CONSUMERS ENERGY CO V MPSC
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STATE OF MICHIGAN
COURT OF APPEALS
CONSUMERS ENERGY COMPANY,
FOR PUBLICATION
April 1, 2004
9:05 a.m.
Petitioner-Appellant,
v
MICHIGAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION,
No. 243360
PSC
LC No. 00-012358
Respondent-Appellee,
and
ABATE, ENERGY MICHIGAN, INC., and
ATTORNEY GENERAL,
Updated Copy
June 18, 2004
Appellees.
Before: Sawyer, P.J., and Saad and Bandstra, JJ.
SAAD, J.
I
Consumers Energy Company (Consumers) appeals from the Michigan Public Service
Commission's order that approved the 1999 implementation expenses incurred by Consumers to
establish a retail open access (ROA) program, but which deferred recovery and held that these
implementation expenses could be adjusted upon further review. We remand for further
proceedings.1
II
1
See our Court's similar decision in Detroit Edison Co v Public Service Comm, 261 Mich App
___; ___ NW2d ___ (2004).
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Under the ROA program, retail customers of electric utilities can choose to purchase
electricity from suppliers other than Consumers. However, the electricity generated by these
alternative suppliers would be transmitted to the customer through the existing system. The PSC
originally initiated the ROA program, but in Consumers Power Co v Public Service Comm, 460
Mich 148, 168; 596 NW2d 126 (1999), our Supreme Court held that the PSC "lacks statutory
authority to order a utility to transmit a third-party provider's electricity through its system to a
customer. Thus, the PSC lacked the statutory authority to implement the experimental [ROA]
program." The Legislature responded to our Supreme Court's invalidation of the PSC-imposed
ROA program by enacting the Customer Choice and Electricity Reliability Act, 2000 PA 141
and 142; MCL 460.10 et seq. This legislation authorized the ROA program and established
some basic guidelines. MCL 460.10a(1), a provision of this act, provides:
No later than January 1, 2002, the commission shall issue orders
establishing the rates, terms, and conditions of service that allow all retail
customers of an electric utility or provider to choose an alternative electric
supplier. The orders shall provide for full recovery of a utility's net stranded
costs and implementation costs as determined by the commission. [Emphasis
added.]
Consumers filed an application seeking PSC authorization to recover its 1999
implementation costs. The PSC held that "[i]mplementation costs of $25,156,000 incurred by
Consumers during 1999 should be approved for deferred recovery, subject to the conditions
stated in this order." The condition at issue provided that the PSC "reserves the right to
undertake another review of Consumers' 1999 implementation expenditures" because the PSC
anticipated that it would acquire additional information that would help it evaluate the
implementation of the ROA program. The PSC also noted that MCL 460.10d(1) had imposed a
rate freeze, and indicated that it would permit recovery of prudently incurred implementation
costs at the end of the rate freeze. The PSC further directed:
Consumers should file an application and supporting documentation that
provides the Commission with a factual basis for reviewing the success of
Consumers' implementation efforts. Specifically, the Commission is looking for
evidence that any component, system, or procedure that is necessary for a retail
access program to fully function is in place, completely operational, and capable
of seamlessly performing its role in conjunction with the other necessary
components, systems, and procedures.
Consumers contends that "full recovery" by January 1, 2002, as mandated by the
Legislature in MCL 460.10a(1) means that the PSC had to approve the amount to be recovered
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by that date without making this determination conditional on a future review.2 The PSC argues
that this statute "requires only that the commission determine a methodology for recovery of
implementation costs by January 1, 2002."
While a PSC order is presumed to be lawful, it is unlawful if it is based on an erroneous
interpretation or application of the law. In re Complaint of Pelland Against Ameritech Michigan,
254 Mich App 675, 681-682; 658 NW2d 849 (2003). Considerable deference is generally shown
to an administrative agency for longstanding interpretations of statutes. Although some
deference is afforded to the PSC due to its institutional position when initially interpreting a new
statute, the deference afforded is less. In re Procedure & Format for Filing Tariffs Under the
Michigan Telecommunications Act, 210 Mich App 533, 538-539; 534 NW2d 194 (1995). This
Court may not abandon or delegate its responsibility to interpret statutory language and
legislative intent. In re Complaint of Pelland, supra.
