Sec. 16-2. Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Utility commissioners. Staff.
Sec. 16-18a. Consultants: Retention, expenses, findings and recommendations.
Sec. 16-19ggg. Public electric vehicle charging stations. Parking restrictions.
Sec. 16-2. Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Utility commissioners. Staff. (a) There shall continue to be a Public Utilities Regulatory Authority within the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which shall consist of five electors of this state, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of both houses of the General Assembly. Not more than three members of said authority in office at any one time shall be members of any one political party. The Governor shall appoint five members to the authority. The procedure prescribed in section 4-7 shall apply to such appointments, except that the Governor shall submit each nomination on or before May first, and both houses shall confirm or reject it before adjournment sine die. Any utility commissioner appointed by the Governor and confirmed by both chambers of the General Assembly between February 1, 2019, and June 1, 2019, shall serve a term expiring on March 1, 2024. Any utility commissioner appointed by the Governor and confirmed by both houses of the General Assembly between February 1, 2018, and June 1, 2018, shall serve a term expiring on March 1, 2022. Between July 1, 2019, and May 1, 2020, the Governor shall appoint three utility commissioners, provided one such commissioner shall serve a term expiring on March 1, 2021, and two such commissioners shall serve terms expiring on March 1, 2023. Any utility commissioner appointed on or after May 1, 2020, shall serve a term of four years. The utility commissioners shall be sworn to the faithful performance of their duties.
(b) The authority shall elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson each June for one-year terms starting on July first of the same year. The vice-chairperson shall perform the duties of the chairperson in his or her absence.
(c) Any matter coming before the authority may be assigned by the chairperson to a panel of three or more utility commissioners. Except as otherwise provided by statute or regulation, the panel shall determine whether a public hearing shall be held on the matter, and may designate one or more of its members to conduct such hearing or may assign a hearing officer to ascertain the facts and report thereon to the panel. The decision of the panel, if unanimous, shall be the decision of the authority. If the decision of the panel is not unanimous, the matter shall be approved by a majority vote of the utility commissioners.
(d) The utility commissioners of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall serve full time and shall file a statement of financial interests with the Office of State Ethics in accordance with section 1-83. Each utility commissioner shall receive annually a salary equal to that established for management pay plan salary group seventy-five by the Commissioner of Administrative Services, except that the chairperson shall receive annually a salary equal to that established for management pay plan salary group seventy-seven.
(e) To insure the highest standard of public utility regulation, on and after October 1, 2007, any newly appointed utility commissioner of the authority shall have education or training and three or more years of experience in one or more of the following fields: Economics, engineering, law, accounting, finance, utility regulation, public or government administration, consumer advocacy, business management, and environmental management. On and after July 1, 1997, at least three of these fields shall be represented on the authority by individual utility commissioners at all times. Any time a utility commissioner is newly appointed, at least one of the utility commissioners shall have experience in utility customer advocacy.
(f) (1) The chairperson of the authority, with the approval of the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, shall prescribe the duties of the staff assigned to the authority in order to (A) conduct comprehensive planning with respect to the functions of the authority; (B) cause the administrative organization of the authority to be examined with a view to promoting economy and efficiency; and (C) organize the authority into such divisions, bureaus or other units as necessary for the efficient conduct of the business of the authority and may from time to time make recommendations to the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection regarding staff and resources.
(2) The chairperson of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, in order to implement the comprehensive planning and organizational structure established pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, shall (A) coordinate the activities of the authority and prescribe the duties of the staff assigned to the authority; (B) for any proceeding on a proposed rate amendment in which staff of the authority are to be made a party pursuant to section 16-19j, determine which staff shall appear and participate in the proceedings and which shall serve the members of the authority; (C) enter into such contractual agreements, in accordance with established procedures, as may be necessary for the discharge of the authority's duties; (D) subject to the provisions of section 4-32, and unless otherwise provided by law, receive any money, revenue or services from the federal government, corporations, associations or individuals, including payments from the sale of printed matter or any other material or services; and (E) require the staff of the authority to have expertise in public utility engineering and accounting, finance, economics, computers and rate design.
