Washington Administrative Code › Title 480 - Utilities and Transportation Commission › Chapter 480-07 - Procedural rules › Part I - GENERAL PROVISIONS › Section 480-07-160 - Confidential and other restricted information

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
Several statutory provisions limit or prevent disclosure of
				  certain information provided to the commission, including provisions exempting
				  specified public records from disclosure or preventing the release of
				  confidential information until affected parties have an opportunity to obtain a
				  court order forbidding the release. The commission will provide special
				  handling of, and restrict access to, information provided to the commission
				  under these statutory provisions. This rule addresses each of these types of
				  restricted information, including how to designate documents as containing
				  exempt information, confidential information, or highly confidential
				  information. Chapter 480-04 WAC governs the commission's specific process for
				  responding to requests for public records that seek restricted information. WAC
				  480-07-420
				  governs access to, and exchange of, restricted information by parties in
				  commission adjudicative proceedings.
(1)
Designated official.
The
				commission's secretary is the designated official responsible for the
				commission's compliance with the Public Records Act, chapter 42.56 RCW, and for
				the implementation of this rule. The secretary may designate one or more
				persons to serve as public records officer to assist in the implementation and
				application of this rule.
(2)
Definitions.
(a)
Document
means any writing as the legislature has defined that
				term in the Public Records Act, chapter 42.56 RCW.
(b)
Confidential information
means valuable commercial information, including trade secrets or confidential
				marketing, cost, or financial information, or customer-specific usage and
				network configuration and design information, as provided in
				RCW
				80.04.095 and
				81.77.210.
(c)
Exempt information
means
				information protected from inspection or copying under an exemption from
				disclosure under chapter 42.56 RCW or any other provisions of law providing an
				exemption from public disclosure.
(d)
Highly confidential
				information
means confidential information subject to heightened
				protection pursuant to a commission-issued protective order with provisions
				governing such information.
(e)
Provider
means any person who submits information to the
				commission or commission staff under a claim that disclosure of the information
				is restricted pursuant to this rule; provided that for purposes of complying
				with subsection (5) of this section, "provider" does not include individuals
				who provide their own financial or personally identifiable information to the
				commission.
(f)
Redacted
				version
means the version of a document submitted to the commission
				with restricted information masked.
(g)
Requester
means any
				person who submits a request for public records under the Public Records Act,
				chapter 42.56 RCW.
(h)
Restricted information
means exempt, confidential, or highly
				confidential information.
(i)
Unredacted version
means the version of a document submitted
				to the commission with all information unmasked and visible.