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Complaint Procedures
In Order No. 602 [TIF],
the Commission is revising its regulations governing complaints filed
with the Commission under the Federal Power Act, the Natural Gas Act, the Natural Gas
Policy Act, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, the Interstate
Commerce Act, and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The Final Rule is designed
to encourage and support consensual resolution of complaints, and to organize the
complaint procedures so that all complaints are handled in a timely and fair manner.
In order to organize the complaint procedures so that all complaints are handled in a
timely and fair manner, the Commission is revising Rule 206 of its Rules of Practice and
Procedure. Among other things, the Commission is requiring that complaints meet certain
informational requirements, requiring answers to be filed in a shorter, 20-day time frame,
and providing various paths for resolution of complaints, including Fast Track processing
for complaints that are highly time sensitive. The Commission is also adding a new Rule
218 providing for simplified procedures for complaints where the amount in controversy is
less than $100,000 and the impact on other entities is de minimis.
The Commission is codifying its current Enforcement Hotline procedures in Part 1b, Rules
Relating to Investigations and revising its alternative dispute resolution regulations
(Rules 604, 605 and 606) to conform to the changes made by the Administrative Dispute
Resolution Act of 1996. Finally, the Commission is revising certain sections of Part 343,
Procedural Rules Applicable to Oil Pipeline Proceedings, to conform to the changes in
the Commission's complaint procedures in Part 385 of the regulations.
On July 28, 1999, the Commission issued
Order No. 602-A [TIF], an Order on Rehearing and Clarification.
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