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South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Meeting
June 23, 2020, at 9:30 A.M. CDT
Room 413, Capitol Building
Pierre, South Dakota
NOTE: Docket participants who wish to join this meeting by conference call should contact the Commission at 605-773-3201 by 5:00 p.m. CDT on Monday, June 22, 2020, to reserve a phone line. Lines are limited and assigned 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 docket discussion at 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 webcast 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
Administration
1. Approval of Minutes of the Commission Meeting Held on June 9, 2020, (Staff: Macy Jo Murren)
Consumer Reports
1. Status Report on Consumer Utility Inquiries (Consumer Affairs: Deb Gregg)
Electric
1. EL20-014 In the Matter of the Filing by NorthWestern Corporation dba NorthWestern Energy for Approval of Its 2020 Economic Development Plan and 2019 Economic Development Report (Staff Analyst: Lorena Reichert; Staff Attorney: Amanda Reiss)
On April 29, 2020, the Commission received an application from NorthWestern Corporation dba NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern) requesting approval of its 2019 Economic Development Report and 2020 Economic Development Proposed Budget. On June 5, 2020, Northwestern responded to staff’s data request and provided an updated Attachment B.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve NorthWestern Energy’s 2019 Economic Development Report and 2020 Economic Development Plan?
2. EL20-016 In the Matter of Otter Tail Power Company’s 2019 South Dakota Energy Efficiency Plan Status Report and 2020 Annual Filing to Update the Energy Efficiency Adjustment Rider (Staff Analyst: Eric Paulson, Staff Attorney: Amanda Reiss)
On May 1, 2020, Otter Tail Power Company (Otter Tail) filed its 2019 Energy Efficiency Plan Status Report and 2020 Annual Filing to update the Energy Efficiency Adjustment Rider. Specifically, Otter Tail requests that the Commission approve its 2019 Status Report, the 2019 financial incentive of $209,700, and the proposed Energy Efficiency Adjustment Factor of $0.00195/kWh with an effective date of July 1, 2020.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve Otter Tail Power Company’s 2019 Energy Efficiency Plan Status Report? AND, shall the Commission approve the 2019 Financial Incentive of $209,700? AND, shall the Commission approve the proposed Energy Efficiency Adjustment Factor of $0.00195/kWh with an effective date of July 1, 2020?
Natural Gas
1. NG19-012 In the Matter of the Application of MidAmerican Energy Company for Authority to Continue Its Incentive Gas Supply Procurement Plan in South Dakota (Staff Analysts: Patrick Steffensen, Eric Paulson; Staff Attorney: Kristen Edwards)
On December 30, 2019, the Commission received a filing from MidAmerican Energy Company (MidAmerican). This filing is for approval of the continuation of the Incentive Gas Supply Procurement Plan (IGSPP). This program was initially approved for a three-year term in 1995 and was again approved for three-year terms with modifications in 1999 and 2002. The plan was also approved for a five-year term without modifications in 2005 and for three-year terms without modifications in 2010, 2013, and most recently in 2016. The original filing proposes to continue the current structure of the IGSPP, without modifications from the IGSPP currently in place, for a period of three years beginning November 1, 2019, through October 31, 2022. On March 23, 2020, MidAmerican filed a letter to withdraw the filing without prejudice.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve MidAmerican’s request to withdraw the docket without prejudice?
2. NG20-002 In the Matter of the Filing by NorthWestern Corporation dba NorthWestern Energy for Approval of Its 2020 Economic Development Plan and 2019 Economic Development Report (Staff Analyst: Lorena Reichert; Staff Attorney: Amanda Reiss)
On April 29, 2020, the Commission received an application from NorthWestern Corporation dba NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern) requesting approval of its 2019 Economic Development Report and 2020 Economic Development Proposed Budget. On June 5, 2020, Northwestern responded to staff’s data request and provided an updated Attachment A.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve NorthWestern Energy’s 2019 Economic Development Report and 2020 Economic Development Plan?
3. NG20-004 In the Matter of the Filing by NorthWestern Corporation dba NorthWestern Energy for Approval of a Contract with Deviations with Rustic Acres Hutterite Colony (Staff Analyst: Patrick Steffensen; Staff Attorney: Amanda Reiss)
On May 15, 2020, NorthWestern Corporation dba NorthWestern Energy (NorthWestern) filed for approval of a contract with deviations with Rustic Acres Hutterite Colony (Rustic Acres). Rustic Acres desires to have natural gas service extended to its location to serve its heating and grain drying requirements. NorthWestern states that based on the cost of the project, it requires security for the capital investment cost and a monthly surcharge in order to protect its legacy customers. The contract includes recovery of the pipeline project costs over a 15-year period. Per the customer’s request, the project costs and tariff delivery charges will be recovered through a fixed monthly charge based on projected annual volumes, with an annual review conducted to determine if volumes exceed the projected amount. Any overages will be billed at the tariff rate 87B. NorthWestern requests approval with an effective date for the tariff revisions of July 1, 2020.
TODAY, shall the Commission approve NorthWestern Energy’s contract with deviations with Rustic Acres and the associated tariff revisions with an effective date of July 1, 2020?
Items for Commission Discussion
Public Comment
--Individuals who wish to make public comments to the commission may do so in person during this time. All who offer public comment are requested to sign in at the commission meeting. Time limits for comments may be determined at the discretion of the commission.
Announcements
1. A telephonic public input meeting for docket EL20-018 - In the Matter of the Application by Wild Springs Solar, LLC for a Permit of a Solar Energy Facility in Pennington County, South Dakota, will be held Wednesday, July 1, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. MDT/7:30 p.m. CDT. Call-in information: Number: 1 (866) 410-8397, Conference Code: 3224480715#. Interested persons who wish to comment are asked to call the PUC at 1-800-332-1782 by 2:00 p.m. MDT/3:00 pm. CDT, July 1, 2020, to place their name on a list. Commenters who have pre-registered will be called on to comment first. Commenters will be given approximately 5 minutes to speak and asked to provide their name, town, and last four digits of the number they are calling from.
2. The PUC office will be closed Friday, July 3, 2020, in observance of Independence Day.
3. The next regular commission meeting will be held Wednesday, July 8, 2020, at 9:30 a.m. CDT in Room 413 at the State Capitol Building, Pierre, South Dakota.
4. Commission meetings are scheduled for July 23 and August 4, 2020.
/s/Cindy Kemnitz .
Cindy Kemnitz
Finance Manager
puc@state.sd.us
June 16, 2020
