PSC tells Responsible Energy Alliance to refile work plan after $275,000 request

Commissioner Strand introduced the Responsible Energy Alliance's (REA) intervener compensation request and noted it sought a record $275,000 to intervene in the Ozaukee County interconnection docket; commissioners expressed concern about the size of the request relative to the $542,500 annual intervener fund.

Chair Strand said the fund's limits and the large number of impending construction dockets made it inappropriate to allocate nearly half of the annual fund to a single organization. "So, again, I think we're stuck with this amount," Strand said of the fund total, later calling the $275,000 figure "very, very high." Commissioners raised specific concerns about high attorney rates, duplicative expert work compared with other interveners and state agency reviews, and insufficient detail in the work plan.

After discussion, Commissioner Nieto moved that the commission not approve the request as filed but instead direct REA to refile a request and work plan consistent with the commission's discussion, capped at $40,000 and subject to delegation to the division administrator for review; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. The commission emphasized the refiling should include detailed quotes, a clear timeline tied to the docket schedule, descriptions of which attorneys and experts will perform which tasks, and evidence that the proposed work is not duplicative of PSC or DNR staff work.