I first heard about the PATH Transmission project in the summer of 2008. It was a horrible, unneeded idea that eventually met its fate, shelved in 2011 and cancelled for good in 2012. Many considered that the end of the PATH project.
But it wasn't. A formal complaint about PATH's rates had been filed at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in January, 2011. I chose to stick with that complaint, even when PATH was no longer a threat. It's been a lot of work over the past nine years, coming in fits and starts.
We prevailed on our complaint, and PATH was ordered in 2017 to refund more than seven million dollars, plus interest and undue return it had collected for its extensive public relations campaign and lobbying carried out for the purpose of influencing the decisions of public officials considering the project's applications. The correct precedent was set, and utilities under FERC's rate setting jurisdiction may no longer collect these kinds of costs from ratepayers.
Done!
But, not really. Several more orders were issued since then, correcting PATH's refund filings. Even though ratepayers officially paid off all the PATH debt in 2017, PATH has still managed to collect several million dollars a year from ratepayers while it bumbled its way through the FERC Orders and made required compliance filings. I continued to keep an eye on what was transpiring. Sometimes the kids get out of control if they don't have a babysitter.
The twice-yearly rate filing phone meetings and data requests continued. And how much fun were those? Not much fun at all. I'm seriously over it. Twelve years after PATH began collecting its costs through rate filings at FERC, it's time to put this thing to bed. For good! We've all got other things to do.
So, is it January again? It seems like a lot of the PATH things happen at FERC in January. New year, out with the old. Yesterday, FERC issued its agenda for its January, 2020, public meeting. PATH is on it. All of the open PATH matters are on it. They'll be settled one way or the other next Thursday.
Nobody knows what to expect until the order is issued. But the fact that it ended up, once again, on a monthly meeting agenda indicates that the Commission sees some value in making this order more visible. The Commission issues orders every day, but only a handful are significant enough to end up on the monthly agenda, delivered before an audience in Hearing Room 1.
I can't wait! No matter what happens, I'm am truly thrilled to put PATH behind me, for good!
FERC gets a lot of rancor from the public and the industries it regulates. But, in this instance, FERC has done an outstanding job sorting through everything and meting out justice. The FERC employees I interacted with during this case have been fair, considerate, and dedicated. I had a great experience at FERC. I have faith that FERC works for for the citizens it serves.
Twelve years... the lingering life of a transmission proposal that was concocted in haste... and repented at leisure. The ratepayer gravy train will now finally grind to a halt.
But it wasn't. A formal complaint about PATH's rates had been filed at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in January, 2011. I chose to stick with that complaint, even when PATH was no longer a threat. It's been a lot of work over the past nine years, coming in fits and starts.
We prevailed on our complaint, and PATH was ordered in 2017 to refund more than seven million dollars, plus interest and undue return it had collected for its extensive public relations campaign and lobbying carried out for the purpose of influencing the decisions of public officials considering the project's applications. The correct precedent was set, and utilities under FERC's rate setting jurisdiction may no longer collect these kinds of costs from ratepayers.
Done!
But, not really. Several more orders were issued since then, correcting PATH's refund filings. Even though ratepayers officially paid off all the PATH debt in 2017, PATH has still managed to collect several million dollars a year from ratepayers while it bumbled its way through the FERC Orders and made required compliance filings. I continued to keep an eye on what was transpiring. Sometimes the kids get out of control if they don't have a babysitter.
The twice-yearly rate filing phone meetings and data requests continued. And how much fun were those? Not much fun at all. I'm seriously over it. Twelve years after PATH began collecting its costs through rate filings at FERC, it's time to put this thing to bed. For good! We've all got other things to do.
So, is it January again? It seems like a lot of the PATH things happen at FERC in January. New year, out with the old. Yesterday, FERC issued its agenda for its January, 2020, public meeting. PATH is on it. All of the open PATH matters are on it. They'll be settled one way or the other next Thursday.
Nobody knows what to expect until the order is issued. But the fact that it ended up, once again, on a monthly meeting agenda indicates that the Commission sees some value in making this order more visible. The Commission issues orders every day, but only a handful are significant enough to end up on the monthly agenda, delivered before an audience in Hearing Room 1.
I can't wait! No matter what happens, I'm am truly thrilled to put PATH behind me, for good!
FERC gets a lot of rancor from the public and the industries it regulates. But, in this instance, FERC has done an outstanding job sorting through everything and meting out justice. The FERC employees I interacted with during this case have been fair, considerate, and dedicated. I had a great experience at FERC. I have faith that FERC works for for the citizens it serves.
Twelve years... the lingering life of a transmission proposal that was concocted in haste... and repented at leisure. The ratepayer gravy train will now finally grind to a halt.
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