Source: http://regulations.delaware.gov/register/october2007/calendar/11%20DE%20Reg%20522%2010-01-07-11.htm
Timestamp: 2017-12-14 06:24:14
Document Index: 378627997

Matched Legal Cases: ['§1406', '§4416', '§203', '§ 203', '§ 203', '§203', '§203', '§203', '§2', '§ 10', '§9', '§11', '§ 3', '§ 12', '§203', '§ 203', '§203', '§7', '§203', '§203', '§3', '§10118', '§209', '§10113', '§1133', '§10115', '§502', '§10116', '§102', '§114', '§351', '§362', '§362', '§ 353', '§ 354', '§ 4', '§ 352', '§ 3', '§ 352', '§ 3']

The Delaware Board of Electrical Examiners, in accordance with 29 Del.C. Chapter 101 and 24 Del.C. §1406(a)(1), has proposed amendments to its Regulation 7.0 Expiration and Renewal. Specifically, the amendments to Regulation 7.0 would require licensees to provide the name of their insurer and their policy number when they attest to maintenance of their required liability insurance during the renewal process. The amendments would also require licensees to provide course names and approval numbers when they attest to completion of their required continuing education during the renewal process. Minor grammatical, typographic, or stylistic changes may also be included.
The public hearing for the proposed regulatory changes was originally scheduled for September 5, 2007 at 8:30 a.m. but has been rescheduled and will be held on November 7, 2007 at 8:30 a.m. in the second floor Conference Room A of the Cannon Building, 861 Silver Lake Boulevard, Dover, DE 19904. Members of the public may offer verbal comments on the proposal at the hearing. Written comments should be submitted to the Board care of Dianna Meade at the above address. Written comments may be submitted until the public hearing begins. Anyone wishing to obtain a copy of the proposed changes or to make comments at the public hearing should contact Dianna Meade at (302) 744-4526.
The Delaware Manufactured Home Installation Board, in accordance with 24 Del.C. §4416(b)(1) has proposed revisions to Regulation 5.0 of its rules and regulations. The proposed revisions address the requirements for re-taking the examination once an applicant for licensure as a manufactured home installer has failed the examination at least twice.
A public hearing on the proposed revisions to the rules and regulations, originally scheduled for Monday, September 10, 2007, will be held on Monday, October 22, 2007, at 9:15 a.m. in Conference Room B, on the second floor of the Cannon Building, 861 Silver Lake Boulevard, Dover, Delaware where members of the public can offer comments. Anyone wishing to receive a copy of the proposed rules and regulations may obtain a copy from the Delaware Manufactured Home Installation Board, 861 Silver Lake Blvd, Cannon Building, Suite 203, Dover DE 19904. Persons wishing to submit written comments may forward these to the Board at the above address. The final date to receive written comments will be at the public hearing.
1. In 2000, this Commission regained the authority to issue Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity ("CPCN") to authorize entities to enter the water utility business or to allow existing water utilities to expand their operations and facilities into new service territories. See 26 Del.C. §203C (2006 Supp.) ("§ 203C"). The Commission thereafter promulgated rules to chart how the Commission would navigate this water utility CPCN regime. See "Regulations Governing Water Utilities Including the Public Service Commission's Jurisdiction to Grant and Revoke Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity" (adopted by PSC Order No. 5730 (June 5, 2001) ("2001 Rules")).
2. Earlier this year, the Commission published notice that it proposed to repeal the 2001 rules in favor of a new set of rules mapping the regime surrounding CPCNs for water utilities. See PSC Order No. 7142 (Mar. 20, 2007) (proposing new rules to supercede 2001 Rules); 10 DE Reg. 1563-1580 (April 1, 2007) (formally noticing repeal and proposed new CPCN rules). However, during the course of the proceedings before the Hearing Examiner reviewing these new rules, the Governor and General Assembly amended the provisions of § 203C. See 76 Del. Laws ch. 55 (June 28, 2007) ("chap. 55"). In the main, the amendments reworked the listed criteria for awarding a CPCN under §203C. In particular, the amendment now obligates a utility to obtain petitions asking for water services executed by all of the landowners of each parcel to be included in a new service territory. An exception exists for "existing" subdivisions or developments, and "unincorporated communities." In such situations, the 2007 amendments permit a CPCN to be granted based on petitions for service signed by the landowners of a majority of the parcels within the development or community. In addition, the amendments also direct that, in the case of a CPCN premised on a resolution or ordinance enacted by a county or municipality, the service territory so authorized cannot extend beyond the political boundaries of the county or municipality entering the ordinance. Finally, in addition to making some other "technical" changes, the amendments require a municipal water authority to obtain the endorsement of the municipalities that formed it prior to seeking a CPCN to provide its water services beyond those municipalities' borders.
3. In light of the statutory amendments, the Hearing Examiner - at Staff's suggestion - suspended further proceedings on the previously proposed new rules. The Commission now withdraws the proposed rule changes proposed by Order No. 7142. The recent legislative changes render some of those earlier provisions in need of further changes.
