FERC Chairman James J. Hoecker announced yesterday that staffhas developed new timelines that could reduce the litigation timeby one-third for cases set for hearing before the Commission’sadministrative law judges (ALJ). The new timelines take effectimmediately, and apply to new cases and any pending cases thathaven’t had a procedural schedule set by a presiding judge.

“I expect substantial time savings in many cases. Today, we makea public commitment to speed up the processing of cases set forhearing,” Hoecker said at the bi-weekly Commission meetingWednesday.

Under the expedited timeframe, a hearing date for simpleproceedings, other than complaints, would be scheduled within 19.5weeks. Reply briefs would be due in 25.5 weeks, and an initialdecision would be forthcoming in 29.5 weeks. For complexproceedings, excluding complaints, a hearing date would be setwithin 32 weeks, with reply briefs due in 40 weeks and an initialdecision in 47 weeks.

For exceptionally complex cases, excluding complaints, a hearingdate would be scheduled within 42 weeks, with reply briefs due in53 weeks and an initial decision in 63 weeks. Merger cases will beprocessed according to the timelines in the Commission’s mergerpolicy, which call for a final order on most applications within 12to 15 months of the date an application is filed.

As for complaints, FERC will follow the deadlines spelled out inits final rule [RM98-13]. For “fast-track” complaints, a hearingdate will be set within three days, oral argument in lieu of briefswill be due in five days, and an initial decision will be issued ineight days. For other complaints before an ALJ, a hearing date willbe set within 30 days, with reply briefs due in 45 days and aninitial decision issued in 60 days.

The new time schedules are available on the Commission’s website at www.ferc.fed.us under “What’s New.”

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