VII SCHEDULE OF PROCEEDING

As we stated earlier, the Commission will set hearings to review the issues raised by this matter. The Commission intends to set a prehearing conference to consider and adopt a hearing schedule and to schedule other matters for this proceeding.

The Commission staff and NTSB have not finished their investigations of San Bruno. At this point, we encourage the Commission staff to participate actively in whatever investigation they deem appropriate by virtue of the San Bruno tragedy. Our staff has represented to us that they are in the process of retaining consultants to analyze the issues in this investigation and to provide testimony reflected those analyses. While staff is investigating matters involving San Bruno, both inside and outside this investigation, we impose a moratorium on any party's discovery of the Commission staff and its outside consultants or experts. The Commission will end this moratorium on discovery of staff and its consultants at an appropriate time soon after staff and staff consultants provide written testimony and analysis in this proceeding. In the meantime staff's investigation may include appropriate discovery of PG&E.

The Commission staff has informed us that it is in the process of retaining one or more consultants and expert witnesses to testify in this proceeding. We encourage staff to continue with that process. No party may conduct discovery of such persons until they serve reports or testimony in this proceeding.

A. Categorization of Proceeding

This proceeding is categorized as adjudicatory.  Ex parte communications are prohibited.  The determination as to category is appealable under Rule 7.6 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure.