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South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Meeting
July 8, 2014, at 9:30 A.M. CDT
Room 413, Capitol Building
Pierre, South Dakota
NOTE: If you wish to join this meeting by conference call, please contact the Commission at 605-773-3201 by 5:00 p.m. CDT on Monday, July 7, 2014. Lines are limited and are given out on a first come, first served basis, subject to possible reassignment to accommodate persons who must appear in a proceeding. Ultimately, if you wish to participate in the Commission Meeting and a line is not available, you may have to appear in person.
NOTE: To listen to the Commission Meeting live please go to the PUC's website www.puc.sd.gov and click on the LIVE link on the home page. The Commission requests persons who will only be listening to proceedings and not actively appearing in a case listen via the web cast to free phone lines for those who have to appear. The Commission meetings are archived on the PUC's website under the Commission Actions tab, Click on "Commission Meeting Archives," to access the recordings.
NOTE: Notice is further given to persons with disabilities that this Commission meeting is being held in a physically accessible place. If you have special needs, please notify the Commission and we will make all necessary arrangements.
AGENDA OF COMMISSION MEETING
Consumer Reports
1. Status Report on Consumer Utility Inquiries and Complaints Received by the Commission (Consumer Affairs: Deb Gregg)
Electric
On December 22, 2004, Basin Electric Power Cooperative (Basin) filed an application for an energy conversion facility permit to construct a peaking resource generator near Groton, South Dakota. The project consists of a new 80 to 100 megawatt simple cycle natural gas combustion turbine generator and approximately 11.5 miles of underground gas pipeline and approximately 0.5 miles of transmission line. On June 7, 2005, the Commission issued a Decision and Order Approving Stipulation and Granting Permit to Construct a Combustion Turbine Generator (Order) authorizing the construction of the Project subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Settlement Stipulation which included the requirement that Basin furnish an indemnity bond in the amount of $10,000 pursuant to SDCL 49-41B-38 to secure the restoration and repair of damage to roads and other public infrastructure. On June 22, 2005, Basin filed the bond. On June 20, 2014, Basin filed a request to terminate the bonding obligation for this project and letters of concurrence from the highway superintendents of Brown County and Spink County.
TODAY, shall the Commission grant the request for release of construction bond and authorize the Executive Director or General Counsel to execute any necessary release documents to release Liberty Mutual Insurance Company Bond No. 190011154?
On May 20, 2014, Commission Staff filed an Electric Service Territory Boundary Agreement between Northern Electric Cooperative, Inc. and Codington-Clark Electric Cooperative, Inc. This filing is made pursuant to current efforts of the PUC to verify electric territory mapping data for conversion to electronic format and use in a Geographic Information System (GIS) database. With the assistance of the above-referenced utilities, Commission Staff has confirmed the service territory boundary shared by these utilities and has prepared updated mapping information. Commission Staff asks for approval of the agreement to update official mapping data to properly reflect the service territory boundaries shared by the utilities in this docket.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve the proposed electric service territory boundary agreement?
On May 21, 2014, Commission Staff filed an Electric Service Territory Boundary Agreement between Traverse Electric Cooperative, Inc. and Whetstone Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc. This filing is made pursuant to current efforts of the PUC to verify electric territory mapping data for conversion to electronic format and use in a Geographic Information System (GIS) database. With the assistance of the above-referenced utilities, Commission Staff has confirmed the service territory boundary shared by these utilities and has prepared updated mapping information. Commission Staff asks for approval of the agreement to update official mapping data to properly reflect the service territory boundaries shared by the utilities in this docket.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve the proposed electric service territory boundary agreement?
On May 27, 2014, Commission Staff filed an Electric Service Territory Boundary Agreement between Bon Homme Yankton Electric Association, Inc. and Tyndall Municipal Electric Association. This filing is made pursuant to current efforts of the PUC to verify electric territory mapping data for conversion to electronic format and use in a Geographic Information System (GIS) database. With the assistance of the above-referenced utilities, Commission Staff has confirmed the service territory boundary shared by these utilities and has prepared updated mapping information. Commission Staff asks for approval of the agreement to update official mapping data to properly reflect the service territory boundaries shared by the utilities in this docket.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve the proposed electric service territory boundary agreement?