(g) No utility commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority or employee of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection assigned to work with the authority shall have any interest, financial or otherwise, direct or indirect, or engage in any business, employment, transaction or professional activity, or incur any obligation of any nature, which is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of his or her duties or employment in the public interest and of his or her responsibilities as prescribed in the laws of this state, as defined in section 1-85, concerning any matter within the jurisdiction of the authority; provided, no such substantial conflict shall be deemed to exist solely by virtue of the fact that a utility commissioner of the authority or employee of the department assigned to work with the authority, or any business in which such a person has an interest, receives utility service from one or more Connecticut utilities under the normal rates and conditions of service.
(h) No utility commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority or employee of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection assigned to work with the authority, during such assignment, shall accept other employment which will either impair his or her independence of judgment as to his or her official duties or employment or require him or her, or induce him or her, to disclose confidential information acquired by him or her in the course of and by reason of his or her official duties.
(i) No utility commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority or employee of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection assigned to work with the authority, during such assignment, shall wilfully and knowingly disclose, for pecuniary gain, to any other person, confidential information acquired by him or her in the course of and by reason of his or her official duties or employment or use any such information for the purpose of pecuniary gain.
(j) No utility commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority or employee of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection assigned to work with the authority, during such assignment, shall agree to accept, or be in partnership or association with any person, or a member of a professional corporation or in membership with any union or professional association which partnership, association, professional corporation, union or professional association agrees to accept any employment, fee or other thing of value, or portion thereof, in consideration of his or her appearing, agreeing to appear, or taking any other action on behalf of another person before the authority, the Connecticut Siting Council, the Office of Policy and Management or the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection.
(k) No utility commissioner of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall, for a period of one year following the termination of his or her service as a utility commissioner, accept employment: (1) By a public service company or by any person, firm or corporation engaged in lobbying activities with regard to governmental regulation of public service companies; (2) by a certified telecommunications provider or by any person, firm or corporation engaged in lobbying activities with regard to governmental regulation of persons, firms or corporations so certified; or (3) by an electric supplier or by any person, firm or corporation engaged in lobbying activities with regard to governmental regulation of electric suppliers. No such utility commissioner who is also an attorney shall in any capacity, appear or participate in any matter, or accept any compensation regarding a matter, before the authority, for a period of one year following the termination of his or her service as a utility commissioner.
(l) The chairperson of the authority shall assign authority staff to fulfill the duties of procurement manager where required pursuant to this title and title 16a.
(m) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, the decisions of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, including, but not limited to, decisions relating to rate amendments arising from the Comprehensive Energy Strategy, the Integrated Resources Plan, the Conservation and Load Management Plan and policies established by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, shall be guided by said strategy and plans and such policies.
(n) Two or more utility commissioners serving on a panel established pursuant to subsection (c) of this section may confer or communicate regarding the matter before such panel. Any such conference or communication that does not occur before the public at a hearing or proceeding shall not constitute a meeting as defined in section 1-200.
(1949, Rev., S. 5391; 1959, P.A. 383, S. 1; P.A. 74-216, S. 1, 8; P.A. 75-486, S. 3, 69; P.A. 77-614, S. 19, 67, 162, 589, 610; P.A. 78-303, S. 13, 136; P.A. 80-462, S. 1; P.A. 82-150, S. 1; P.A. 84-342, S. 4, 13; P.A. 85-552, S. 3, 8; P.A. 86-187, S. 4, 10; P.A. 89-291, S. 1, 8; P.A. 94-74, S. 1, 11; 94-77; P.A. 98-28, S. 78, 117; P.A. 99-248, S. 1, 3; 99-286, S. 3, 19; P.A. 00-112, S. 4, 5; P.A. 02-89, S. 22; P.A. 07-242, S. 57; P.A. 11-80, S. 1, 15; P.A. 13-244, S. 25; 13-298, S. 3; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 466; P.A. 19-117, S. 79, 80.)
