(a) Filing Requirements. At the time a person files a Statement of Objections he may also file a motion requesting an evidentiary hearing be convened. A motion requesting an evidentiary hearing may be filed by any other participant within 30 days after that participant is served with a Statement of Objections.
(b) Contents of Motion for Evidentiary Hearing. A Motion for Evidentiary Hearing shall specify each disputed issue of fact and the bases for the alternative findings the movant asserts. The movant shall also describe the manner in which each disputed issue of fact was raised in any prior administrative proceeding which led to issuance of the Proposed Remedial Order, or why it was not raised. The movant shall with respect to each disputed or alternative finding of fact:
(1) As specifically as possible, identify the witnesses whose testimony is required;
(2) State the reasons why the testimony of the witnesses is necessary; and
(3) State the reasons why the asserted position can be effectively established only through the direct questioning of witnesses at an evidentiary hearing.
(c) Response to Motion for Evidentiary Hearing. Within 20 days after service of any Motion for Evidentiary Hearing, the Office that issued the Proposed Remedial Order shall, and any other participant may file a Response with the Office of Hearings and Appeals. The Response shall specify:
(1) Each particular factual representation which is accepted as correct for purposes of the proceeding;
(2) Each particular factual representation which is denied;
(3) Each particular factual representation which the participant is not in a position to accept or deny;
(4) Each particular factual representation which is not accepted and the participant wishes proven by the submission of evidence;
(5) Each particular factual representation which the participant is prepared to dispute through the testimony of witnesses or the submission of verified documents; and
(6) Each particular factual representation which the participant asserts should be dismissed as immaterial or irrelevant.
(d) Prehearing Conferences. After all submissions with respect to a Motion for Evidentiary Hearing are filed, the Office of Hearings and Appeals may conduct conferences or hearings to resolve differences of view among the participants.
(e) Decision on Motion for Evidentiary Hearing. After considering all relevant information received in connection with the Motion, the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall enter an Order. In the Order the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall direct that an evidentiary hearing be convened if it concludes that a genuine dispute exists as to relevant and material issues of fact and an evidentiary hearing would substantially assist it in making findings of fact in an effective manner. If the Motion for Evidentiary Hearing is granted in whole or in part, the Order shall specify the parties to the hearing, any limitations on the participation of a party, and the issues of fact set forth for the evidentiary hearing. The Order may also require parties that have adopted similar positions to consolidate their presentations and to appear at the evidentiary hearing through a common representative. If the Motion is denied, the Order may allow the movant to file affidavits and other documents in support of his asserted findings of fact.
(f) Review of Decision. The Order of the Office of Hearings and Appeals with respect to a Motion for Evidentiary Hearing shall be subject to further administrative review or appeal only upon issuance of the determination referred to in Sec. 205.199B.
(g) Conduct of Evidentiary Hearing. All evidentiary hearings convened pursuant to this section shall be conducted by the Director of the Office of Hearings and Appeals or his designee. At any evidentiary hearing the parties shall have the opportunity to present material evidence which directly relates to a particular issue of fact set forth for hearing. The presiding officer shall afford the parties an opportunity to cross examine all witnesses. The presiding officer may administer oaths and affirmations, rule on objections to the presentation of evidence, receive relevant material, rule on any motion to conform the Proposed Remedial Order to the evidence presented, rule on motions for continuance, dispose of procedural requests, determine the format of the hearing, modify any order granting a Motion for Evidentiary Hearing, direct that written motions or briefs be provided with respect to issues raised during the course of the hearing, issue subpoenas, and otherwise regulate the conduct of the hearing. The presiding officer may take reasonable measures to exclude duplicative material from the hearing, and may place appropriate limitations on the number of witnesses that may be called by a party. The presiding officer may also require that evidence be submitted through affidavits or other documents if the direct testimony of witnesses will unduly delay the orderly progress of the hearing and would not contribute to resolving the issues involved in the hearing. The provisions of Sec. 205.8 which relate to subpoenas and witness fees shall apply to any evidentiary hearing, except that subsection Sec. 205.8(h) (2), (3), and (4) shall not apply. Sec. 205.199A Hearing for the purpose of oral argument only.
(a) A participant is entitled upon timely request to a hearing to present oral argument with respect to the Proposed Remedial Order, whether or not an evidentiary hearing is requested or convened. A participant's request shall normally be considered untimely, if made more than 10 days after service of a determination regarding any motion filed by the requestor or, if no motions were filed by him, if made after the date for filing his Reply or his Response to a Statement of Objections.
