Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 810 - Public Utilities Commission › Chapter 00 - General Administration › Subchapter 00 - N/A › Part 1 - Rules of Practice and Procedure › Section 810-RICR-00-00-1.3 - The Commission

Current through June 14, 2024
A. Description and
				 Organization. The Public Utilities Commission is an impartial, independent,
				 governmental body having the powers of a court of record, and charged under the
				 General Laws of the State of Rhode Island with responsibility for implementing
				 and enforcing standards of conduct under R.I. Gen. Laws §391-27.6, and
				 holding hearings and conducting investigations "involving the rates, tariffs,
				 tolls and charges and the sufficiency and reasonableness of facilities and
				 accommodations of railroad, gas, electric distribution, water, telephone,
				 telegraph and pipeline public utilities, the location of railroad depots and
				 stations and the control of grade crossings, the revocation, suspension or
				 alteration of certificates issued pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §
										39-19-4,
				 appeals under R.I. Gen. Laws §319-30, petitions under R.I. Gen. Laws
				 §
										39-1-31 and proceedings under R.I. Gen. Laws §
										39-1-32.
B. The Commission consists of three members
				 appointed by the Governor to six-year terms with the advice and consent of the
				 Senate. Additional information on the Commission and its members can be found
				 on the Commission's World Wide Web site,
http://www.ripuc.org
.
C. Offices. The principal office of the
				 Commission is at Providence, Rhode Island. All communications to the Commission
				 shall be addressed to the Clerk, Public Utilities Commission, 89 Jefferson
				 Boulevard, Warwick, RI 02888, unless otherwise specifically directed.
D. Hours. The offices of the Commission will
				 be open to accept filings Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
				 unless otherwise provided.
E.
				 Quorum. Except as otherwise permitted by law, two (2) Commissioners shall
				 constitute a quorum for the transaction of any business.
F. Action by Members. To the extent permitted
				 by law, the Commission may conduct any inquiry, investigation, hearing or other
				 process necessary to its duties and functions.
G. Meetings and Hearings. Meetings of the
				 Commission may be held at any time or place at the request of any member after
				 reasonable notice to the other members, and shall be held at such times and
				 places as in the judgment of the Commission will best serve the convenience of
				 all parties.
H. Public Information.
1. Access to public records shall be granted
				 in accordance with the Access to Public Records Act, R.I. Gen. Laws §
											38-2-1
et seq
. Except where the Commission directs otherwise,
				 all pleadings, orders, communications, exhibits and other documents shall
				 become matters of public record as of the day and time of their filing. Any
				 claim of privilege shall be governed by the policy underlying the Access to
				 Public Records Act, with the burden of proof resting on the party claiming the
				 privilege.
2. Any party submitting
				 documents to the Commission may request a preliminary finding that some or all
				 of the information is exempt from the mandatory public disclosure requirements
				 of the Access to Public Records Act. A preliminary finding that some documents
				 are privileged shall not preclude the Commission's release of those documents
				 pursuant to a public request in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws §
											38-2-1
et seq
.
3. Claims
				 of privilege are made by filing a written request with the Commission. One copy
				 of the original document, boldly indicating on the front page, "Contains
				 Privileged Information - Do Not Release", shall be filed with a specific
				 indication of the information for which the privilege is sought, as well as a
				 description of the grounds upon which the party claims privilege. Nine
				 additional copies in which the privileged information is redacted shall be
				 filed with the Clerk. If a document is filed electronically, it shall contain a
				 statement that information has been redacted; however, the original document
				 must be filed as delineated above.
4. The Clerk shall place documents for which
				 privilege is sought in a secure, non-public file until the Commission
				 determines whether to grant the request for privileged treatment.
5. Any person, whether or not a party, may
				 apply to the Commission for release of the information, pursuant to the Access
				 to Public Records Act.
6. Public
				 records may be examined at the offices of the Commission from 8:45 a.m. to 3:45
				 p.m. on regular business days. No officially filed document shall be taken out
				 of the offices except by the direction of the Commission Clerk. Requests for
				 information may be addressed to the Public Utilities Commission, 89 Jefferson
				 Boulevard, Warwick, Rhode Island 02888. A charge of $0.15 per page for copies
				 and $15.00 per hour after the first half-hour (or whatever rate currently
				 prevails pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws §
											39-2-4), for research and retrieval
				 of documents, shall be assessed. Certain public records may also be posted on
				 the Commission's World Wide Web site.