The language "shall provide for full recovery of . . . implementation costs" is subject to
varying interpretations. It could mean an order that establishes a specific dollar amount that
represents the full recovery to which the utility will be entitled, or, it could mean an order
providing a method for determining implementation costs. The PSC points out that
implementation costs will be incurred after January 1, 2002. Therefore, the PSC argues that it
could not enter an order by January 1, 2002, that would provide a set sum representing "full
recovery" of all implementation costs. In response, Consumers correctly responds that this
proceeding concerns only 1999 implementation costs.
Consumers argues that the PSC had already made a determination of the methodology for
determining a full recovery of implementation costs because, in its earlier orders, it had provided
for annual prudence reviews of these costs. Consumers maintains that these earlier orders must
be enforced under MCL 460.10a(5). However, this provision states that "orders that determine
and authorize recovery of . . . implementation costs . . . are in compliance with this act and
enforceable by the commission." The PSC had not issued any orders determining and
authorizing recovery of 1999 implementation costs before enactment of the statute. Previous
orders providing for annual prudence reviews do not necessarily constitute orders determining
and authorizing recovery of implementation costs.
Nonetheless, we conclude that in requiring that the PSC "provide for full recovery" of
implementation costs in an order issued by January 1, 2002, the Legislature did not intend to
allow the PSC to adopt a methodology that would indefinitely defer the determination of the
2
Consumers has not argued that the PSC was required to issue an order that provided for actual
recovery by January 1, 2002. Thus, we need not, and therefore do not, address whether
implementation expenses, as qualified expenses under MCL 460.10h(g), could have been
recovered through securitization under MCL 460.10i.
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amount to be allowed. An approval made contingent on future unknown facts that may indeed
eradicate the initial approval is not a provision for full recovery. We note that in Consumers
Energy Co v Public Service Comm, unpublished opinion per curiam of the Court of Appeals,
decided November 18, 2003 (Docket Nos. 241990 and 241991), this Court held that deferral of
ROA implementation expenses was proper since the evidence was insufficient to allow the PSC
to accurately determine the proper amount of implementation costs and whether those costs were
prudently incurred. However, at oral argument in this case, the PSC did not dispute that its
intent was to defer making a determination until the rate freezes imposed by MCL 460.10d(2)
had expired. Under this statute, a freeze is in effect until January 1, 2005, for commercial and
manufacturing customers, and until January 1, 2006, for residential customers. Moreover, at oral
argument, the PSC took the position that it had the authority to defer the determination of
implementation costs virtually indefinitely. We conclude that this is inconsistent with legislative
intent, and that the Legislature contemplated that the PSC would make a timely determination
regarding Consumers' implementation costs. Accordingly, we find it necessary to remand so that
the PSC can make such a determination.
To ensure that the Legislature's intent, expressed in MCL 460.10a(1), is not frustrated by
endless delays, and to ensure that the PSC's orders are sufficiently comprehensive and detailed to
allow for informed judicial review, we remand for further proceedings that adhere to the
requirements and schedules set below.
III
Procedure After Remand
A. Hearing and Orders. The PSC will (1) convene a hearing no later than ninety days
from the release of this opinion and (2) no later than sixty days after the conclusion of the
hearing, issue an order that provides for full recovery of Consumers' implementation costs and
that includes a comprehensive and detailed analysis that supports its conclusions and findings
and that permits informed judicial review. To the extent certain implementation costs are
disallowed under applicable law, again, the PSC will provide a comprehensive and detailed
analysis and rationale for its determination with sufficient detail and clarity to allow for informed
appellate review.
B. Information Regarding Implementation Costs. Because the PSC has said that it does
not have sufficient data to make its determination regarding implementation costs, within thirty
days from the release of this opinion, the PSC will serve upon Consumers its request for data that
sets forth with reasonable detail all the data the PSC needs to conduct a hearing and a prudency
review. Within thirty days of receipt of this request, Consumers will serve the PSC with all the
information requested by the PSC (to the extent it is within Consumers' ability to do so), and will
also serve on the PSC any other relevant information that Consumers believes is germane to the
issue of its right to recover its implementation costs. The PSC and Consumers may supplement
its request for and submission of data, respectively, as is reasonable, during the course of the
hearing.
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C. Time Deadlines. The PSC and Consumers, may stipulate extensions of time in which
to (1) request data, (2) supply data, (3) conduct a hearing, and (4) issue an order, but there shall
be no more than one adjournment of any date and for no longer than thirty days.
Remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. We do not retain
jurisdiction.
/s/ Henry William Saad
/s/ David H. Sawyer
/s/ Richard A. Bandstra
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