Section 706 Of Article 1. Generally From California Public Utilities Code >> Division 1. >> Part 1. >> Chapter 4. >> Article 1.
706
. (a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the
following meanings:
(1) "Excess compensation" means any annual salary, bonus,
benefits, or other consideration of any value, paid to an officer of
an electrical corporation or gas corporation that is in excess of one
million dollars ($1,000,000).
(2) A "triggering event" occurs if, after January 1, 2013, an
electrical corporation or gas corporation violates a federal or state
safety regulation with respect to the plant and facility of the
utility and, as a proximate cause of that violation, ratepayers incur
a financial responsibility in excess of five million dollars
($5,000,000).
(b) For a five-year period following a triggering event, no
electrical corporation or gas corporation shall recover expenses for
excess compensation from ratepayers unless the utility complies with
the requirements of this section and obtains the approval of the
commission pursuant to this section.
(c) Any time within a five-year period following a triggering
event and prior to paying or seeking recovery of excess compensation,
an electrical corporation or gas corporation shall file an
application with the commission that, with respect to any officer to
whom it seeks to pay excess compensation, includes all of the
following:
(1) The compensation history for the officer.
(2) The proposed compensation to be paid to the officer, including
the compensation recovered from ratepayers and that paid solely by
shareholders of the utility.
(3) Whether any of the compensation paid to an officer was
previously included or proposed to be included in rates and any
justification for the proposed compensation.
(4) Any additional information required by the commission.
(d) As part of the proceeding to consider the application, the
commission shall consider the costs to ratepayers of the triggering
event. The commission shall hold not less than one duly noticed
public hearing in the proceeding. The commission shall issue a
written decision determining whether any expenses for excess
compensation proposed to be paid by the electrical corporation or gas
corporation should be recovered in rates, or if previously
authorized to be recovered in rates, should be refunded to
ratepayers.
(e) A person or corporation owning or operating a qualifying
facility pursuant to federal law or a facility that is an exempt
wholesale generator is not an electrical corporation due to the
ownership or operation of that facility. This subdivision is
declaratory of existing law.
(f) In every decision on a general rate case, the commission shall
require all authorized executive compensation to be placed in a
balancing account, memorandum account, or other appropriate mechanism
so that this section can be implemented without violating any
prohibition on retroactive ratemaking.