II. Procedural Summary

Following the issuance of the order instituting rulemaking (OIR), the Chief Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) sent our Notice of Proposed Regulatory Action to the Office of Administrative Law which duly printed the notice in the California Regulatory Notice Register of May 19, 2006. The OIR was also sent to persons on a service list commonly used for such procedural purposes.

Opening comments on the rules amendments and program revision were received on or before July 5, 2006 from the Greenlining Institute, Latino Issues Forum, San Diego Gas & Electric Company and Southern California Gas Company (jointly), Pacific Gas and Electric Company, and the "Joint Parties" consisting of The Utility Reform Network (TURN), Aglet Consumer Alliance, Green Power Institute, Utility Consumers' Action Network, Disability Rights Advocates, Consumer Federation of California, Union of Concerned Scientists, San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, and Latino Issues Forum.¹ Reply comments were received from Southern California Edison Company, Pacific Bell Telephone Company (a.k.a. AT&T California), California-American Water Company, Public Advocates, Inc., and Pacific Gas and Electric Company on July 17, 2006 and, with the permission of the ALJ, from TURN on July 18, 2006.

The OIR attached the proposed amendments in strikethrough-and-underline format relative to the Rules of Practice and Procedure that were in effect as of that date. On July 20, 2006, the Commission issued D.06-07-006 adopting comprehensive amendments to the Rules of Practice and Procedure, including the rules that are the subject of this OIR. Specifically, this OIR addresses Rules 76.73, 76.74, and 76.75. D.06-07-006 repeals Rule 76.73, as proposed (and unopposed in comments) in this OIR, makes minor edits to Rules 76.74 and 76.75, and renumbers them as Rules 17.1 and 17.4, respectively. Accordingly, on the expectation that the Rules of Practice and Procedure adopted in D.06-07-006 will be codified before this proceeding is closed, the amendments adopted in this decision are shown in the attachment relative to the newly adopted rules.

¹ Although Latino Issues Forum is not listed as a member of the Joint Parties in their opening comments, it indicates in its separate comments that it has signed on to and fully supports the comments of the Joint Parties.