 |
Oklahoma Administrative Code (Last Updated: March 11, 2021) |
 |
TITLE 165. Corporation Commission |
|
Chapter 70. Minimum Standard Filing Requirements in Support of a Request by a Public Utility Doing Business in Oklahoma for a Proposed General Rate Change |
|
Subchapter 1. General Provisions |
SECTION 165:70-1-2. Definitions
Latest version.
- The following words and terms, when used in this Chapter, shall have the following meaning, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:"Accounting method" means the accounting method prescribed by the applicable uniform system of accounts for Class A and B utilities or as published by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners for Class C and D utilities or other accounting methods approved by the Commission."Annual operating revenues" means those revenues which are recorded as revenue in the accounts of the utility, resulting from all sales of commodities or services or from other uses of the utility property."Application package" means the required schedules and testimony filed by a Class A or B utility to initiate a general rate change. See 165:70-3-1 and 165:70-5-4."Attorney General" means the Attorney General of the State of Oklahoma."Combination utility" means a utility which provides more than one commodity or service (e.g. electric and water, gas and water, etc.). For combination utilities, departmental operating revenues shall be used for classification purposes."Commission" means the Oklahoma Corporation Commission."Confidentiality agreement" means the formal agreement executed by the utility, the Staff, and other parties when necessary to protect information provided pursuant to this Chapter."Cost of service" means the cost of providing service to a defined segment of customers, class of service or service category."DSC" means the commonly-used acronym for debt service coverage which is a financial ratio computed as: (Net Margins + Interest on Long-term Debt + Depreciation) divided by (Interest on Long-term Debt + Principal payments on Long-term Debt)."Days" mean calendar days unless specifically defined otherwise; this applies to #-day periods (e.g. 45-day period) as well."Deficient filing" means a filing which does not substantially comply with the formal or procedural requirements of this Chapter."Department" means a responsibility center within a combination utility where revenues and costs are accumulated by a commodity or service rendered."Depreciated original cost" means the cost of property when first devoted to public service, less the depreciation reserve, which shall include accrued depreciation and amortization. Depreciated original cost shall not include any goodwill, going concern value or payments in excess of the actual cost of the property."Director" means the Director of the Public Utilities Division of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission."Exhibit" means one or more schedules and/or testimony which supports a rate filing in a rate proceeding."Filing" means the required appropriate application package filed by a utility to initiate a general rate change. See 165:70-1-1, 165:70-3-1, 165:70-5-1 and 165:70-7-1."General rate change" means a change in rates and charges which exceeds three percent (3%) based on the previous twelve (12) months revenue generated by the existing rates for an association or electric cooperative subject to the Commission's jurisdiction pursuant to 17 O.S. Section 158.27 et seq; or a change in rates resulting in more than a one percent (1%) increase in a utility's jurisdictional annual gross operating revenues unless otherwise allowed by law. A change mandated by regulation or legislation, a change in the terms and conditions of service, a request for a special contract, or a request for a new and/or optional service does not constitute a general rate change."Last test year(-end)" means the test period used in the utility's last general rate change before the Commission."NARUC" means the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners."Notes payable" means an interest-bearing certificate of debt containing a formal written promise to pay a specified sum at a fixed future date and to pay interest periodically with a maturity exceeding one year."Notice of intent" means the formal notification provided by a utility of its intent to make an application for a general rate change. See 165:70-3-7."OCC" means the Oklahoma Corporation Commission."Original cost" means the actual cost of the property at the time when it was first dedicated to public service whether by the utility or by its predecessors in title."Outstanding obligation" means any delinquent payment due for a utility's fee assessment in Oklahoma or unpaid OCC fines."Preceding or prior year" means the normal reporting period, fiscal, or calendar year, or a twelve-month period preceding the test year utilized in the filing."Pro forma adjustments" means adjustments made to test year results and balances for known and measurable changes to obtain a normal or representative relationship between revenues, expenses, and rate base."Pro forma income statement" means a utility income statement after pro forma adjustments that reflects the results of adjusted and normalized revenues and expenses, for the test year and the annualized income effect of the proposed rate adjustment(s)."Pro forma rate base" means rate base after pro forma adjustments."REC" means rural electric cooperative."Rate class" means a service or group of customers as defined in the utility's tariffs."Rate schedule" means a schedule of rates, charges, and conditions for a specific classification of customer or for other specific services."Staff" means the Staff of the Commission or its designated representatives."Staff response" means the formal declaration by the Commission Staff that a utility's application either satisfies the Commission requirements or is deficient. See 165:70-3-1."Subsequent event" means any occurrence transpiring after the end of the test year utilized in a utility's application."Supplemental package" means the set of schedules, exhibits or other documentation which supports the application package. See 165:70-5-20 and following."TIER" means the commonly-used acronym for times interest earned ratio which is a financial ratio computed as: (Margins + Interest on Long-term Debt) divided by Interest on Long-term Debt."Tariff symbols" means the following tariff symbols to be used for all proposed rate schedules:(A) "AT" - Addition to text(B) "C" - Correction(C) "CP" - Change in practice(D) "CR" - Change in rate(E) "CT - Change in text(F) "DR" - Discontinued rate(G) "FC" - Change in format lettering or numbering(H) "MT" - Moved text(I) "NR" - New rate(J) "RT" - Removal of text"Test year" means the twelve (12) month period used in determining rate base, operating income and rate of return."13-month balances" means the end of the month balance in an account for each of the twelve (12) months of the test year plus the month immediately preceding the beginning of the test year."Uniform System Of Accounts (USOA)" means the system of accounts as currently prescribed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), those systems as published by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) or other accounting methods approved by the Commission."Utilities" means companies which are subject to OCC regulation under the following statutes: Title 17, Sections 131 et seq, 151, 152, 158.27 et seq, 160.1 et seq, and 181, Oklahoma Statutes, as amended, and shall, for purposes of this Chapter, include public service and transmission companies, rural telephone cooperatives, and all other entities which now or in the future are placed within the jurisdiction of the Commission for the purpose of regulation of their rates and charges for public service."Working capital" means the average investment required to fund daily operating expenditures and a variety of nonplant assets that are necessary to sustain ongoing operations of the utility.