as in section 4906.01 of the Revised Code.
Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.127, HB 487, §101.01, eff. 6/11/2012 and 9/10/2012.
(1) Adopt, and may amend or rescind, rules to carry out sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code, including rules concerning pipe-line safety, drug testing, and enforcement procedures. The commission shall adopt these rules only after notice and opportunity for public comment. The rules adopted under this division and any orders issued under sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code constitute the pipe-line safety code. The commission shall administer and enforce that code.
(3) Perform all regulatory and enforcement duties required under sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code.
(5) Accept grants-in-aid, cash, and reimbursements provided for or made available to this state by the federal government to carry out the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act or to enforce sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code and the pipe-line safety code. All such grants-in-aid, cash, and reimbursements shall be deposited to the credit of the gas pipe-line safety fund, which is hereby created in the state treasury, to be used by the commission for the purpose of carrying out this section.
(b) Diminish the sole and exclusive authority of the commission under section 4905.04 of the Revised Code.
(C) With the exception of gas gathering pipelines and processing plant gas stub pipelines, the commission's regulation of gathering lines shall conform to the regulation of gathering lines in 49 C.F.R. 192 and 199, as amended, and the commission's annual certification agreements with the United States department of transportation, except that rule 4901:1-16-03, paragraph (D) of rule 4901:1-16-05, and rule 4901:1-16-06 of the Ohio Administrative Code shall also apply to gathering lines. The procedural rules under chapter 4901:1-16 of the Ohio Administrative Code shall also apply to operators of gathering lines that are not gathering pipelines or processing plant gas stub pipelines.
4905.911 Compliance with federal design requirements.
(ii) A processing plant gas stub pipeline.
(viii) Retain a record of each required leakage survey conducted under division (A)(1)(b)(vii) of this section and 49 C.F.R. 192.706 for five years or until the next leakage survey is completed, whichever time period is longer.
(2) The commission may, at its discretion and in accordance with subsection (d) of 49 U.S.C. 60118, waive compliance with a pipe design requirement of 49 C.F.R. 192 subpart C.
(f) The yield strength of the pipeline.
The form shall be filed with the division not later than twenty-one days prior to the commencement of construction of the pipeline.
(2) Not later than sixty days after the completion of construction of a pipeline subject to division (B)(1) of this section, the operator of the pipeline shall file with the public utilities commission division of pipeline safety an explanation of the constructed pipeline's route and operating information.
(1) "Horizontal well" has the same meaning as in section 1509.01 of the Revised Code.
(2) "Operator" means any person that owns, operates, manages, controls, or leases a gas gathering pipeline or a processing plant gas stub pipeline.
Added by 129th General AssemblyFile No.125, SB 315, §101.01, eff. 9/10/2012.
4905.92 Assessments against operators - pipe-line safety fund.
(A) In addition to the assessment required by section 4905.10 of the Revised Code, the public utilities commission shall assess against all operators an amount equal to the appropriation in each fiscal year from the pipe-line safety fund. The assessment against each operator shall be based on the total Mcfs of gas it supplied or delivered in this state during the calendar year next preceding the assessment. The commission shall not assess against any operator an amount exceeding five one-hundredths of one cent multiplied by such total Mcfs of gas it supplied or delivered, except that, if the commission determines that an assessment so computed will amount to seventy-five dollars or less, the commission shall assess the operator seventy-five dollars.
(B) For the purpose of computing the assessment under division (A) of this section, each operator designated by the commission shall notify the commission, no later than ninety days after the end of the calendar year next preceding the assessment, of the total Mcfs of gas it supplied or delivered in this state during that calendar year.
(C) On or before the first day of October in each year, the commission shall notify each operator of the amount assessed against it under this section. No later than thirty days after the date the notice is given, the operator shall pay the assessment to the commission.
(D) There is hereby created in the state treasury the pipe-line safety fund into which shall be deposited all assessments paid under this section. Money in the fund shall be for the exclusive use of the commission for the administration and enforcement of sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code and the pipe-line safety code. Any such assessments paid into the pipe-line safety fund, but not expended by the commission, shall be credited ratably, after first deducting any deficits accumulated from prior years, by the commission to operators that pay more than the minimum assessment, according to the respective portions of the sums assessable against them for the ensuing calendar year. The assessments for that calendar year shall be reduced correspondingly.
(A) Comply with sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code and the pipe-line safety code. For the purpose of that compliance, the act or omission of any officer, employee, or agent of an operator, while acting within the scope of his duties or employment, is deemed the act or omission of the operator.
(C) Permit officers, employees, and agents of the commission to enter and inspect the operator's premises, and its intrastate pipe-line transportation; and inspect, examine, and copy its books, papers, records, contracts, and other relevant documents, as the commission requires to administer and enforce sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code and the pipe-line safety code.
4905.94 Operator of master-meter system.
(A) To the extent known to the commission, the commission shall notify an operator of a master-meter system that the operator is subject to sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code, the pipe-line safety code, safety inspections, and safety audits.
(h) Any other information the commission requires to administer and enforce sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code and the pipe-line safety code.
(2) If any annual report received by the commission pursuant to this division is defective or erroneous, the commission may require the operator to amend the report within a prescribed time. Any such amendments shall be filed with the commission.
(1) The commission may direct or order the natural gas company distributing gas to a master-meter system to perform a safety inspection when the public interest so requires, when an operator of a master-meter system has violated or failed to comply with division (B) of this section or has failed to conduct any safety inspection required by sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code and the pipe-line safety code, or upon request of the operator of the master-meter system. When the commission directs or orders a safety inspection under this division, it shall so notify the natural gas company in writing and send a copy of the notice to the operator of the master-meter system.
