2010 Pennsylvania Code
Title 66 - PUBLIC UTILITIES
Chapter 3 - Public Utility Commission
308 - Bureaus and offices.

     § 308.  Bureaus and offices.
        (a)  Enumeration.--There shall be established within the
     commission the following bureaus and functions:
            (1)  Law Bureau.
            (2)  (Deleted by amendment).
            (3)  Bureau of Consumer Services.
            (4)  (Deleted by amendment).
        (b)  Law Bureau.--The Law Bureau shall be a multifunction
     legal staff, consisting of a prosecutory function, an advisory
     function, a representational function and an enforcement
     function. The Director of the Law Bureau shall be the chief
     counsel of the commission and shall serve at the pleasure of the
     commission. The commission may also, from time to time, appoint
     such assistant counsel to the commission as may be required for
     the proper conduct of the work of the Law Bureau. Assistant
     counsel may be removed by the commission only for good cause.
     The Law Bureau shall advise the commission on any and all
     matters. No counsel shall in the same case or a factually
     related case perform duties in the prosecutory and advisory
     functions, if such performance would represent a conflict of
     interest. Except for litigation referred to the Attorney General
     or other appropriate outside counsel, the Law Bureau solely
     shall be responsible to represent the commission upon appeals
     and other hearings in the courts of common pleas and in the
     Commonwealth Court, Supreme Court or other courts of this
     Commonwealth or in any Federal court or agency and in actions
     instituted to recover penalties and to enforce regulations and
     orders of the commission. If necessary to protect the public
     interest, the Law Bureau, pursuant to its prosecutorial
     function, may initiate and participate in proceedings before the
     commission unless directed by the commission to do so in a
     proceeding involving transportation, safety, eminent domain,
     siting, service issues having no impact on rates or ability to
     pay or assist the Office of Trial Staff in carrying out the
     duties of the Office of Trial Staff, nor shall any member of the
     Law Bureau receive assistance from the Office of Trial Staff in
     the performance of his duties. Except as provided in this
     section, the Law Bureau may receive assistance from any other
     bureau or office of the commission as determined to be
     necessary.
        (c)  Bureau of Conservation, Economics and Energy Planning.--
     (Deleted by amendment).
        (d)  Bureau of Consumer Services.--
            (1)  The Bureau of Consumer Services shall investigate
        and issue final determinations on all informal consumer
        complaints and shall advise the commission as to the need for
        formal commission action on any matters brought to its
        attention by the complaints. Any party may appeal a final
        determination issued by the Bureau of Consumer Services and
        seek review by an administrative law judge or special agent
        subject to the procedures in section 335 (relating to initial
        decisions). The bureau shall on behalf of the commission keep
        records of all complaints received, the matter complained of,
        the utility involved, and the disposition thereof and shall
        at least annually report to the commission on such matters.
        The commission may take official notice of all complaints and
        the nature thereof in any proceeding before the commission in
        which the utility is a party. The commission shall adopt,
        publish and generally make available rules by which a
        consumer may make informal complaints. The bureau shall also
        assist and advise the commission on matters of safety
        compliance by public utilities.
            (2)  Annually on or before April 15, the commission shall
        submit a report to the Governor and to the Business and
        Commerce Committee of the House and the Community and
        Economic Development Committee of the Senate. The report
        shall compare all nonresidential categories of ratepayers for
        all electric and gas public utilities so that reasonably
        accurate comparisons of rates can be made between similar
        individuals or groups of nonresidential ratepayers receiving
        services in different service areas.
        (e)  Office of Special Assistants.--(Deleted by amendment).
        (f)  Other bureaus and offices.--(Deleted by amendment).
        (g)  Staff testimony.--(Deleted by amendment).
     (Oct. 15, 1980, P.L.950, No.164, eff. Jan. 20, 1981; Dec. 18,
     1980, P.L.1247, No.226, eff. Jan. 20, 1981; July 10, 1986,
     P.L.1238, No.114; Oct. 15, 2008, P.L.1592, No.129, eff. 30 days)

        2008 Amendment.  Act 129 amended subsec. (b) and deleted
     subsecs. (a)(2) and (4), (c), (e), (f) and (g).
        1986 Amendment.  Act 114 amended the entire section,
     effective in 60 days as to subsecs. (a), (b), (e) and (g) and
     immediately as to the remainder of the section.