BILL REQ. #: H-1081.1
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2011 Regular Session |
Read first time 02/01/11. Referred to Committee on Technology, Energy & Communications.
AN ACT Relating to the burden of proof in certain proceedings before the utilities and transportation commission; and amending RCW 80.04.110.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 80.04.110 and 1995 c 376 s 12 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) Complaint may be made by the commission of its own motion or by
any person or corporation, chamber of commerce, board of trade, or any
commercial, mercantile, agricultural or manufacturing society, or any
body politic or municipal corporation, or by the public counsel section
of the office of the attorney general, or its successor, by petition or
complaint in writing, setting forth any act or thing done or omitted to
be done by any public service corporation in violation, or claimed to
be in violation, of any provision of law or of any order or rule of the
commission: PROVIDED, That no complaint shall be entertained by the
commission except upon its own motion, as to the reasonableness of the
schedule of the rates or charges of any gas company, electrical
company, water company, or telecommunications company, unless the same
be signed by the mayor, council or commission of the city or town in
which the company complained of is engaged in business, or not less
than twenty-five consumers or purchasers of such gas, electricity,
water or telecommunications service, or at least twenty-five percent of
the consumers or purchasers of the company's service: PROVIDED,
FURTHER, That when two or more public service corporations, (meaning to
exclude municipal and other public corporations) are engaged in
competition in any locality or localities in the state, either may make
complaint against the other or others that the rates, charges, rules,
regulations or practices of such other or others with or in respect to
which the complainant is in competition, are unreasonable,
unremunerative, discriminatory, illegal, unfair or intending or tending
to oppress the complainant, to stifle competition, or to create or
encourage the creation of monopoly, and upon such complaint or upon
complaint of the commission upon its own motion, the commission shall
have power, after notice and hearing as in other cases, to, by its
order, subject to appeal as in other cases, correct the abuse
complained of by establishing such uniform rates, charges, rules,
regulations or practices in lieu of those complained of, to be observed
by all of such competing public service corporations in the locality or
localities specified as shall be found reasonable, remunerative,
nondiscriminatory, legal, and fair or tending to prevent oppression or
monopoly or to encourage competition, and upon any such hearing it
shall be proper for the commission to take into consideration the
rates, charges, rules, regulations and practices of the public service
corporation or corporations complained of in any other locality or
localities in the state.
(2) In any proceeding upon the motion of the commission, involving
any existing rate of any public utility, or in any proceedings upon
complaint involving rates of a public utility, the burden of proof to
show that the rate involved is just and reasonable is upon the public
utility.
(3) All matters upon which complaint may be founded may be joined
in one hearing, and no motion shall be entertained against a complaint
for misjoinder of complaints or grievances or misjoinder of parties;
and in any review of the courts of orders of the commission the same
rule shall apply and pertain with regard to the joinder of complaints
and parties as herein provided: PROVIDED, All grievances to be
inquired into shall be plainly set forth in the complaint. No
complaint shall be dismissed because of the absence of direct damage to
the complainant.
(((3))) (4) Upon the filing of a complaint, the commission shall
cause a copy thereof to be served upon the person or corporation
complained of, which shall be accompanied by a notice fixing the time
when and place where a hearing will be had upon such complaint. The
time fixed for such hearing shall not be less than ten days after the
date of the service of such notice and complaint, excepting as herein
provided. The commission shall enter its final order with respect to
a complaint filed by any entity or person other than the commission
within ten months from the date of filing of the complaint, unless the
date is extended for cause. Rules of practice and procedure not
otherwise provided for in this title may be prescribed by the
commission. Such rules may include the requirement that a complainant
use informal processes before filing a formal complaint.
(((4))) (5)(a) The commission shall, as appropriate, audit a
nonmunicipal water system upon receipt of an administrative order from
the department, or the city or county in which the water system is
located, finding that the water delivered by a system does not meet
state board of health standards adopted under RCW 43.20.050(2)(a) or
standards adopted under chapters 70.116 and 70.119A RCW, and the
results of the audit shall be provided to the requesting department,
city, or county. However, the number of nonmunicipal water systems
referred to the commission in any one calendar year shall not exceed
twenty percent of the water companies subject to commission regulation
as defined in RCW 80.04.010.
(b) Every nonmunicipal water system referred to the commission for
audit under this section shall pay to the commission an audit fee in an
amount, based on the system's twelve-month audited period, equal to the
fee required to be paid by regulated companies under RCW 80.24.010.
(((5))) (6) Any customer or purchaser of service from a water
system or company that is subject to commission regulation may file a
complaint with the commission if he or she has reason to believe that
the water delivered by the system to the customer does not meet state
drinking water standards under chapter 43.20 or 70.116 RCW. The
commission shall investigate such a complaint, and shall request that
the state department of health or local health department of the county
in which the system is located test the water for compliance with state
drinking water standards, and provide the results of such testing to
the commission. The commission may decide not to investigate the
complaint if it determines that the complaint has been filed in bad
faith, or for the purpose of harassment of the water system or company,
or for other reasons has no substantial merit. The water system or
company shall bear the expense for the testing. After the commission
has received the complaint from the customer and during the pendency of
the commission investigation, the water system or company shall not
take any steps to terminate service to the customer or to collect any
amounts alleged to be owed to the company by the customer. The
commission may issue an order or take any other action to ensure that
no such steps are taken by the system or company. The customer may, at
the customer's option and expense, obtain a water quality test by a
licensed or otherwise qualified water testing laboratory, of the water
delivered to the customer by the water system or company, and provide
the results of such a test to the commission. If the commission
determines that the water does not meet state drinking water standards,
it shall exercise its authority over the system or company as provided
in this title, and may, where appropriate, order a refund to the
customer on a pro rata basis for the substandard water delivered to the
customer, and shall order reimbursement to the customer for the cost
incurred by the customer, if any, in obtaining a water quality test.