The administrative law judge for the California Public Utilities Commission today recommended that the CPUC grant Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) their requested $14 million study money.

This DECISION grants PG&E the authority to record up to $14 million in costs for external consultants to prepare a study to evaluate the feasibility of obtaining wind-generated and other renewable electric power from various regions in British Columbia, Canada (BC Renewable Study).

The decision modifies and then approves the general scope of the study while deferring to PG&E the responsibility to prudently manage and direct the detailed feasibility analysis. PG&E will record the study costs in a new BC Renewable Study Balancing Account and may seek recovery of the costs in a subsequent reasonableness review proceeding upon completion of the study. The decision denies PG&E's request for pre-approval of the reasonableness and automatic recovery of the study costs via its existing Utility Generation Balancing Account.

Finally, this decision rejects the counter-proposals of interested parties to specifically require PG&E to award a portion of the study funding to Pacific Power Partnership (P3), or to deny or limit PG&E's authority to study renewable resource options beyond California and contiguous states.

Details are in the ALJ Long's Proposed Decision - Final Opinion Authorizing PG&E to Perform a Feasibility Study of Wind-Generated and Other Renewable Electric Power in British Columbia.

Click http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/EFILE/PD/64196.pdf If there is a problem with this, contact sid@cpuc.ca.gov or call 415-703-2547.