On May 29, 2014, Commission Staff filed an Electric Service Territory Boundary Agreement between H-D Electric Cooperative, Inc. and Whetstone Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc. This filing is made pursuant to current efforts of the PUC to verify electric territory mapping data for conversion to electronic format and use in a Geographic Information System (GIS) database. With the assistance of the above-referenced utilities, Commission Staff has confirmed the service territory boundary shared by these utilities and has prepared updated mapping information. Commission Staff asks for approval of the agreement to update official mapping data to properly reflect the service territory boundaries shared by the utilities in this docket.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve the proposed electric service territory boundary agreement?
On June 12, 2014, Sioux Valley Southwestern Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SVE) submitted a Service Territory Agreement between SVE and the City of Flandreau Municipal Utilities (Flandreau). The proposed exception to the existing service territory boundary will permit SVE to provide three-phase service to a new irrigation system being built by Marc Burggraff, on land owned by INOR, Scott Ramsdell. While this parcel resides outside of SVE's assigned service territory, Flandreau's facilities are over 2,700 feet away, whereas SVE's facilities are immediately adjacent to provide service to this site.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve the requested service rights exception?
On June 16, 2014, Northern States Power Company dba Xcel Energy submitted a Service Territory Exchange Agreement between Xcel Energy and Southeastern Electric Coop. This agreement seeks to modify an existing service territory boundary in section 7 of T100N R49W in Lincoln County, South Dakota in southeastern Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This request reflects the first half of the exchange. The second half of this exchange will be completed after that portion of service territory has been platted. Both parties have agreed that once the property is platted and recorded, another separate filing will take place.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve the requested service territory exchange?
On June 23, 2014, the Commission received an application by Northern States Power Company dba Xcel Energy (Xcel) for approval to increase rates for electric service to customers in its South Dakota service territory by approximately $15.6 million annually or approximately 8.0% based on Xcel's 2013 test year. Xcel states a typical residential electric customer using 750 kWh per month would see an increase of $8.49 per month, or 9.71%. The proposed changes may potentially affect approximately 87,000 customers in Xcel's South Dakota service territory. Xcel proposes an effective date of January 1, 2015.
TODAY, shall the Commission assess a filing fee for actual expenses not to exceed $250,000? AND, shall the Commission give the Executive Director authority to enter into necessary consulting contracts?
On June 30, 2014, Black Hills Power, Inc. filed an application for a permit to construct the South Dakota portion of a 230 kV transmission line, which will run from northeastern Wyoming to the Rapid City area in South Dakota and associated modifications to the Lange Substation in Pennington County, South Dakota. The South Dakota portion includes approximately 45.4 miles of transmission line and will both cross private lands and federal lands managed by the Black Hills National Forest Service. Specifically, approximately 9.1 miles of the proposed Facility will cross private land and approximately 36.3 miles will cross National Forest Service lands.
TODAY, shall the Commission assess a filing fee not to exceed $43,450.00 with an initial fee of $8,000?
Pipeline Safety
On April 28, 2014, the Commission received a filing from the Watertown Municipal Utilities requesting a waiver of 49 CFR 192.285(a)(2) and 49 CFR 192.285(c). Those regulations address the qualifications for persons making plastic joints. Watertown requests waivers to allow it to re-qualify its employees by alternate means of assuring qualifications for persons making joints.
TODAY, shall the Commission grant the requested waivers?
Items for Commission Discussion
Announcements
- The PUC offices will be closed Friday, July 4, 2014, in observance of Independence Day.
- The next regularly scheduled commission meeting will be Tuesday, July 22, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. CDT in Room 414 at the State Capitol Building, Pierre, S.D.
- Commission meetings are scheduled for August 6 and 19, 2014.
/s/Cindy Kemnitz
Cindy Kemnitz
Finance Manager
PUC Email
July 1, 2014
