Comments on an Office of Public Participation
By Tyson Slocum
Today Public Citizen filed comments with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Docket No. AD21-9 with suggestions detailing how it should set up the Office of Public Participation. The mission of the Office of Public Participation should be to help individuals and the public interest get on the record in Commission proceedings and to participate in FERC-sanctioned activities such as Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) stakeholder events. To accomplish these objectives, the Office should have two broad functions:
- Provide extensive outreach to identify and directly engage with members of the public and public interest organizations that will be impacted by any proceeding before the Commission and Commission-jurisdictional consideration, educate individuals and organizations as to how they could be impacted; and assist the party with on the record participation at the Commission.
- Coordinate direct financial assistance to ensure members of the public and public interest entities can meaningfully participate in Commission proceedings and FERC-sanctioned activities.
- Coordination must include administrating financial compensation for qualified intervenors in FERC proceedings.
- For Most In Need intervenors, the Office should oversee a Public Interest Attorney Referral Program to provide immediate, up-front assistance for those intervenors that cannot ride out the intervenor compensation process.
Read our full comments here: OPPApril23Comment