HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 59
(By Delegates Shott, Frazier, Perry, Porter, Shaver,
McGeehan, Sumner, Louisos, Williams, Beach and Phillips)
Requesting the Legislature establish a Joint Legislative Committee
on Public Service Commission Accountability and Effectiveness
for the purpose of studying the accountability and
effectiveness of the Public Service Commission, and proposing
legislation consistent with the committee's findings.
W
HEREAS
, Rising utility costs continue to consume a greater
portion of the incomes of West Virginians and act as an impediment
to economic development; and
W
HEREAS
, The Public Service Commission was created not only to
regulate and ensure the availability of public utilities, but also
to protect the interest of the using and consuming public; and
W
HEREAS
, The Legislature seeks to address concerns that
sufficient accountability does not currently exist to ensure that
the Public Service Commission is adequately protecting those
interests; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That a Joint Legislative Study Committee on Public Service
Commission Accountability and Effectiveness be created for the purposes of studying the issue of the accountability and
effectiveness of the Public Service Commission, and the feasibility
of creating legislation consistent with the committee's findings;
and proposing legislation to achieve this goal; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Legislative Committee on
Public Service Commission Accountability and Effectiveness examine
the following issues in relation to the Public Service Commission:
(1) The process of applying for and receiving rate
modifications, including the feasibility of authorizing the
commission to unilaterally decrease rates when an investigation
concludes that consumers are being overcharged;
(2) A description of all revisions to policies or practices,
or both, of the commission intended to ensure that utilities adopt
and utilize best management practices in their respective
operations;
(3) A description of any current practices or policies, or
both intended to minimize the amount of any possible over-recovery
from rate payers paying interim rates while a rate case is pending;
(4) An analysis of the method by which machinery, equipment,
fixtures and infrastructure is depreciated following the
acquisition by a subsequent owner, and whether such method is
consistent with the purposes for which depreciation is allowed;
(5) An analysis comparing the current utility rates in each of the twenty-eight border counties with the comparable rates for the
non-West Virginia counties which share a common boundary with each;
(6) Whether an economic impact analysis should be required
with respect to applications for substantial rate increases; and
(7) Whether the consumer advocate's actions in principal and
effect have remained consistent with the original intent, and if
not, how to correct such problems; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the study committee shall consider such
other information or documentation as the committee may request in
order to achieve the goals of this resolution.