Kentucky PSC Issues Order Involving Drakesboro Natural Gas

FRANKFORT, Kentucky, Jan. 17 (TNSsro) -- The Kentucky Public Service Commission issued the following order (Case No. 2019-00065):

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In the Matter of: City Of Drakesboro dba Drakesboro Natural Gas Company - Electronic Investigation Of Alleged Failure To Comply With KRS 278.495, 807 KAR 5:027, And 49 C.F.R. Part 192

COMMISSION STAFF'S FIRST REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON REHEARING TO THE CITY OF DRAKESBORO, KENTUCKY

The city of Drakesboro, Kentucky, d/b/a Drakesboro Natural Gas Company (Drakesboro), pursuant to 807 KAR 5:001E, is to file with the Commission an electronic version of the following information. The information requested is due on February 8, 2023. The Commission directs Drakesboro to the Commission's July 22, 2021 Order in Case No. 2020-00085/1 regarding filings with the Commission. Electronic documents shall be in portable document format (PDF), shall be searchable, and shall be appropriately bookmarked.

Each response shall include the question to which the response is made and shall include the name of the witness responsible for responding to the questions related to the information provided. Each response shall be answered under oath or, for representatives of a public or private corporation or a partnership or association or a governmental agency, be accompanied by a signed certification of the preparer or the person supervising the preparation of the response on behalf of the entity that the response is true and accurate to the best of that person's knowledge, information, and belief formed after a reasonable inquiry.

Drakesboro shall make timely amendment to any prior response if Drakesboro obtains information that indicates the response was incorrect when made or, though correct when made, is now incorrect in any material respect. For any request to which Drakesboro fails or refuses to furnish all or part of the requested information, Drakesboro shall provide a written explanation of the specific grounds for its failure to completely and precisely respond.

Careful attention shall be given to copied material to ensure that it is legible. When the requested information has been previously provided in this proceeding in the requested format, reference may be made to the specific location of that information in responding to this request. When applicable, the requested information shall be separately provided for total company operations and jurisdictional operations. When filing a paper containing personal information, Drakesboro shall, in accordance with 807 KAR 5:001E, Section 4(10), encrypt or redact the paper so that personal information cannot be read.

Drakesboro shall utilize the procedures for filing confidential material contained in Commission regulation 807 KAR 5:001E, Section 13(2) when filing a response containing information to which KRS 61.878 applies.

1. Provide a detailed list and supporting documentation for all grant applications made by Drakesboro, in an effort to secure funds to rehabilitate its natural gas distribution gas system, since November 15, 2019, including the name or title of the grant, funding source, date Drakesboro submitted a completed funding application, the dollar amount of funding for which Drakesboro applied, and the response received from the funding source. Consider this an ongoing request during the pendency of this proceeding./2

2. Provide a detailed list and supporting documentation for all other applications for funding made by Drakesboro since November 15, 2019 in an effort to secure funding to rehabilitate its natural gas system, include the financial institution or funding source, amount of funding requested, date a completed application was made, Drakesboro's purpose for making the application, and any response received./3

3. Explain Drakesboro's efforts to identify possible sources of grant funding to aid in the rehabilitation of its natural gas distribution system.

4. Provide the name of the engineering firm with which Drakesboro is currently working to accomplish the items listed in ordering paragraph three of the Commission's February 25, 2021 Order in this proceeding.

5. State which items in ordering paragraph three of the Commission's February 25, 2021 Order this engineering firm was engaged to address.

6. Provide a status update for items listed in ordering paragraphs 3a, 3b, and 3c of the Commission's February 25, 2021 Order.

7. Identify the individual(s) currently operating Drakesboro's system.

8. Provide a list of maintenance activities Drakesboro employees are conducting.

9. Provide a list of maintenance activities being performed by a contractor(s).

10. Provide the covered tasks for which Drakesboro employees have obtained operator qualifications and the date on which those qualifications were obtained.

11. Provide documentation to support hands-on verification of the response to Item 10.

12. Provide the covered tasks performed by a contractor(s) having operator qualifications.

13. Provide documentation to support hands-on verification of the operator qualification for those employees of the contractor(s) who are performing tasks for which operator qualifications are necessary.

Linda C. Bridwell, PE

Executive Director

Public Service Commission

P.O. Box 615

Frankfort, KY 40602

DATED Jan. 17, 2023

cc: Parties of Record

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Footnotes:

1/ Case No. 2020-00085, Electronic Emergency Docket Related to the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 (Ky. PSC July 22, 2021), Order (in which the Commission ordered that for case filings made on and after March 16, 2020, filers are NOT required to file the original physical copies of the filings required by 807 KAR 5:001, Section 8).

2/ See KRS 61.878 for exceptions to the statutory requirement that all records submitted to a public agency, such as the Commission, be available for public inspection. See also 807 KAR 5:001, Section 13(2) for the procedures to file information subject to a request for confidential protection with the Commission.

3/ See KRS 61.878 for exceptions to the statutory requirement that all records submitted to a public agency, such as the Commission, be available for public inspection. See also 807 KAR 5:001, Section 13(2) for the procedures to file information subject to a request for confidential protection with the Commission.

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Original text here: https://psc.ky.gov/order_vault/Orders_2023/201900065_01172023.pdf