5. The Commission proposes to repeal the 2001 Rules and adopt the revised set of rules pursuant to the authority granted by 26 Del.C. §203C(c) and 209(a). The revised rules entitled "Regulations Governing Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity for Water Utilities," will supercede (and hence repeal) the 2001 Rules. They will, as did the 2001 Rules, apply to Commission-jurisdictional water utilities. Moreover, they will also govern in those instances when a governmental, municipal, or municipal authority water utility must also seek a CPCN from the Commission in order to expand its operations and facilities.
6. In many aspects, the new rules track the form and content of the 2001 Rules. However, terms and provisions have now been added to conform to the new statutory criteria, and limitations, enacted in the 2007 amendments to §203C. See proposed rules §§2.1 (definitions of "existing development," "existing subdivision," and "unincorporated community);" 3.9-3.11 (new criteria for CPCN); 3.12 (criteria for CPCN to municipal authority for extra-municipal service area). In addition, this new set of proposed rules includes provisions that respond to various administrative and practical issues that Staff has identified as surfacing since the adoption of the 2001 rules. For example, the new rules provide forms of notice to be sent to landowners to explain the application and the landowners' statutory right to "opt-out." See proposed rules §§ 10.2, 10.3. In a similar vein, the new rules impose particular mailing requirements related to the delivery of notices to landowners. Proposed rules §§9.2-9.6. These mailing directives seek to ensure that the owners have actual notice that their property will be affected by the CPCN application. The new rules also impose an obligation on water utilities to retain, for five years, materials related to each application for a Certificate. This retention obligation will help to make sure that the appropriate documents are available if later disputes might arise about a particular Certificate. Proposed rules §11.6.
7. In several instances, the proposed new rules go beyond administrative detail. First, the proposed new rules require the applying non-governmental water utility to certify that it will actually provide water services to, or have water system facilities available, the proposed service area within three years. Proposed rules § 3.13. And if such certification fails to come true, the new rules then provide a mechanism for the Commission to determine whether the utility should be able to retain the CPCN in order to provide water services to the area. Proposed rules §§ 12.1-12.6. Staff has proposed these provisions. According to Staff, this process for certifying to actual service dovetails with the heart of the CPCN process: to authorize a water utility to "extend[] or expand[] . . . its business or operations." See 26 Del.C. §203C(a) (2006 Supp.) (emphasis added). In addition, as Staff sees it, the goal of the certification - to ensure that services follow the CPCN - is consistent with the text of § 203C, which conditions the grant of a CPCN for an area on either the developer signing a "service agreement," the landowners "requesting water service," or a governmental body "request[ing], direct[ing], or authoriz[ing] the applicant to provide water utility services." (all emphasis added.) In each of the instances, the statutory text speaks of the Certificate being a vehicle for meeting an articulated desire to have water "service" in the service area, not a device for the utility to accumulate parcels in order to form a large, exclusive "franchise" area.
8. Second, and also reflective of the statutory focus on "service" territory, the proposed new rules require that a service territory sought on the basis of 26 Del.C. §203C(e)(1)b. be comprised of either a single parcel or multiple contiguous parcels to be served by a common system or main extension. Proposed rules §7.4. The Commission believes that this linkage of parcels within a service territory will foster efficient service territories.
9. The Commission now proposes to adopt the new water utility CPCN Rules attached as Exhibit "B." It solicits comments on any of the proposed provisions, including those adding bureaucratic details or the new regulatory section related to the certification of "actual service" to the service territory. While not limiting the scope of any comments, the Commission also seeks input from water utilities and others on the following issues:
(a) Is the three-year period for providing service in a new service area reasonable in light of water utilities' actual historical experiences?;
(b) Should the new rules more explicitly define "existing development", "existing subdivision," and "unincorporated community;"? and
(c) Do the provisions of 26 Del.C. §203C(e)(1)c. preclude a water utility from utilizing the provisions of 26 Del.C. §203C(e)(1)b. to obtain a CPCN to serve one or more parcels in an existing development, existing subdivision, or an unincorporated community?
If a water utility believes the three-year period proposed for in the actual service certification provision (proposed rules §§3.13 & 12.0) is unreasonable, the utility should provide an appropriate time frame to be utilized in that process. It should provide supporting data from its own experience to support its proffered time frame.
1. That, for the reasons set forth in the body of this Order, and pursuant to 29 Del.C. §10118(a), the Commission hereby withdraws the notice of repeal and rule revisions proposed by PSC Order No. 7142 (Mar. 20, 2007), and published as proposed regulations at 10 Delaware Register of Regulations 1563-1580 (April 1, 2007). The Commission requests that the Registrar of Regulations publish notice of such withdrawal in the Delaware Register of Regulations.
2. That for the reasons set forth in the body of this Order, and pursuant to 26 Del.C. §§209(a)(1) & 203C(c) and 29 Del.C. §10113(a), the Commission now again proposes to repeal its "Regulations Governing Water Utilities Including the Public Service Commission's Jurisdiction to Grant and Revoke Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity (adopted by PSC Order No. 5730 (June 5, 2001)), and to adopt as a replacement for such earlier rules the "Regulations Governing Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity for Water Utilities," attached to this Order as Exhibit "B."
