The California Public Utilities Commission unanimously voted Sept. 3 to open a rulemaking to rewrite the General Rate Case Plan, the framework that governs how electric and gas utilities file and justify rate-case requests.
Commissioners said the plan has not been comprehensively updated since 2007. The new proceeding is intended to standardize utility filings, improve transparency and bring the process into line with newer statutes, including AB 2666, AB 2847 and SB 254, according to the meeting materials and transcript.
The commission also said the rulemaking will more closely connect rate-case filings with wildfire-mitigation planning. Beginning with filings submitted after Jan. 1, 2027, utilities will be expected to include energy-safety-approved wildfire mitigation plans and forecasted costs, with revised plans required after commission approval, according to the meeting summary.
The vote on Item 50 was unanimous, and the opening order was approved 5-0 at the public voting meeting. The item was described in the commission’s meeting materials as an order instituting rulemaking to revise the General Rate Case Plan.
The commission’s Sept. 3 voting meeting also included other actions on PG&E and public comments on landline service, but the rate-case overhaul was one of the most consequential policy moves on the agenda.
