Minn. Stat. § 216B.48

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 8, August 19, 2024

Section 216B.48 - RELATIONS WITH AFFILIATED INTEREST

Subdivision 1.Definition of affiliated interests.

"Affiliated interests" with a public utility means the following:

(1) every corporation and person owning or holding directly or indirectly five percent or more of the voting securities of such public utility;

(2) every corporation and person in any chain of successive ownership of five percent or more of voting securities;

(3) every corporation five percent or more of whose voting securities is owned by any person or corporation owning five percent or more of the voting securities of such public utility or by any person or corporation in any such chain of successive ownership of five percent or more of voting securities;

(4) every person who is an officer or director of such public utility or of any corporation in any chain of successive ownership of five percent or more of voting securities;

(5) every corporation operating a public utility or a servicing organization for furnishing supervisory, construction, engineering, accounting, legal, and similar services to utilities, which has one or more officers or one or more directors in common with the public utility, and every other corporation which has directors in common with the public utility where the number of the directors is more than one-third of the total number of the utility's directors;

(6) every corporation or person which the commission may determine as a matter of fact after investigation and hearing is actually exercising any substantial influence over the policies and actions of the public utility even though the influence is not based upon stockholding, stockholders, directors or officers to the extent specified in this section;

(7) every person or corporation who or which the commission may determine as a matter of fact after investigation and hearing is actually exercising substantial influence over the policies and actions of the public utility in conjunction with one or more other corporations or persons with which or whom they are related by ownership or blood relationship or by action in concert that together they are affiliated with such public utility within the meaning of this section even though no one of them alone is so affiliated;

(8) every subsidiary of a public utility;

(9) every part of a corporation in which an operating division is a public utility.

Subd. 2.Construing the term "person."

The term "person" as used in subdivision 1 shall not be construed to exclude trustees, lessees, holders of beneficial equitable interest, voluntary associations, receivers, and partnerships.

Subd. 3.Contract between utility and affiliated interest.

No contract or arrangement, including any general or continuing arrangement, providing for the furnishing of management, supervisory, construction, engineering, accounting, legal, financial, or similar services, and no contract or arrangement for the purchase, sale, lease, or exchange of any property, right, or thing, or for the furnishing of any service, property, right, or thing, other than those above enumerated, made or entered into after January 1, 1975 between a public utility and any affiliated interest as defined in subdivision 1, clauses (1) to (8), or any arrangement between a public utility and an affiliated interest as defined in subdivision 1, clause (9), made or entered into after August 1, 1993, is valid or effective unless and until the contract or arrangement has received the written approval of the commission. Regular recurring transactions under a general or continuing arrangement that has been approved by the commission are valid if they are conducted in accordance with the approved terms and conditions. Every public utility shall file with the commission a verified copy of the contract or arrangement, or a verified summary of the unwritten contract or arrangement, and also of all the contracts and arrangements, whether written or unwritten, entered into prior to January 1, 1975, or, for the purposes of subdivision 1, clause (9), prior to August 1, 1993, and in force and effect at that time. The commission shall approve the contract or arrangement made or entered into after that date only if it clearly appears and is established upon investigation that it is reasonable and consistent with the public interest. No contract or arrangement may receive the commission's approval unless satisfactory proof is submitted to the commission of the cost to the affiliated interest of rendering the services or of furnishing the property or service to each public utility. Proof is satisfactory only if it includes the original or verified copies of the relevant cost records and other relevant accounts of the affiliated interest, or an abstract or summary as the commission may deem adequate, properly identified and duly authenticated, provided, however, that the commission may, where reasonable, approve or disapprove the contracts or arrangements without the submission of cost records or accounts. The burden of proof to establish the reasonableness of the contract or arrangement is on the public utility.

Subd. 4.Contract not exceeding $50,000.

The provisions of this section requiring the written approval of the commission shall not apply to transactions with affiliated interests where the amount of consideration involved is not in excess of $50,000 or five percent of the capital equity of the utility whichever is smaller; provided, however, that regularly recurring payments under a general or continuing arrangement which aggregate a greater annual amount shall not be broken down into a series of transactions to come within the aforesaid exemption. Such transactions shall be valid or effective without commission approval under this section. However, in any proceeding involving the rates or practices of the public utility, the commission may exclude from the accounts of such public utility any payment or compensation made pursuant to the transaction unless the public utility shall establish the reasonableness of the payment or compensation.

Subd. 5.Applicability to determining rates and costs.

In any proceeding, whether upon the commission's own motion or upon application or complaint, involving the rates or practices of any public utility, the commission may exclude from the accounts of the public utility any payment or compensation to an affiliated interest for any services rendered or property or service furnished, as above described, under existing contracts or arrangements with the affiliated interest unless the public utility shall establish the reasonableness of the payment or compensation.

Subd. 6.Commission retains continuing authority over contract.

The commission shall have continuing supervisory control over the terms and conditions of the contracts and arrangements as are herein described so far as necessary to protect and promote the public interest. The commission shall have the same jurisdiction over the modifications or amendment of contracts or arrangements as are herein described as it has over such original contracts or arrangements. The fact that the commission shall have approved entry into such contracts or arrangements as described herein shall not preclude disallowance or disapproval of payments made pursuant thereto, if upon actual experience under such contract or arrangement it appears that the payments provided for or made were or are unreasonable.

Subd. 7.

[Repealed, 1978 c 795 s 10]

Minn. Stat. § 216B.48

1974 c 429 s 48; 1993 c 327 s 11-13