3. That, pursuant to 29 Del.C. §§1133 and 10115(a), the Secretary shall transmit to the Registrar of Regulations for publication in the Delaware Register of Regulations a copy of this Order; a copy of the current "Regulations Governing Water Utilities Including the Public Service Commission's Jurisdiction to Grant and Revoke Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity" (Exhibit "A") (now proposed to be repealed); and a copy of the now proposed "Regulations Governing Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity for Water Utilities" (Exhibit "B").
4. That, in addition, the Secretary shall transmit the Notice of Proposed Rule-Making, attached as Exhibit "C," to the Registrar of Regulations for publication in the Delaware Register of Regulations. In addition, the Secretary shall cause such Notice of Proposed Rule-Making to be published in The News Journal and the Delaware State News newspapers on October 1, 2007. The Secretary shall include proof of such publication in the docket file before the public hearing in this matter. Further, the Secretary shall serve (by regular mail or electronic e-mail) a copy of such Notice on: (a) the Division of the Public Advocate; (b) the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control; (c) the State Fire Marshal; (d) the Division of Public Health; (e) the State Planning Office; and (f) each person or entity who has made a timely request for advance notice of regulation-making proceedings; (g) each water utility currently subject to the regulatory jurisdiction of the Commission; and (h) each municipal water utility, governmental water district, or municipal water and sewer authority that has previously applied for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from this Commission.
5. That, pursuant to 29 Del.C. §§10115(a) and 10116, persons or entities may file written comments, suggestions, compilations of data, briefs, or other written materials, on or before November 1, 2007. The Commission will conduct a public hearing on the proposed new regulations on November 19, 2007 beginning at 10:00 AM. The comments, documents, briefs, and data received in response to the revised rules proposed by PSC Order No. 7142 (Mar. 20, 2007) (and now withdrawn) shall be incorporated into the record in this proceeding and shall be considered by the Hearing Examiner and Commission.
6. That, pursuant to 26 Del.C. §502 and 29 Del.C. §10116, Hearing Examiner Ruth Ann Price is designated to supervise the comment period and to conduct the public hearing. Thereafter, Hearing Examiner Price shall organize, classify, and summarize the materials and comments and file a Report with her recommendations concerning the adoption of the new regulations. Hearing Examiner Price is specifically designated, under 26 Del.C. §102A, the power to determine the content and manner of any further public notice that might be necessary or appropriate. Hearing Examiner Price may also conduct further proceedings, including additional hearings, as may be necessary or appropriate.
8. That, pursuant to 26 Del.C. §114, all jurisdictional water utilities are notified that they may be charged the costs of this proceeding.
Rules To Implement The Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Act
1. In 2005 the General Assembly and the Governor enacted the "Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Act," 26 Del.C. §§351-363 (2006 Supp.) ("the Act"). As its name suggests, the Act requires each electric supplier to annually accumulate a portfolio of "renewable energy credits" equivalent to a specified percentage of its retail electric supply sales within this State. The obligation begins in 2007 and the particular percentages increase each year. In 2006, exercising the authority granted under 26 Del.C. §362 (2006 Supp.), the Commission promulgated "Rules and Procedures to Implement the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard" ("RPS Rules"). See PSC Order No. 6931 (June 6, 2006).1
3. The Commission continues to hold the authority to issue rules to implement the Act. See 26 Del.C. §362 (2006 Supp.). As noted, the proposed revisions are intended to mirror the recent changes in the statutory requirements. For example, the revisions incorporate the new "Schedule I" that increases the percentages of retail sales that electric suppliers must meet with renewable energy credits. Section 3.2.1.2 The proposed revisions also implement the new requirement that electric suppliers also concurrently acquire, as part of their yearly portfolio obligation, specified levels of "solar renewable energy credits." Section 3.2.1.3 In addition, the proposed revisions provide for the statutory increases to the dollar amounts of "alternative compliance payments" for renewable credits and institute a new solar alternative compliance payment regime to be available as an alternative to solar renewable energy credits. Section 3.3.4.4
1 The RPS Rules (attached as Exhibit "A") were formally published at 10 DE Reg. 151-157 (July 1, 2006). Municipal electric utilities and the now self-regulated Delaware Electric Cooperative, Inc., can choose to be exempt from the Act's requirements by pursuing an alternative regime for supporting "renewable energy" resources. See 26 Del.C. §§ 353(a), 363 (2006 Supp.).
2 See 26 Del.C. § 354(a), as amended by chapter 165 § 4(b).
3 See 26 Del.C. §§ 352(22)-(23), 354(a), 356(a), as amended by chapter 165 §§ 3, 4(a)-(b), & 6.
4 See 26 Del.C. §§ 352(22), 358(d), 358(e), as amended by chapter 165 §§ 3, 7, & 8.