Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 8, April 23, 2024
Section 17.7.3.9 - FACILITATED STAKEHOLDER PROCESS; IRP PROCESSA. At least six months prior to the filing of its IRP, the utility shall notify the commission, members of the public, the New Mexico attorney general, and all parties to its most recent base rate case and most recent IRP case of its intent to file an IRP. The commission, upon notification, shall initiate a facilitated process for the utility, commission utility division staff, and stakeholders to reach a potential agreement on a proposed statement of need pursuant to 17.7.3.10 NMAC and an action plan pursuant to 17.7.3.11 NMAC. The commission, aside from utility division staff and the appointed facilitator, shall not participate in the facilitated stakeholder process. (1) The utility shall provide commission utility division staff and stakeholders who have signed a confidentiality agreement reasonable access to the same modeling software used by the utility on equal footing as the utility, and shall perform a reasonable number of modeling runs per staff or a stakeholder, if requested by staff or a stakeholder, in accordance with commission precedent, and the utility shall share all modeling information.(2) Nothing in this Section shall preclude commission utility division staff from providing an analysis based on an alternative, open-source modeling software.B. In selecting the facilitator, the commission, through its designee, may solicit recommendations of the names of independent firms or individuals that demonstrate independence from public utilities supplying electric service in the state, their affiliates, and likely bidders, and demonstrate the qualifications, expertise, and experience to perform the functions of a facilitator as provided in this rule. The commission shall comply with the New Mexico procurement code in its solicitation of a facilitator. (1) The facilitator shall provide a statement of interest to the commission which discloses any contracts or other economic arrangements of any kind between the facilitator and any investor-owned electric utility or affiliate within the last four years.(2) The facilitator shall notify the commission and utility of any perceived or actual conflicts that arise during the course of the facilitation process.C. The commission, through its designee, shall develop a standard form of contract between the facilitator and the commission that requires the facilitator, in consultation with the utility, to issue notice of facilitated stakeholder meetings, and to host and moderate facilitated stakeholder meetings, including but not limited to, preparing the agenda, and acting as the coordinator between the utility's presentation and the stakeholders' questions and comments.D. Funding for the services of the facilitator shall be paid by the utility and treated as a regulatory asset to be recovered through rates established in the utility's next general rate proceeding.E. Not later than six months after the facilitated stakeholder process commences, the utility shall file the IRP with the commission, explaining all resolved and unresolved issues resulting from the facilitated process.(1) Written public comments may be filed within 30 days of the utility's filing of the IRP.(a) Written public comments may include the commenter's own draft statement of need and action plan for commission review.(b) Written public comments shall be made part of the utility's IRP as addendums.(2) The utility shall file, within 60 days of the utility's filing of the IRP, a written response to all timely filed written public comments, stating whether it adopts any of the written comments as amending the IRP and the reasons why or why not.(3) The commission's utility division staff shall consider the filed written public comments and the utility's written responses and shall file a statement with the commission within 90 days of utility's filing of the IRP as to whether the statement of need and action plan comply with the policies and procedures of this rule.(4) If the commission has not acted within 120 days of the filing of the IRP, the statement of need and action plan are deemed accepted as compliant with this rule. If the commission determines that the statement of need or action plan do not comply with the requirements of this rule, the commission shall identify the deficiencies and return it to the utility with instructions for re-filing.17.7.3.9 NMAC - N, 4-16-07; A, 12-31-12, Amended by New Mexico Register, Volume XXVIII, Issue 16, August 29, 2017, eff. 8/29/2017, Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXXIII, Issue 20, October 25, 2022, eff. 10/27/2022, Amended by New Mexico Register, Volume XXXIII, Issue 22, November 29, 2022, eff. 11/29/2022