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CPUC: Expediting time frame on rate decision not necessary
The Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission said that the Legislature does not have to draft a bill for the commission to hasten the time for rate decisions.
After their meeting on Dec. 10, CPUC commissioner Dave Guerrero told Saipan Tribune that it wasn’t really necessary for legislation to take action on CPUC to come up with rate decisions faster.
“It is very important to have a strong report and cover all the issues that need to be covered. If we do so too fast then we might miss a very important issue and we will have to visit and therefore extending what we could have just taken care of in the first place,” Guerrero said.
CPUC chair Joseph Guerrero echoed his colleague’s words saying that the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. and the Legislature have to understand that coming up with rate decisions at a much faster time frame can result in moving back to correct the mistake.
“All in all, bills will be countered to the CPUC act and would be struck out as unenforceable unless you change the CPUC act and change areas of the CPUC act,” Joseph Guerrero said.
On Sept. 30, CUC board members discussed bringing up with the Legislature to draft a bill that would fasten CPUC to fasten its rate decisions.
Rep. Lorenzo I Deleon Guerrero (Ind-Saipan), who also chairs the House Committee on Public Utilities, Transportation, and Communications, volunteered to draft a bill, but had yet to receive a response from CUC board members.
Dave Guerrero said that it was not “really necessary” and it just depends on the amounts of issues presented to them to determine when they would get back and deal with whatever proposals that is before them.
“I don’t think it is necessary and do see the need to have a decision at a reasonable time and to prolong it generally makes CPUC less better off,” he said.
