Southern California Edison Responds to CPUC Judge’s Ruling
August 20 2015 - 8:36PM
Business Wire
Southern California Edison (SCE) today responded to a ruling by
a California Public Utilities Commission administrative law judge
regarding SCE’s communication with commission officials.
The administrative law judge’s ruling, while not finding that
any of SCE’s communications with commission officials were
prohibited under the rules, found that several should have been
reported. In a reply submitted today to the commission, SCE said it
did not believe it engaged in any communications that were
reportable under commission rules except for one March 2013 meeting
which SCE voluntarily disclosed last Feb. 9 after learning new
information.
Today’s filing is part of the commission’s proceeding regarding
the shutdown of the San Onofre nuclear plant. The judge’s ruling
found that the vast majority of SCE’s communications with
commission officials complied with the rules, but also found that
10 such communications, while permitted under the rules, should
have been reported.
SCE disputed nine communications and acknowledged one that
should have been reported — a March 26, 2013 meeting. SCE noted
there is no evidence this meeting affected the negotiation of the
San Onofre settlement, and a declaration of a commission employee
who attended the meeting confirmed that no agreement was
reached.
“SCE strives to comply with the commission’s rules by exhibiting
the highest standards of ethics and integrity,” said Pedro Pizarro,
president of SCE. “SCE believed the March 2013 meeting was not
reportable under the commission’s rules, based on the information
provided at the time. It was not until early 2015 that SCE learned
additional information that indicated a report should be
filed.”
In addition to the voluntary ex parte notice filed earlier this
year, Pizarro noted SCE has strengthened its internal procedures to
promote compliance with the commission’s rules governing ex parte
communication.
SCE pointed out that parties who most vociferously seek the
imposition of penalties against SCE have themselves engaged in
unreported communications with decision-makers. One such party is
even seeking to be compensated for time spent by its personnel
engaging in such communications. SCE believes the ambiguity of
existing rules underscores the importance of the commission’s
advocacy for a transparent process to govern the necessary exchange
of information between the commission and those it regulates.
In April 2014, six parties, representing consumer, environmental
and labor interests as well as SCE and San Diego Gas & Electric
Co., proposed a settlement of the commission’s proceeding on San
Onofre. The commission, after an extensive and public proceeding,
unanimously approved the settlement.
SCE is focused on safely decommissioning San Onofre, guided by
core principles of safety, stewardship and engagement. SCE has
established a Community Engagement Panel to support those
principles. For more information, visit songscommunity.com.
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company,
Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric
utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 5 million
customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within
Central, Coastal and Southern California.
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Southern California EdisonMedia Contact:Maureen Brown, (626)
302-2255orInvestor Relations Contact:Scott Cunningham, (626)
302-2540
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