Report 2013-109 Recommendation 9 Responses
Report 2013-109: California Public Utilities Commission: Improved Monitoring of Balancing Accounts Would Better Ensure That Utility Rates Are Fair and Reasonable (Release Date: March 2014)
Recommendation #9 To: Public Advocates Office
To further its mission to obtain the lowest possible rates for reliable and safe utility service for ratepayers through its reviews of balancing accounts, Ratepayer Advocates should coordinate with the commission's Energy Division to avoid duplicating review efforts.
6-Month Agency Response
ORA water and energy staff meet routinely with Division of Water and Audits and Energy Division to make them aware of the audits that ORA will be performing, so that these divisions can decide on which audits still need to be performed.
- Completion Date: July 2014
- Response Date: October 2014
California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Fully Implemented
60-Day Agency Response
The "First Month of Full Implementation" is not relevent to this recommendation because the audits that ORA performs have always been available to the commission's other divisions. ORA's audits are part of the evidentiary record in a commission proceding and are therfore available to the commissions Energy Division and Division of Water and Audits. ORA is working with both divisions to make them aware of when we are performing audits and for which accounts, as an additional measure of certainty that they are monitoring the proceedings at the Commission.
- Completion Date: January 2012
- Response Date: May 2014
California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending
Our recommendation aims to ensure that Ratepayer Advocates and the commission's Energy Division do not duplicate their efforts by reviewing the same balancing accounts. Although the reviews of balancing accounts may be available to the commission staff after they have been concluded, this approach would not be effective in avoiding duplication. In order to avoid duplication of effort, Ratepayer Advocates needs to inform the commission staff of the balancing accounts it plans to review as soon as it finalizes its review plans.
- Auditee did not substantiate its claim of full implementation
- Auditee did not address all aspects of the recommendation
All Recommendations in 2013-109
Agency responses received are posted verbatim.