(a) The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and the Office of Consumer Counsel are authorized to participate in proceedings before agencies of the federal government and the federal courts on matters affecting utility services rendered or to be rendered in this state.

(b) For any proceeding before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the United States Department of Energy or the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or appeal thereof, the Attorney General, upon request of the authority, may retain outside legal counsel in accordance with section 3-125 to participate in such proceedings on behalf of the authority. All reasonable and proper expenses of such outside legal counsel shall be borne by the public service companies, certified telecommunications providers, electric suppliers or gas registrants that are affected by the decisions of such proceedings and shall be paid at such times and in such manner as the authority directs, provided such expenses shall be apportioned in proportion to the revenues of each affected entity as reported to the authority for purposes of section 16-49 for the most recent period, and provided further such expenses shall not exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars per proceeding, including any appeals thereof, in any calendar year unless the authority finds good cause for exceeding the limit and the affected entities have an opportunity, after reasonable notice, to comment on the proposed overage. All such legal expenses shall be recognized by the authority as proper business expenses of the affected entities for rate-making purposes, as provided in section 16-19e, if applicable.

(c) For any proceeding before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the United States Department of Energy, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the United States Department of Justice or the Federal Communications Commission, or appeal thereof, the Attorney General, upon request of the Office of Consumer Counsel, may retain outside legal counsel in accordance with section 3-125 to participate in such proceedings on behalf of the office, provided the work performed on behalf of the office shall not include lobbying activities, as defined in 2 USC 1602. All reasonable and proper expenses of such outside legal counsel shall be borne by the public service companies, certified telecommunications providers, electric suppliers or gas registrants that are affected by the decisions of such proceedings and shall be paid at such times and in such manner as the office directs, provided such expenses shall be apportioned in proportion to the revenues of each affected entity as reported to the authority for purposes of section 16-49 for the most recent period, and provided further such expenses shall not exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars, including any appeals thereof, in any calendar year. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority shall recognize all such legal expenses as proper business expenses of the affected entities for rate-making purposes, as provided in section 16-19e, if applicable.

(1963, P.A. 167; P.A. 75-486, S. 1, 69; P.A. 77-614, S. 162, 610; P.A. 80-482, S. 42, 348; P.A. 97-3, S. 1, 2; P.A. 00-107, S. 1, 3; P.A. 05-264, S. 1; P.A. 11-80, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 75-486 replaced public utilities commission with public utilities control authority; P.A. 77-614 replaced public utilities control authority with division of public utility control within the department of business regulation, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 80-482 made division an independent department and deleted reference to abolished department of business regulation; P.A. 97-3 designated existing language as Subsec. (a) and added language re federal courts, and added Subsec. (b) re the retention of outside legal counsel, effective February 14, 1997; P.A. 00-107 amended Subsec. (b) by adding reference to United States Department of Energy, by adding certified telecommunications providers, electric suppliers and gas registrants to the entities required to pay expenses of legal counsel and by making conforming technical changes, effective May 26, 2000; P.A. 05-264 amended Subsec. (a) to add reference to the Office of Consumer Counsel, made a technical change in Subsec. (b) and added Subsec. (c) re retention of outside legal counsel on behalf of the Office of Consumer Counsel; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Department of Public Utility Control” and “department” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Public Utilities Regulatory Authority” and “authority”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011.