History: 1959 act provided appointment of members be subject to the consent of either house of the general assembly rather than both, provided for minority representation and added provision that appointment procedure of Sec. 4-7 is generally applicable; P.A. 74-216 increased membership from three to five members with not more than three of the same political party, rather than two, reduced terms from six to five years, deleted reference to appointment in odd-numbered years, added provision to cover terms during transition period and added Subsecs. (b) and (c); P.A. 75-486 amended section to replace public utilities commission with public utilities control authority, requiring consent of both houses rather than either house for appointments, increasing terms to six years and providing for transition period and added Subsecs. (d) to (k); P.A. 77-614 replaced personnel policy board with commissioner of administrative services in Subsec. (d), replaced “Connecticut energy agency”, i.e. department of planning and energy policy, with office of policy and management and, effective January 1, 1979, replaced public utilities control authority with division of public utility control within the department of business regulation and revised appointment provisions in Subsec. (a) to cover transition period; P.A. 78-303 restored public utilities control authority; P.A. 80-462 replaced former Subsec. (k) re applicability of Secs. 1-69 to 1-78 with new provisions re employment by public service company after serving as commissioner; P.A. 82-150 updated provisions re appointment of members and election of officers transferred the provisions of Sec. 16-50 to Subsec. (f) and made other technical changes; P.A. 84-342 established position of executive director in Subsec. (f) and replaced “staff” of the authority with “employee of the department” in Subsecs. (g), (h), (i) and (j); P.A. 85-552 amended Subsec. (k) to prohibit any commissioner from accepting employment with entity engaged in lobbying with regard to regulation of public service companies; P.A. 86-187 replaced power facility evaluation council with Connecticut siting council in Subsec. (j); P.A. 89-291 updated salary group references for commissioners in Subsec. (d) and for the chairpersons in Subsec. (f); P.A. 94-74 amended Subsec. (k) by adding provision restricting commissioner's employment by persons, firms or corporations certified to provide intrastate telecommunication services, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 94-77 amended Subsec. (e) by adding “prior to July 1, 1997,” in Subdiv. (1) and adding Subdiv. (2) re standards for commissioners on and after July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-28 amended Subsec. (k) by rearranging language, deleting obsolete provisions and adding electric suppliers, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-248 amended Subsec. (d) to increase the salary of commissioners from group seventy-four to group seventy-five, to increase the salary of the chairman from group seventy-six to group seventy-seven and to make a technical change, effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 99-286 amended Subsec. (k)(2) by changing reference to person, firm or corporation certified by the department to “certified telecommunications provider”, effective July 19, 1999; P.A. 00-112 amended Subsec. (d) to make a technical change, effective May 26, 2000; P.A. 02-89 amended Subsec. (e) to delete as obsolete former Subdiv. (1) re qualifications for commissioners prior to July 1, 1997, and to delete Subdiv. (2) designator; P.A. 07-242 amended Subsec. (e) to change qualifications from applying on and after July 1, 1997, to at least three commissioners, to on and after October 1, 2007, to any newly appointed commissioner and to provide that any time a commissioner is newly appointed, at least one commissioner shall have experience in utility customer advocacy; P.A. 11-80 amended Subsec. (a) to change “Public Utilities Control Authority” to “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority within the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection”, reduce number of electors from 5 to 3 and number of members from same political party from 3 to 2, replace former member appointment criteria with requirements re staggered terms for initial appointments and 4-year terms thereafter and end term for any commissioner serving on June 30, 2011, amended Subsec. (c) to reduce panel size from 3 to “one or more”, delete provisions re appointment of examiner and referral to entire authority and add provisions re request for hearing officer appointment and approval by majority vote, amended Subsec. (f) to delete provisions re executive director appointment and duties and add provisions re chairperson duties re authority staff with approval of Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, amended Subsecs. (g) to (j) to add references to department employees “assigned to work with the authority”, changed “commissioner” and “commissioners” to “director” and “directors” throughout and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-244 amended Subsec. (d) to replace provision re financial disclosure filed with Secretary of the State with provision re statement of financial interests filed with Office of State Ethics; P.A. 13-298 amended Subsec. (c) to replace “request the appointment of” with “may assign” re hearing officer and to replace “majority vote of the panel” with “majority vote of the utility commissioners”, amended Subsec. (f) by dividing existing provisions into new Subdivs. (1) and (2) and making technical changes therein, deleting former Subdiv. (2) re coordinating the activities of the authority and, in new Subdiv. (2), adding provision re chairperson of the authority implementing comprehensive planning and organizational