Opinion ID: 726753
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Actual Supervision

Text: 55 To qualify for state-action immunity, SoCalGas must show not only a clearly articulated state policy but also the active supervision of that policy by the state. For the period before July 1993, SoCalGas has sufficiently demonstrated such supervision. In January 1992, the CPUC approved a detailed application from SoCalGas to spend over $10 million in ratepayer funds on NGV programs over two years. 43 C.P.U.C.2d at 113. The application had been modified by a settlement agreement between SoCalGas and the Division of Ratepayer Advocates, and the commission modified it further. Id. at 105, 109. Although that approval was ex parte, public hearings had been held on the identical policy issues raised by PG & E's similar application. 40 C.P.U.C.2d at 724. In addition, an ALJ had considered briefs from several parties on the proposed application and settlement agreement. Most importantly, SoCalGas's application proposed to install up to 51 refueling stations to serve SoCalGas and customer NGVs, 43 C.P.U.C.2d at 111, and the commission's approval of the application authorized SoCalGas to charge the costs of its proposed projects to its ratepayers, id. at 113. Thus, the CPUC expressly approved the conduct challenged by Cal CNG--the use of ratepayer funds by SoCalGas to provide NGV fueling stations to customers at a price below the cost of the stations--between January 1992 and July 1993. We therefore affirm the district court's dismissal to the extent that it applies to claims for actions by SoCalGas before July 1993.