Opinion ID: 2632596
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Adequacy of the Order

Text: [¶ 40] PacifiCorp argues that the Order is not supported by adequate findings of fact and conclusions of law. This Court has consistently held that an administrative order must contain all the information necessary for this Court to know why the administrative body concluded as it did. See, e.g., Himes v. Petro Engineering & Const., 2003 WY 5, ¶ 19, 61 P.3d 393, ¶ 19 (Wyo.2003); Mekss v. Wyoming Girls' School, State of Wyo., 813 P.2d 185, 201-02 (Wyo.1991); FMC v. Lane, 773 P.2d 163, 166-67 (Wyo.1989). [¶ 41] PacifiCorp's specific argument on this point is that, in one paragraph, the Commission adopts financial adjustments proposed by certain appellees that brought the dollar amount of the proposed surcharge for the excess power costs PacifiCorp was seeking down to zero. The Commission, however, specifically determined that this was an alternative finding supporting denial of the surcharge. The paragraph objected to by PacifiCorp could therefore be eliminated in its entirety without affecting the outcome of this appeal. As such, we have no need to discuss the issue. [¶ 42] PacifiCorp also argues that the Order generally does not adequately explain why its proposed surcharges were denied. Our review of the Order, however, does not support PacifiCorp's general contention. The Order is over 103 pages long, containing over 327 paragraphs separated into sections dealing individually with each of the three elements of PacifiCorp's requested rate increase plus other considerations. Upon reading the Order, this Court finds that it is fully informed of the findings of fact and the conclusions of law made by the Commission. We have had no difficulty in analyzing the Commission's decisions in the face of PacifiCorp's challenges. The Order is sufficient to allow this Court to confidently decide that the Commission did not adopt any new practices or precedents as argued by PacifiCorp. The Order adequately reveals the basic facts found by the Commission, and explains the statutory and traditional ratemaking principles the Commission applied to those basic facts in determining that the surcharges proposed by PacifiCorp were not just and reasonable.