structure and coordinating activities of the authority, amended Subsec. (g) to delete provision re conflict of interest while serving as utility commissioner and add provision re conflict of interest concerning any matter within the authority's jurisdiction, added Subsec. (m) re authority's decision guided by strategy, plans and policies, and replaced “director” with “utility commissioner” and made technical changes throughout, effective July 8, 2013; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 added Subsec. (n) re conference or communication between utility commissioners serving on a panel, effective June 30, 2015; P.A. 19-117 amended Subsec. (a) by changing number of members from 3 to 5, changing maximum number of members in office from one political party from 2 to 3, deleting provision re appointment on or before July 1, 2011, changing number of members appointed by Governor from 3 to 5, adding provision re procedure in Sec. 4-7, deleting provisions re commissioners appointed on or before July 1, 2011, adding provisions re terms for commissioners appointed and confirmed between February 1, 2019 and June 1, 2019, adding provisions re terms for commissioners appointed and confirmed between February 1, 2018 and June 1, 2018, adding provisions re appointment of commissioners between July 1, 2019 and May 1, 2020, replacing “January 1, 2014” with “May 1, 2020”, deleting provisions re procedures in section 4-7 and deleting provision re term of commissioners serving on June 30, 2011, amended Subsec. (c) by changing number of commissioners that may be assigned to a panel from 1 or more to 3 or more and changing number of panel members that may be designated to conduct a hearing from 1 or 2 to 1 or more, amended Subsec. (l) by deleting provisions re inclusion of a procurement manager and duties of procurement manager and adding provisions re the chairperson of authority assigning staff to fulfill duties of procurement manager where required and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2019.
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Sec. 16-18a. Consultants: Retention, expenses, findings and recommendations. (a) In the performance of their duties the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Office of Consumer Counsel may retain consultants to assist their staffs in proceedings before the authority by providing expertise in areas in which staff expertise does not currently exist or when necessary to supplement existing staff expertise. In any case where the authority, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection or the Office of Consumer Counsel determines that the services of a consultant are necessary or desirable, the authority shall (1) allow opportunity for the parties and participants to the proceeding for which the services of a consultant are being considered to comment regarding the necessity or desirability of such services, (2) upon the request of a party or participant to the proceeding for which the services of a consultant are being considered, hold a hearing, and (3) limit the reasonable and proper expenses for such services to not more than two hundred thousand dollars for each agency per proceeding involving a public service company, telecommunications company, electric supplier or person seeking certification to provide telecommunications services pursuant to chapter 283, with more than fifteen thousand customers, and to not more than fifty thousand dollars for each agency per proceeding involving such a company, electric supplier or person with less than fifteen thousand customers, provided the authority, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection or the Office of Consumer Counsel may exceed such limits for good cause. In the case of multiple proceedings conducted to implement the provisions of this section and sections 16-1, 16-19, 16-19e, 16-22, 16-247a to 16-247c, inclusive, 16-247e to 16-247h, inclusive, and 16-247k and subsection (e) of section 16-331, the authority, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection or the Office of Consumer Counsel may exceed such limits, but the total amount for all such proceedings shall not exceed the aggregate amount which would be available pursuant to this section. All reasonable and proper expenses, as defined in subdivision (3) of this section, shall be borne by the affected company, electric supplier or person and shall be paid by such company, electric supplier or person at such times and in such manner as the authority, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection or the Office of Consumer Counsel directs. All reasonable and proper costs and expenses, as defined in subdivision (3) of this section, shall be recognized by the authority for all purposes as proper business expenses of the affected company, electric supplier or person. The providers of consultant services shall be selected by the authority, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection or the Office of Consumer Counsel and shall submit written findings and recommendations to the authority, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection or the Office of Consumer Counsel, as the case may be, which shall be made part of the public record.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, the authority, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Office of Consumer Counsel shall not retain any consultant under subsection (a) of this section in connection with any proceeding involving telecommunications if such consultant, at the time the consultant would be retained, is serving as a consultant to a certified telecommunications provider or a telephone company that would be affected by such proceeding, unless each party and intervenor to such proceeding agrees in writing to waive the provisions of this subsection.