(b) If an evidentiary hearing is convened, and a hearing for oral argument is requested, the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall determine whether the hearing for oral argument shall be held in conjunction with the evidentiary hearing or at a separate time.
(c) A hearing for the purpose of receiving oral argument will generally be conducted only after the issues involved in the proceeding have been delineated, and any written material which the Office of Hearings and Appeals has requested to supplement a Statement of Objections or Responses has been submitted. The presiding officer may require further written submissions in support of any position advanced or issued at the hearing, and shall allow responses any such submissions. Sec. 205.199B Remedial order.
(a) After considering all information received during the proceeding, the Director of the Office of Hearings and Appeals or his designee may issue a final Remedial Order. The Remedial Order may adopt the findings and conclusions contained in the Proposed Remedial Order or may modify or rescind any such finding or conclusion to conform the Order to the evidence or on the basis of a determination that the finding or conclusion is erroneous in fact or law or is arbitrary or capricious. In the alternative, the Office of Hearings and Appeals may determine that no Remedial Order should be issued or may remand all or a portion of the Proposed Remedial Order to the issuing DOE office for further consideration or modification. Every determination made pursuant to this section shall state the relevant facts and legal bases supporting the determination.
(b) The DOE shall serve a copy of any determination issued pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section upon the person to whom it is directed, any person who was served with a copy of the Proposed Remedial Order, the DOE office that issued the Proposed Remedial Order, the DOE Assistant General Counsel for Administrative Litigation and any other person on the official service list. Appropriate deletions may be made in the determinations to ensure that confidentiality of information protected from disclosure under 18 U.S.C. 1905 and 5 U.S.C. 552. A copy of the determination with appropriate deletions to protect confidential and proprietary data shall be placed in the Office of Hearings and Appeals Public Docket Room. Sec. 205.199C Appeals of remedial order to FERC.
(a) The person to whom a Remedial Order is issued by the Office of Hearings and Appeals may file an administrative appeal if the Remedial Order proceeding was initiated by a Notice of Probable Violation issued after October 1, 1977, or, in those situations in which no Notice of Probable Violation was issued, if the proceeding was initiated by a Proposed Remedial Order issued after October 1, 1977.
(b) Any such appeal must be initiated within 30 days after service of the Order by giving written notice to the Office of Hearings and Appeals that the person to whom a Remedial Order is issued wishes to contest the Order.
(c) The Office of Hearings and Appeals shall promptly advise the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission of its receipt of a notice described in paragraph (b) of this section.
(d) The Office of Hearings and Appeals may, on a case by case basis, set reasonable time limits for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to complete its action on such an appeal proceeding.
(e) In order to exhaust administrative remedies, a person who is entitled to appeal a Remedial Order issued by the Office of Hearings and Appeals must file a timely appeal and await a decision on the merits. Any Remedial Order that is not appealed within the 30-day period shall become effective as a final Order of the DOE and is not subject to review by any court. Sec. Sec. 205.199D-205.199E [Reserved] Sec. 205.199F Ex parte communications.
(a) No person who is not employed or otherwise supervised by the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall submit ex parte communications to the Director or any person employed or otherwise supervised by the Office with respect to any matter involved in Remedial Order or Order of Disallowance proceedings.
(1) Ex parte communications include any ex parte oral or written communications relative to the merits of a Proposed Remedial Order, Interim Remedial Order for Immediate Compliance, or Proposed Order of Disallowance proceeding pending before the Office of Hearings and Appeals. The term shall not, however, include requests for status reports, inquiries as to procedures, or the submission of proprietary or confidential information. Notice that proprietary or confidential submissions have been made shall be given to all persons on the official service list.
(b) If any communication occurs that violates the provisions of this section, the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall promptly make the substance of the communication available to the public and serve a copy of a written communication or a memorandum summarizing an oral communication to all participants in the affected proceeding. The Office of Hearings and Appeals may also take any other appropriate action to mitigate the adverse impact to any person whose interest may be affected by the ex parte contact. Sec. 205.199G Extension of time; Interim and Ancillary Orders.
The Director of the Office of Hearings and Appeals or his designee may permit upon motion any document or submission referred to in this subpart other than appeals to FERC to be amended or withdrawn after it has been filed or to be filed within a time period different from that specified in this subpart. The Director or his designee may upon motion or on his own initiative issue any interim or ancillary Orders, reconsider any determinations, or make any rulings or determinations that are deemed necessary to ensure that the proceedings specified in this subpart are conducted in an appropriate manner and are not unduly delayed. Sec. 205.199H Actions not subject to administrative appeal.
