Utah PSC sets compressed schedule for SB 132 rules, asks Rocky Mountain Power to file draft Oct. 1

The Utah Public Service Commission and stakeholders at a technical conference agreed to a compressed schedule to develop administrative rules implementing Senate Bill 132, asking Rocky Mountain Power to file a proposed rule redline by Oct. 1 and setting partiesreply comments for Oct. 10 as part of a series of deadlines leading to an Oct. 31 filing.

Commission staff said the commission needs proposed rule language and replied comments by Oct. 10 so the agency can meet statutory deadlines; Chair Jerry Fann noted a rule must be published by Oct. 31 so a 30-day public-comment period can follow. "What the commission would like to see is post rule language and the the filed reply comments are due October 10," a commission representative said during the conference.

Why it matters: the schedule compresses multiple rounds of review into weeks and will shape how utilities, developers and regulators reconcile disagreements about contract review, cost allocation and registration processes under SB 132. Stakeholders said additional iterative rounds and a shared working draft would make responses more useful to the commission.

Most important facts first: Rocky Mountain Power agreed to prepare and file a clean and redlined version of a proposed rule on Oct. 1; parties will file reply comments on Oct. 10; the commission indicated it will provide interim feedback between Oct. 10 and Oct. 20 with a possible final round of comments around Oct. 20; the commission intends to file rules for publication by Oct. 31, after which a 30-day public comment period will follow. Commission staff also said they must hold a public hearing on the fee schedule before Nov. 1; an Oct. 30 hearing date was discussed as a tentative option.

Stakeholder concerns and process details: multiple intervenors said they preferred working from a single redlined draft rather than several competing formats. "It feels like working from a common document might be really helpful rather than competing floating proposals," said one stakeholder during the conference. Rocky Mountain Power confirmed it would attempt to submit a redline of its earlier straw proposal by Oct. 1 and to follow up in its Oct. 10 filing.

Consultant role and iterations: Charles River Associates was newly retained to assist the commission; the consultantrepresented at the meeting said they were still getting up to speed and would listen to the flash points stakeholders identified rather than produce immediate analyses. The commission and several intervenors agreed rules could be iterative and refined after initial promulgation.

Lower-priority details and next steps: the schedule discussed includes an additional exchange of comments between Oct. 10 and Oct. 20 so the commission can give preliminary feedback before the Oct. 31 submission. The commission emphasized that some rule components may be revisited after initial adoption; the January 1 statutory target for certain rule obligations was mentioned as a further milestone. Parties were asked to use a stakeholder meeting scheduled for Sept. 26 (outside the commission record) to narrow disputes before formal filings.

Ending: The parties left the conference with an agreed procedural path: Rocky Mountain Power will file a proposed redline Oct. 1; parties will file comments Oct. 10; the commission will provide interim guidance before an anticipated final round around Oct. 20; and the commission intends to submit rules for publication by Oct. 31.