Opinion ID: 1902608
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: findings and order of the commission

Text: BY THE COMMISSION: This proceeding was instituted by the filing of new schedules of retail electric rates by Alabama Power Company (the Company) on December 20, 1978, with an effective date of January 19, 1979, with a request that the effective date be accelerated to December 29, 1978. The Commission, on January 9, 1979, suspended the operation of the proposed rates through July 19, 1979, the maximum time allowed under law. In its filing letter with this Commission, the Company requested an emergency rate increase. This request for an emergency rate increase was renewed by its filing of January 8, 1979. On January 26, 1979, the Commission issued a Notice of Public Hearing in this docket related to the Company's request that the filed rate schedules be allowed to go into effect on an emergency basis during the period of suspension. The Commission's notice recognized that the Company had filed direct testimony and exhibits in support of its request for an emergency rate increase. The notice set hearings on the emergency aspects of this case on February 14, 1979. Hearings on the request for an emergency rate increase commenced on February 14, and continued through February 16, 1979. The proceeding was recessed and resumed on February 20 and continued through February 22, 1979, at which time the hearing on the Company's emergency rate increase application was concluded. By order issued March 6, 1979, the Commission granted a partial emergency rate increase to the Company by increasing each individual component of the filed rate schedules by 9½%. During the proceeding, including the emergency hearings thereof, the Commission received numerous petitions to intervene. Written petitions to intervene were received from: The Attorney General of the State of Alabama, pursuant to the provisions of Section 37-1-16 of the Code of Alabama 1975 (the Code); Elizabeth Jordan, Bessie Prince, R. C. Gary and Lillian Bilbro, represented by Legal Services Corporation of Alabama, Inc.; the Alabama Black Caucus on Aging; the Alabama League of Aging Citizens, Inc.; John Paul Ripp; General Service Administration; Candice J. Muehlbauer; Alabama Utilities Consumer Association, Inc.; Retired Iron and Steel Workers Union; R. S. Crowder; Airco, Inc., Alabama Metallurgical Corp., Ciba-Geigy Corporation, Courtaulds North America, Inc., Diamond Shamrock Corporation, Ideal Basic Industries, Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Monsanto Company, Ohio Ferro-Alloys, Olin Corporation, Stauffer Chemical Company, Uniroyal, Inc., and Union Carbide Corporation (collectively the Industrial Group). The above petitions for intervention were allowed for the purpose of this phase of the proceeding and all petitioners for intervention were allowed to participate in the proceedings which lead to this order. The proceedings related to the Company's request for a permanent rate increase were long and arduous. Hearings on the permanent rate increase request commenced on April 16, 1979. Cross-examination of the Company's witnesses was conducted during the periods April 16-20 and April 24-26. Cross-examination of the intervenors' direct testimony was conducted during the periods May 21-25, June 11-15 and June 18-20. The Company's rebuttal testimony was cross-examined on June 21-22 and June 25-26. During the course of this protracted proceeding, an extensive record has been developed with over 120 exhibits, many with multiple pages. The transcript consists of several thousand pages. Twenty-one different witnesses appeared before the Commission and were cross-examined. Many of these witnesses were experts in financial, economic, accounting and rate making fields. The Commission also heard numerous statements from the public during the course of the hearings. After several sessions of the hearings on the permanent rate increase request, the Commission issued its order of May 21, 1979, following a motion by the Industrial Group argued by the parties on the record. This order provided that this docket would be held open after action on the Company's rate filing in order to give the appropriate public notice and the proper consideration needed for determinations under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, 16 U.S.C. 2601, et seq., (PURPA). The public notice respecting consideration of the rate design standards under Section 111 of PURPA was issued on June 27, 1979, along with notice of a rulemaking proceeding (APSC Docket No. 17752) concerning other PURPA standards.