In a move that could break loose a California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) decision on the $300 million-plus 2003 general rate case of Pacific Gas and Electric Co., CPUC Commissioner Geoffrey Brown late last week released a new alternate decision on the case that was settled by the utility last year. Comments on the alternate are due by May 20 to the CPUC and it could be considered by the regulators at their next regular business meeting May 27.

Brown’s alternate proposed decision “adopts the distribution and generation settlements as proposed in the comprehensive settlement agreement.” It uses the settlement’s work with all major stakeholders to set the PG&E utility’s revenue requirements for electric generation, and electric and natural gas distribution operations.

The settlement’s retail utility rates have been effective retroactive to Jan. 1, 2003, subject to the final CPUC decision. Those rates include a $236 million annual distribution power rate increase, $38 million increase for electric generation and $52 million for natural gas.

Brown’s proposal differs from a CPUC Administrative Law Judge’s (ALJ) proposed decision in that it “would adopt the provisions for a minimum attrition adjustment amount for the utility in 2004, 2005 and 2006.” The ALJ’s proposal called for deleting these provisions of the settlement agreement.

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