(2) The operator of a master-meter system shall permit employees and agents of a natural gas company to perform a safety inspection pursuant to division (C)(1) of this section and to review the operator's maps and records. The natural gas company shall report the findings of the safety inspection to the commission within thirty days after the inspection.
(D) The commission shall permit a natural gas company to recover all reasonable, actual expenses incurred in connection with its activities pursuant to this section, including, but not limited to, expenses incurred in performing safety inspections and in disconnecting and reconnecting service. If the company cannot recover such expenses within ninety days after directly billing the operator of the master-meter system, the commission shall permit the company to recover such expenses from all of its customers pursuant to a schedule of rates and charges. Upon its own initiative or upon application of the company, the commission may adjust the schedule to allow recovery of such expenses. The schedule and application shall be reviewed without adherence to section 4909.18 or 4909.19 of the Revised Code.
(E) A natural gas company and its respective officers, directors, employees, and agents are not liable in damages in a civil action for injuries, death, or loss to persons or property arising from their participation in or acts or omissions in connection with developing, adopting, or approving a plan for safety inspections for, performing a safety inspection of, or terminating or restoring service to a master-meter system under this section, except where such participation or acts or omissions constitute reckless, willful, or wanton misconduct.
(F) The commission shall conduct safety audits to verify any finding contained in any report of a safety inspection, investigate any complaint to determine compliance with sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code and the pipe-line safety code, ensure compliance with those sections and the pipe-line safety code, or review or verify corrective action for any violation or noncompliance with those sections or the pipe-line safety code that was committed by an operator of a master-meter system.
(G) The commission by rule shall establish standards for determining unsafe conditions, gas leaks, or other safety hazards that require termination of service pursuant to division (H)(1) of this section. The standards shall incorporate, but not be limited to, the guidelines on gas leaks of the gas piping technology committee's guide for gas transmission and distribution systems.
(b) That the operator of the master-meter system has not taken immediate and sufficient corrective action. A natural gas company that so terminates service shall provide the operator of the master-meter system or its agent with personal notice, or with written notice on the premises if the operator or agent is not found on the premises, and shall post written notice in common areas, multi-unit buildings, or other conspicuous locations on the premises.
(d) The commission has found the operator has violated or failed to comply with sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code or the pipe-line safety code.
(b) The company's notice and disconnection procedures comply with sections 4933.12 and 4933.122 of the Revised Code and the commission's rules for disconnecting service to master-metered premises.
(I) Nothing in this section relieves an operator of a master-meter system from complying with sections 4905.90 to 4905.96 of the Revised Code and the pipe-line safety code.
4905.95 Notices, hearings and orders of commission.
(1) The public utilities commission, regarding any proceeding under this section, shall provide reasonable notice and the opportunity for a hearing in accordance with rules adopted under section 4901.13 of the Revised Code.
(2) Sections 4903.02 to 4903.082, 4903.09 to 4903.16, and 4903.20 to 4903.23 of the Revised Code apply to all proceedings and orders of the commission under this section and to all operators subject to those proceedings and orders.
(vi) Such other matters as justice may require.
All forfeitures collected under this division or section 4905.96 of the Revised Code shall be deposited in the state treasury to the credit of the general revenue fund.
(c) May direct the attorney general to seek the remedies provided in section 4905.96 of the Revised Code.
(a) Shall require the operator of the facility to take corrective action to remove the hazard. Such corrective action may include suspended or restricted use of the facility, physical inspection, testing, repair, replacement, or other action.
(b) May direct the attorney general to seek the remedies provided in section 4905.96 of the Revised Code.
(C) If, pursuant to a proceeding it specially initiates or to any other proceeding, the commission finds that an emergency exists due to a condition on an intrastate pipe-line transportation facility posing a clear and immediate danger to life or health or threatening a significant loss of property and requiring immediate corrective action to protect the public safety, the commission may issue, without notice or prior hearing, an order reciting its finding and may direct the attorney general to seek the remedies provided in section 4905.96 of the Revised Code. The order shall remain in effect for not more than forty days after the date of its issuance. The order shall provide for a hearing as soon as possible, but not later than thirty days after the date of its issuance. After the hearing the commission shall continue, revoke, or modify the order and may make findings under and seek appropriate remedies as provided in division (B) of this section.
4905.96 Civil action against operator.
(A) Upon the written request of or order by the public utilities commission, the attorney general shall bring a civil action against an operator in the name of the state to enforce orders of the commission issued under section 4905.95 of the Revised Code, including orders assessing forfeitures under division (B)(1) of that section, and for other appropriate relief, including a temporary restraining order or a preliminary or permanent injunction. The action may be brought in the court of common pleas of Franklin county, the court of common pleas of any county in which venue is proper under the Rules of Civil Procedure, or the appropriate United States district court pursuant to 82 Stat. 720 (1968), 49 U.S.C.A. App. 1686. The action has precedence over all other civil actions in common pleas court.
(B) The attorney general shall file a certified copy of the order of the commission or decision of the supreme court affirming or modifying that order when the civil action to enforce that order or decision is brought in the court of common pleas. The order or decision is a mandate to the court of common pleas for execution of the order or decision. The issue of an operator's compliance with the order or decision shall be heard in a hearing before the court of common pleas.
(A) Whoever violates section 4905.52 of the Revised Code shall be fined not less than fifty nor more than five hundred dollars.
(B) Whoever violates section 4905.56 of the Revised Code is guilty of a felony of the fifth degree.
(C) Whoever violates section 4905.74 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.

References: §1
 §101
 §2
 §1
 §1
 §1
 §1
 §1
 §101
 §105
 § 4905
 §101
 §101
 §101
 §101