Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 80.01.040.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: Executive Order 97-02 requires agencies to review significant rules with attention to the standards set out above. This includes reviewing whether current rules provide the results that they were originally intended to achieve and whether the rules are consistent with laws and with appropriate and lawful policies.

Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: None.

Process for Developing New Rule: Agency study; and the commission will ask for initial written comments, and will provide the opportunity for additional comments if substantial disagreements are reflected in the comments. The commission is scheduling a workshop involving representatives of affected constituencies in a manner designed to develop consensus among affected interests regarding any rule proposal.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication. Interested persons may contact the Secretary, Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, P.O. Box 47250, Olympia, WA 98504-7250, (360) 664-1174, fax (360) 586-1150. Such persons may submit comments, as specified below, or may ask to be included in the commission's list of interested persons for the proceeding.

Written Comments: Written comments in response to the CR-101 from persons interested in the subject matter of this proposed rule making may be filed with the commission secretary, referencing Docket No. A-980084, not later than July 31, 1998. All commenters are asked, but not required, to file an original and ten copies of the written comments. The commission also requests, but does not require, that comments be provided on a 3 1/2 inch IBM formatted high-density disk, in WordPerfect version 51. [5.1], 6.0 or 6.1, labeled with the docket number of this proceeding and the commenter's name and type of software used. The commission may offer additional opportunities to provide written comments. Interested persons may file additional written comments in response to any such invitation. Interested persons may also attend and participate in the workshop described below and in any other workshop that may be scheduled. The commission will provide written notice of any additional preproposal workshops to all commenters and to any other persons specifically asking to receive notice in this rule-making proceeding.

Notice of Workshop: A workshop will be held on August 31, 1998, beginning at 1:30 p.m., in the Commission's Hearing Room, Second Floor, Chandler Plaza, 1300 South Evergreen Park Drive S.W., Olympia, WA. The commission's teleconference bridge line will be available for this workshop. A limited number of teleconference ports are available and will be assigned one to an organization, on a first come first served basis. Persons wishing to attend via the teleconference bridge line must contact Lynda Johnson at (360) 664-1282 no later than 5:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 26, 1998. Questions may be addressed to Kathy Folsom at (360) 664-1279 or e-mail at kathyf@wutc.wa.gov.

June 30, 1998

Terrence Stapleton

for Carole J. Washburn

Secretary