Ads for The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department Of Public Utilities in Boston, MA

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC UTILITIES NOTICE OF FILING, PUBLIC HEARING, AND REQUEST FOR COMMENTS D.P.U. 24-180 December 10, 2024 Petition of The Berkshire Gas Company to the Department of Public Utilities pursuant to G.L. c. 164, 69I, for Review and Approval of its Long-Range Forecast and Supply Plan for the split-years 2024/2025 to 2028/2029. ____________________ On November 18, 2024, The Berkshire Gas Company ("Company") filed a petition with the Department of Public Utilities ("Department") for approval of its Long-Range Forecast and Supply Plan ("Plan") for the split-years 2024/2025 to 2028/2029. Pursuant to G.L. c. 164, 69I, the Department must ensure a necessary gas supply for the Commonwealth at the lowest possible cost. Accordingly, the Department will review the Company's Plan to ensure that the forecast accurately projects the gas sendout requirement of the utility's market area. The Department has docketed this matter as D.P.U. 24-180. The Department will conduct a virtual public hearing to receive comments on the Company's filing. If necessary, the public hearing will be immediately followed by a procedural conference. The Department will conduct the hearing using Zoom videoconferencing on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, beginning at 2:00 p.m. Attendees can join by entering the link, https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85627239296, from a computer, smartphone, or tablet. No prior software download is required. For audio only access to the hearings, attendees can dial in at 646-558-8656 (not toll free) and then enter the Meeting ID# 856 2723 9296. If you anticipate providing comments via Zoom during the public hearing, please send an email by the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, to julianne.desmet@mass.gov with your name, email address, and mailing address. If you anticipate commenting by telephone, please leave a voicemail message by Tuesday, January 7, 2025, at 617-305-3626 with your name, telephone number, and mailing address. Any person interested in commenting on this matter may submit written comments no later than the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. Written comments from the public may be sent by email to dpu.efiling@mass.gov, julianne.desmet@mass.gov, and the Company's attorneys, Kevin Penders at kpenders@keeganwerlin.com and Steven Frias at sfrias@keeganwerlin.com. Please note that in the interest of transparency any comments will be posted to our website as received and without redacting personal information, such as addresses, telephone numbers, or email addresses. As such, consider the extent of information you wish to share when submitting comments. The Department strongly encourages public comments to be submitted by email. If, however, a member of the public is unable to send written comments by email, a paper copy may be sent to Mark D. Marini, Secretary, Department of Public Utilities, One South Station, Boston, Massachusetts, 02110. Any person who desires to participate otherwise in the evidentiary phase of this proceeding shall file a petition for leave to intervene no later than 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. A petition for leave to intervene must satisfy the timing and substantive requirements of 220 CMR 1.03. Receipt by the Department constitutes filing and determines whether a petition has been timely filed. A petition filed late may be disallowed as untimely, unless good cause is shown for waiver under 220 CMR 1.01(4). To be allowed, a petition under 220 CMR 1.03(1) must satisfy the standing requirements of G.L. c. 30A, 10. All responses to petitions to intervene must be filed by the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on the second business day after the petition to intervene was filed. The Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts ("Attorney General") filed a notice to intervene in this matter pursuant to G.L. c. 12, 11E(a). Further, pursuant to G.L. c. 12, 11E(b), the Attorney General filed a notice of intent to retain experts and consultants to assist in her investigation of the Company's filing and has requested Department approval to spend up to $150,000 in this regard. Pursuant to G.L. c. 12, 11E(b), the costs incurred by the Attorney General relative to her retention of experts and consultants may be recovered in the Company's rates. Any person interested in commenting on the Attorney General's notice of intent to retain experts and consultants may submit written comments to the Department no later than the close of business (5:00 p.m.) on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. All documents should be submitted to the Department in .pdf format by email attachment to dpu.efiling@mass.gov and julianne.desmet@mass.gov. The text of the email must specify: (1) the docket number of the proceeding (D.P.U. 24-180); (2) the name of the person or company submitting the filing; and (3) a brief descriptive title of the document. All documents submitted in electronic format will be posted on the Department's website through our online File Room as soon as practicable (enter "24-180") at: https://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/DPU/Fileroom/dockets/bynumber. In addition, one copy of all written comments and petitions to intervene should be emailed to the Company's attorneys, Kevin Penders at kpenders@keeganwerlin.com and Steven Frias at sfrias@keeganwerlin.com. The filing and all subsequent related documents submitted to the Department or issued by the Department will be available on the Department's website as referenced above as soon as is practicable. To the extent a person or entity wishes to submit comments or intervene in accordance with this Notice, electronic submission, as detailed above, is sufficient. To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), contact the Department's ADA coordinator at eeadiversity@mass.gov. For further information regarding the Company's filing, please contact the Company's attorneys, identified above. For further information regarding this Notice, please contact Julianne Desmet, Hearing Officer, Department of Public Utilities, at julianne.desmet@mass.gov. AD# 90574 12/14/2024