Summary of Energy Division's New Recommendations

Energy Division recommends each of the following:

· West Coast Gas Company should be allocated $2,240 of the Senate Bill 5 from the first extraordinary session of 2001 (SBx1 5) California Alternate Rate for Energy (CARE) monies for the one-time costs submitted in its proposal, which is attached to this update.

· Alpine Natural Gas Operating Utility should be allocated $2,895 of the SBx1 5 CARE monies for the one-time costs submitted in its proposal, which is attached to this update, and for developing and printing customer CARE application forms and installing a voice-message system.

· Alpine Natural Gas Operating Utility should be allocated $3,000 of the SBx1 5 CARE monies to provide for the subsidy of any of Alpine Natural Gas Operating Company's customers that qualify for and receive the CARE discount.

· Mountain Utilities should not be required to develop a CARE program, at this time.

· The Commission should order that the economic demographics of Mountain Utilities' service area, based on reported census information, should be researched in Phase II of the Commission's Needs Assessment Study. The Commission should evaluate the results to determine if Mountain Utilities should be required to offer a CARE program in the future or if such demographic information should be researched periodically in the future.

· West Coast Gas Company and Alpine Natural Gas Operating Company should be required to file advice letters seeking approval for their CARE program tariffs and customer CARE application forms.

· West Coast Gas Company and Alpine Natural Gas Operating Company should be required to submit monthly CARE reports to Energy Division.

· The Commission should order that ethnic demographics based on recorded census information in each of the SMJU's service areas should be researched in Phase II of the upcoming Needs Assessment Study. The Commission should evaluate the results to determine if the SMJU's CARE outreach materials should be required in multi-lingual formats or if such demographic information should be researched periodically in the future.

· West Coast Gas Company and Alpine Natural Gas Operating Company should be required to provide quarterly notices about the CARE program on a forward facing page of their customers' bills.

· West Coast Gas Company and Alpine Natural Gas Operating Company should be required to develop CARE participation goals as required by AB (X1) 3.

· West Coast Gas Company and Alpine Natural Gas Operating Company should be required to have a LIEE program appropriate to the needs of their low-income customers.

· West Coast Gas Company and Alpine Natural Gas Operating Company should be required to work with Energy Division to develop an appropriate LIEE program.

· Similar to the other SMJU, Energy Division recommends that on July 1, 2002, Alpine Natural Gas Operating Company and West Coast Gas Company be directed to provide an application with their post-2002 low-income program plans. The Commission should direct that these utilities be required to propose LIEE programs in their July 1^st applications. As part of their July 1^st applications, West Coast Gas Company and Alpine Natural Gas Operating Company should also be required to develop a balancing account for recovery of CARE program administrative costs and also for the CARE subsidy, if they don't already have one.