The Intervenor Compensation Program
"California Public Utilities Code allows certain individuals or groups that participate in proceedings before the California Public Utilities Commission involving electric, gas, water, and telephone utilities to request compensation for the costs associated with that participation."
NOPOC, with the help of our legal council, is currently hard at work ensuring that it (the association) is a party to the proceedings, completing, and submitting the required forms to establish eligibility to ultimately claim compensation. If we are approved for the intervenor program, we will need to retain a legal council who is qualified to participate in CPUC hearings, which is a specialty unto itself, and is willing to participate in the intervenor program, which often means they do not get payed till the end of the process. While all this is extra work, it is necessary in order for NOPOC to continue its work beyond the Draft Environmental Impact Report as legal and engineering costs will quickly escalate beyond our communities ability to raise money.
The money we are raising at the moment is allowing us to pay for the power engineer, as well as expenses related to filing for the Intervenor Compensation Program and community communications etc. and filing our argument in the Draft EIR. However, this money can not be claimed under the Intervenor Compensation Program as we are not yet in a proceeding as that occurs after the Environmental Impact Report is finalized.
NOPOC, with the help of our legal council, is currently hard at work ensuring that it (the association) is a party to the proceedings, completing, and submitting the required forms to establish eligibility to ultimately claim compensation. If we are approved for the intervenor program, we will need to retain a legal council who is qualified to participate in CPUC hearings, which is a specialty unto itself, and is willing to participate in the intervenor program, which often means they do not get payed till the end of the process. While all this is extra work, it is necessary in order for NOPOC to continue its work beyond the Draft Environmental Impact Report as legal and engineering costs will quickly escalate beyond our communities ability to raise money.
The money we are raising at the moment is allowing us to pay for the power engineer, as well as expenses related to filing for the Intervenor Compensation Program and community communications etc. and filing our argument in the Draft EIR. However, this money can not be claimed under the Intervenor Compensation Program as we are not yet in a proceeding as that occurs after the Environmental Impact Report is finalized.