Court Opinion

ID: 9769333
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 14:46:11.470771+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:31:00.822551
License: Public Domain

Ed. F. McFaddin, Associate Justice (Concurring). I agree with the Majority that the judgment should be affirmed; but on some points I have arrived at my conclusion by a method of reasoning which is different from that contained in the Majority Opinion; and therefore I concur in the result. It is unnecessary for me to list the various points of concurrence, but I do mention one. It is Topic Two (f) in the Majority Opinion, which is captioned: “The Order of the Commission Denying Motion of the City of El Dorado and Approving Escalator Clauses and Increases Thereunder Without Notice or Hearing is Arbitrary, Unlawful and Not Supported by any Evidence.” This point is urged by the City of El Dorado; and is a challenge, not only on the legality of escalator clauses, but on the procedure that the Arkansas Public Service Commission has employed in allowing escalator clauses to take effect. Escalator clauses are legal; but I am firmly of the opinion that the Commission should not allow any escalator clause to go into effect in any case without first giving notice to all interested parties; and I think this Court should now definitely so hold. It was shown that without notice the gas rates had been increased by escalator clauses; and I think such procedure was wrong; but the question becomes moot in the case at bar because the increases by escalation were in 1958, 1959, and 1960; and, in the hearing from which comes this appeal, all of these escalation increases were considered; and it was found that the rate allowed by the escalation clauses had not exceeded the allowable rate. All interested parties and municipalities were heard in the present case, and the rate now in effect, even by such escalation clauses, was found to be less than the allowable rate; so the effect of the previous escalation increases in 1958, 1959, and 1960, is really moot.