Opinion ID: 2040616
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Delay in Filing of Petition Following Public Informational Hearing.

Text: We next consider petitioner's contention that he was prejudiced by the fact that DPC's petition was not filed with the commission until more than two years after the informational public hearing was held. The record reflects that an informational public hearing on the proposed project was held on June 13, 1979. Section 478.2 makes such an informational public hearing a condition precedent to the filing of a petition for a franchise. The petition for the franchise involved in the present controversy was not filed until July 9, 1981. The applicable statutes do not provide a time limit following the public hearing within which a petition for franchise must be filed. The only statutory provision regarding time for filing is that the petition may not be filed sooner than thirty days after the public hearing. See Iowa Code § 478.2. Petitioner urges that any useful purpose attributable to the required informational hearing would have been completely dissipated as a result of the substantial delay in the filing of the petition. He suggests that prejudice has resulted to him as a consequence of such delay by reason of the likelihood that other potential objectors have died, moved away, or lost interest in the project. While those occurrences are certainly possible, it is also possible that new landowners opposed to the project might have moved into the affected area replacing property owners who favored the project. Whether any of these occurrences took place is, on the present record, a matter of conjecture. A challenge to a proposed electric power franchise such as that lodged by petitioner is not a political issue whose chances for success increase in proportion to the number of people who disapprove of the project. There is no reason to assume in the present case that the evidence presented on the controlling issues of public purpose and suitable location for the proposed electrical facility would have differed significantly if there had been additional persons objecting to the granting of the franchise. We find no basis upon which to grant petitioner relief on this ground.