Title: Miss. Pub. Serv. Com'n v. Mun. Energy Agency
Citation: 463 So. 2d 1056
Docket Number: 55762
State: Mississippi
Issuer: Mississippi Supreme Court
Date: January 23, 1985

463 So. 2d 1056 (1985) MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION, et al. v. MUNICIPAL ENERGY AGENCY OF MISSISSIPPI. No. 55762. Supreme Court of Mississippi. January 23, 1985. *1057 Bennett E. Smith, Jackson, for appellants. David R. Hunt, Sullivan, Hunt, Spell &amp; Henson, Clarksdale, for appellee. En Banc. WALKER, Presiding Justice, for the Court: This is an appeal from the Circuit Court of Leflore County, Mississippi wherein summary judgment was granted upon motion of appellee, Mississippi Energy Agency of Mississippi (hereinafter MEAM). Cross motion of appellant, Mississippi Public Service Commission (hereinafter PSC) for summary judgment was denied. MEAM is a political subdivision of the State of Mississippi organized to supply electric power and energy to the cities of Canton, Clarksdale, Durant, Greenwood, Itta Bena, Kosciusko, Leland and Yazoo City. MEAM was created as a joint agency pursuant to section 9(1) Chapter 363, Mississippi Law 1978. Mississippi Code Annotated section 77-5-713 (Supp. 1984) of that Act made provision for application for licenses, permits, certificates or approvals. That section further stated in part: In Mississippi Code Annotated section 77-5-725(r) (Supp. 1984) under "Rights and powers of joint agencies", it is provided: The question presented on this appeal is whether or not the Municipal Energy Agency of Mississippi (MEAM) must obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Mississippi Public Service Commission for the purpose of construction of electric generating facilities. In 1956 the Mississippi Legislature enacted the Public Utilities Act to vest authority in the PSC to regulate certain public utilities. *1058 Mississippi Code Annotated section 77-3-11(1) (1972) of the Act required a certificate of public convenience and necessity be obtained from the commission before the beginning of construction of facilities to generate, transmit, or distribute electric energy. However, Mississippi Code Annotated section 77-3-1 (1972) specifically exempts public utilities owned or operated by a municipality from the provisions of the Act, except as to extension of utilities greater than one mile outside the corporate boundaries. That exemption was carried forward in the Act through the last amendment in 1983. In 1983 there was enacted section 77-3-14 (a new section), which provides: If there were no other statutory provision to consider, it would appear obvious that all generation and transmissions of electricity would come under the authority of the Public Service Commission. The controlling rule of construction dispositive of this case is that each section of the Code dealing with the same or similar subject matter must be read in pari materia and to the extent possible each section of the Code must be given effect so that the legislative intent can be determined. Atwood Chevrolet-Olds, Inc. v. Aberdeen Municipal School District, 431 So. 2d 926 (Miss. 1983); Lamar County School Board of Lamar County v. Saul, 359 So. 2d 350 (Miss. 1978). It is clear that the Legislature created the Public Service Commission for the purpose of overseeing and regulating various public utilities, including the generation and transmission of electricity by the enactment of the original Public Utility Act in 1956 and subsequent amendments thereto. When the original Public Utility Act became law, it contained a provision codified as Mississippi Code Annotated section 77-3-1 (1972) which provides: This section exempts municipalities from the provisions of the Act. At that time the generation of electricity by the joint efforts of several municipalities had not come into being in this State. However, as above outlined, in 1978 the Legislature authorized two or more municipalities to join together for the purpose of owning and operating jointly, among themselves or others, facilities for the generation and transmission of electric power and energy. That Act specifically provided under Mississippi Code Annotated section 77-5-779 (Supp. 1984) the following: *1059 That provision of the joint municipal electric power and energy Act has been carried forward and is still in force and effect. In addition to that section bearing on the subject, the Legislature in 1984 amended section 77-5-725 entitled "Rights and powers of joint agencies" (MEAM) with respect to a matter not related to the issue presented in this opinion, and in doing so, carried forward that part of section 77-5-725(r) which provides: Therefore, applying the governing rules of construction that every statute must be given meaning unless found to be in hopeless conflict with another statute, we are of the opinion that the Act authorizing the creation of the municipal energy agency of Mississippi clearly specifically exempts the agencies created under the Act from obtaining a certificate of public necessity and convenience from the Mississippi Public Service Commission prior to the construction of facilities for the generation or transmission of electricity by such agencies. Therefore, the judgment of the lower court is affirmed. AFFIRMED. PATTERSON, C.J., ROY NOBLE LEE, P.J., and BOWLING, HAWKINS, DAN M. LEE, PRATHER, ROBERTSON and SULLIVAN, JJ., concur.