Opinion ID: 1176318
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Failure to Perform an Independent Study

Text: First, petitioners contend that EFSC erred in failing to perform an independent study of TWCA's waste. In its order, EFSC wrote: TWCA commissioned Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories (Battelle) to conduct a study of the proposed site. Under ORS 469.360 [EFSC] has authority to cause an independent study of the proposed site. Such study was requested by [petitioners] early in these proceedings. [EFSC] previously determined that such study would be conducted only if an independent audit of Battelle's study showed the study to be biased or not conducted in accordance with current scientific methods. The auditor's report concludes that the Battelle study was conducted in accordance with current scientific methods and that it is not biased. [EFSC] agrees with this conclusion and declines to order an independent study. Petitioners argue that EFSC should not have relied upon an auditor and that, even if it was proper for EFSC to do so, the auditor found inadequacies in Battelle's study and did not review portions of Battelle's work. ORS 469.360(1) provides that EFSC, as part of its evaluation of a proposed facility,  may commission an independent study of any aspect of the proposed facility. (Emphasis added.) This provision gives EFSC the authority to commission an independent study (as well as the authority to make the applicant fund the study) but does not require an independent study. ORS 469.470(1) provides that EFSC  shall    [c]onduct and prepare, independently or in cooperation with others, studies, investigations, research and programs relating to all aspects of site selection. (Emphasis added.) This provision is mandatory, but whether it relates to a specific site certificate application or to more general investigations of appropriate sites is not clear. Compare ORS 469.470(2) (designation of suitable and unsuitable sites for various types of energy facilities) with ORS 469.360(1) (providing for investigations of specific site applications). It is also not clear that an auditor's study does not qualify as an independent study. In any event, the provision by its own terms does not mandate an independent investigation of TWCA's site by EFSC itself. As for the auditor's study, EFSC must judge the adequacy of Battelle's investigation. In this case, the auditor did generally approve of Battelle's investigation, but a conclusion by the auditor to the contrary would not necessarily have required EFSC to conclude that Battelle's investigation was inadequate. EFSC did not act unlawfully in refusing petitioners' requests to order an independent study. See ORS 183.482(8)(b).