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South Dakota Public Utilities Commission Meeting
February 26, 2008, at 2:00 P.M.
State Capitol Building, Room 468
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. on February 25, 2008. Lines are limited and are given out on first come/first serve 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 Web site www.puc.sd.gov and click on the LIVE button on the home page. The Commission requests that 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 Web site under the Commission Actions tab and then click on the LISTEN button on the page.
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 the Minutes of the Commission Meetings Held on December 18, 2007; January 15, 2008; and January 29, 2008. (Staff: Demaris Axthelm)
Consumer Reports
1.) Status Report on Consumer Utility Inquiries and Complaints Received by the Commission. (Consumer Affairs: Deb Gregg)
Electricity
On September 7, 2007, Northern States Power Company D/B/A Xcel Energy filed a petition with the Commission for approval of a tariff establishing an Environmental Cost Recovery Rider (ECR Rider) pursuant to SDCL 49-34A-97 through 49-34A-100. The company also seeks approval to implement the tariff by including the allocated jurisdictional costs in the ECR Rider for environmental expenditures planned to be made in 2007 and 2008. Staff is submitting a proposed contract for consulting services to the Commission.
TODAY, shall the Commission Approve the Proposed Consulting Contract?
On January 31, 2008, Northern States Power Company, a Minnesota Corporation d/b/a Xcel Energy, submitted an application for a Construction Permit to build the following: 1. A new 6.5 mile 115 kV transmission line from the Brookings County Substation to the Minnesota/South Dakota border; and 2. Modifications to the Brookings County Substation to accommodate the new 115 kV line. The application comprises the western portion of the Buffalo Ridge Incremental Generation Outlet project which connects the Brookings County Substation to the Yankee Substation northwest of Lake Benton, Minnesota.
TODAY, shall the Commission Assess a Filing Fee for Actual Expenses not to exceed $24,625 with an Initial Deposit of $8,000? AND, shall the Commission Approve a Method for Notice to Landowners?
On February 1, 2008, Black Hills Power, Inc. filed for Commission approval of an increase to its Electric Cost Adjustment (ECA) to be effective for service on and after March 1, 2008. The ECA consists of a Conditional Energy Cost Adjustment, Transmission Cost Adjustment and Steam Plant Fuel Cost Adjustment. The net of these three adjustments result in an approximately $800,000 increase in the cost of service and will affect approximately 63,000 retail customers in South Dakota.
TODAY, shall the Commission Approve the Electric Cost Adjustment?
Telecommunications
On January 30, 2007, Brookings Municipal Utilities d/b/a Swiftel Communications (Swiftel) filed a Petition for Suspension or Modification of Local Dialing Parity, Number Portability and Reciprocal Compensation Obligations. On February 12, 2007, Alltel Communications, Inc. (Alltel) and Sprint Communications Company, L.P. (Sprint) filed Petitions for Intervention. Midcontinent Communications (Midcontinent) filed a Petition to Intervene on February 14, 2007. South Dakota Network, LLC (SDN) filed a Petition to Intervene on February 15, 2007. On February 16, 2007, MCC Telephony of the Midwest, Inc. d/b/a Mediacom (Mediacom) filed a Petition to Intervene. SDTA filed a Petition to Intervene on February 16, 2007. On March 5, 2007, Swiftel filed its Opposition to the Petition to Intervene filed by Midcontinent. Intervention was granted to Midcontinent, SDN, Mediacom, and SDTA at the March 13, 2007, commission meeting. On July 9, 2007, the parties filed a Stipulation and requested a continuance of all deadlines for a period of seven months. The Commission approved the Stipulation and request for continuance of all deadlines at its August 7, 2007, meeting. A Stipulation for Continuance between Staff and the parties was filed on January 9, 2008.
TODAY, shall the Commission Approve the Stipulation for Continuance?
On January 8, 2008, Computer Network Technology Corporation ("CNT") and Bandwidth.com CLEC, LLC ("Bandwidth") filed an application that requests the Commission for approval or such other authority as may be necessary or required for Bandwidth to acquire the Certificate of Authority to provide interexchange telecommunications services and local exchange services granted to CNT on April 19, 2003, in Docket TC03-202 with the same conditions. The conditions in TC03-202 are that CNT not offer any prepaid services (including prepaid calling cards) and not accept or require any deposits or advance payments without prior approval of the Commission and that the Commission shall authorize CNT to offer its local exchange services in South Dakota, except in those areas served by a rural telephone company.
TODAY, shall the Commission Approve the Transfer of the Certificate of Authority from Computer Network Technology Corporation to Bandwidth.com CLEC, LLC?
Announcements
1. The next regularly scheduled Commission meeting will be held March 11, 2008, at 9:30 a.m. in Room 412, State Capitol Building, Pierre, SD.
2. Commission meetings are scheduled for March 25 and April 8, 2008.
3. Commissioners and Staff will be attending the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Winter Meetings in Washington, DC, February 17 – 20, 2008.
4. A hearing in Dockets TC07-129 through TC07-134 will be held in the Cactus Conference Room February 26, 2008, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
5. A public hearing in Docket EL08-001 will be held March 10, 2008, at 12:00 p.m. at the McKnight Community Center, 300 West Main St., White, SD.
6. An interconnection workshop as part of Docket EL06-018 will be held March 18 and 19, 2008, at the Kings Inn in Pierre, SD. The workshop will begin at 8:30 a.m. on March 18.
_______________________________
Heather K. Forney
Deputy Executive Director
February 20, 2008
