PUC seeks higher fee cap to sustain staffing and oversight, agency says

PUC asks Legislature to raise utility assessment cap to fund staffing, oversight

The House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment on Thursday heard testimony on House Bill 2,370, which would raise the maximum annual fee the Oregon Public Utility Commission may assess on utilities from 0.45% to 0.55% of utilities’ gross operating revenues. PUC officials told the committee the change is needed to maintain staff and regulatory functions as the agency’s workload grows.

The measure matters because the PUC receives no general or lottery funds and is funded by assessments on the gross operating revenues of the utilities it regulates; agency officials said current revenue projections would not sustain present staffing and oversight levels without the higher statutory cap.

Mike Grant, former executive director at the Oregon Public Utility Commission, and Mandy Standiford, the commission’s chief operating officer, testified in support of the bill. “Let me remind you that the PUC receives no general funds or lottery funds,” Grant said, explaining why the commission relies on the statutory assessment.…