(c) The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and the Office of Consumer Counsel, may retain consultants to assist its staff by providing expertise in areas in which staff expertise does not currently exist or to supplement staff expertise for any proceeding before or in any negotiation with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the United States Department of Energy, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission or the United States Department of Justice. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, in consultation with the Office of Consumer Counsel, may retain consultants to assist its staff by providing expertise in areas in which staff expertise does not currently exist or to supplement staff expertise for any proceeding before or in any negotiation with the Federal Communications Commission. All reasonable and proper expenses of any such consultants shall be borne by the public service companies, certified telecommunications providers, holders of a certificate of video franchise authority, electric suppliers or gas registrants affected by the decisions of such proceeding and shall be paid at such times and in such manner as the authority directs, provided such expenses (1) shall be apportioned in proportion to the revenues of each affected entity as reported to the authority pursuant to section 16-49 for the most recent fiscal year, and (2) shall not exceed two and one-half million dollars per calendar year, including any appeals thereof, unless the authority finds good cause for exceeding the limit. The authority shall recognize all such expenses as proper business expenses of the affected entities for ratemaking purposes pursuant to section 16-19e, if applicable.
(P.A. 92-25, S. 1; P.A. 94-83, S. 11, 16; P.A. 98-28, S. 34, 117; P.A. 99-286, S. 7, 19; P.A. 00-53, S. 2; P.A. 00-107, S. 2, 3; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9, S. 17, 131; P.A. 11-80, S. 25; P.A. 13-298, S. 8; P.A. 16-101, S. 2; P.A. 19-35, S. 12.)
History: P.A. 94-83 added “or when necessary to supplement existing staff expertise”, made technical changes, amended Subdiv. (1) by replacing hearing with opportunity for comment, added new Subdiv. (2) re hearing, renumbered Subdiv. (2) as (3) and changed references to Subdiv. (2) to Subdiv. (3), added provisions re telecommunications companies and persons, firms or corporations seeking certification, added provision re multiple proceedings and deleted “The provisions of this section shall terminate on January 1, 1997”, effective July 1, 1994; P.A. 98-28 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a), making technical changes and adding references to electric suppliers, and added new Subsec. (b) authorizing the department to retain consultants for implementing the public education outreach program, effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 99-286 amended Subsec. (a) by making technical changes, effective July 19, 1999; P.A. 00-53 made a technical change in Subsec. (a); P.A. 00-107 added new Subsec. (c) prohibiting the use of certain consultants, effective May 26, 2000; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-9 extended the authority of the department to retain consultants for implementing the public education outreach program from December 31, 2000, to December 31, 2005, effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 11-80 replaced “Department of Public Utility Control” with “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority”, replaced “department” with “authority”, deleted former Subsec. (b) re retaining consultants to assist in developing and implementing public education outreach program, and redesignated existing Subsec. (c) as Subsec. (b), effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-298 added Subsec. (c) re retaining consultants to assist in federal proceedings, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 16-101 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “16-247i” with “16-247h”, effective June 2, 2016; P.A. 19-35 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) by adding references to Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, amended Subsec. (c) by adding reference to the Federal Communications Commission and made technical changes.
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Sec. 16-19ggg. Public electric vehicle charging stations. Parking restrictions. (a) The owner or operator of a public electric vehicle charging station, as defined in section 16-19f, that requires payment of a fee shall provide multiple payment options that allow access by the public.
(b) The owner or operator of a public electric vehicle charging station shall disclose the location and characteristics of each such public electric vehicle charging station, including, but not limited to, the address, voltage and timing restrictions, to the federal database operated by the United States Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center.
(c) No person shall park in a space equipped with a public electric vehicle charging station, unless such person is operating a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle or battery electric vehicle, as defined in section 16-19eee. Violation of this subsection shall be an infraction.
(d) The owner or operator of a public electric vehicle charging station may impose restrictions on the amount of time that an electric vehicle may be charged at the charging station.
(e) (1) Owners or operators of public electric vehicle charging stations that require payment of a fee shall not require persons desiring to use such public electric vehicle charging station to pay a subscription fee or otherwise obtain a membership in any club, association or organization as a condition of using such public electric vehicle charging station.
(2) Notwithstanding subdivision (1) of this subsection, owners or operators of public electric vehicle charging stations that require payment of a fee may have different price schedules that are conditioned on a subscription or membership in a club, association or organization.
(P.A. 16-135, S. 7; P.A. 19-161, S. 9.)
History: P.A. 16-135 effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 19-161 amended Subsec. (c) to add provision re violation of subsection to be an infraction.
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