A Notice of Probable Violation, Notice of Proposed Disallowance, Proposed Remedial Order or Interim Remedial Order for Immediate Compliance issued pursuant to this subpart shall not be an action from which there may be an administrative appeal pursuant to subpart H. In addition, a determination by the Office of Hearings and Appeals that a Remedial Order, an Order of Disallowance, or a Remedial Order for Immediate Compliance should not be issued shall not be appealable pursuant to subpart H. Sec. 205.199I Remedies.
(a) A Remedial Order, a Remedial Order for Immediate Compliance, an Order of Disallowance, or a Consent Order may require the person to whom it is directed to roll back prices, to make refunds equal to the amount (plus interest) charged in excess of those amounts permitted under DOE Regulations, to make appropriate compensation to third persons for administrative expenses of effectuating appropriate remedies, and to take such other action as the DOE determines is necessary to eliminate or to compensate for the effects of a violation or any cost disallowance pursuant to Sec. 212.83 or Sec. 212.84. Such action may include a direction to the person to whom the Order is issued to establish an escrow account or take other measures to make refunds directly to purchasers of the products involved, notwithstanding the fact that those purchasers obtained such products from an intermediate distributor of such person's products, and may require as part of the remedy that the person to whom the Order is issued maintain his prices at certain designated levels, notwithstanding the presence or absence of other regulatory controls on such person's prices. In cases where purchasers cannot be reasonably identified or paid or where the amount of each purchaser's overcharge is incapable of reasonable determination, the DOE may refund the amounts received in such cases directly to the Treasury of the United States on behalf of such purchasers.
(b) The DOE may, when appropriate, issue final Orders ancillary to a Remedial Order, Remedial Order for Immediate Compliance, Order of Disallowance, or Consent Order requiring that a direct or indirect recipient of a refund pass through, by such means as the DOE deems appropriate, including those described in paragraph (a) of this section, all or a portion of the refund, on a pro rata basis, to those customers of the recipient who were adversely affected by the initial overcharge. Ancillary Orders may be appealed to the Office of Hearings and Appeals only pursuant to subpart H. Sec. 205.199J Consent order.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subpart, the DOE may at any time resolve an outstanding compliance investigation or proceeding, or a proceeding involving the disallowance of costs pursuant to Sec. 205.199E with a Consent Order. A Consent Order must be signed by the person to whom it is issued, or a duly authorized representative, and must indicate agreement to the terms contained therein. A Consent Order need not constitute an admission by any person that DOE regulations have been violated, nor need it constitute a finding by the DOE that such person has violated DOE regulations. A Consent Order shall, however, set forth the relevant facts which form the basis for the Order.
(b) A Consent Order is a final Order of the DOE having the same force and effect as a Remedial Order issued pursuant to Sec. 205.199B or an Order of Disallowance issued pursuant to Sec. 205.199E, and may require one or more of the remedies authorized by Sec. 205.199I and Sec. 212.84(d)(3). A Consent Order becomes effective no sooner than 30 days after publication under paragraph (c) of this section, unless (1) the DOE makes a Consent Order effective immediately, because it expressly deems it necessary in the public interest, or (2) the Consent Order involves a sum of less than $500,000 in the aggregate, excluding penalties and interest, in which case it will be effective when signed both by the person to whom it is issued and the DOE, and will not be subject to the provisions of paragraph (c) of this section unless the DOE determines otherwise. A Consent Order shall not be appealable pursuant to the provisions of Sec. 205.199C or Sec. 205.199D and subpart H, and shall contain an express waiver of such appeal or judicial review rights as might otherwise attach to a final Order of the DOE.
(c) When a Consent Order has been signed, both by the person to whom it is issued and the DOE, the DOE will publish notice of such Consent Order in the Federal Register and in a press release to be issued simultaneously therewith. The Federal Register notice and the press release will state at a minimum the name of the company concerned, a brief summary of the Consent Order and other facts or allegations relevant thereto, the address and telephone number of the DOE office at which copies of the Consent Order will be available free of charge, the address to which comments on the Consent Order will be received by the DOE, and the date by which such comments should be submitted, which date will not be less than 30 days after publication of the Federal Register notice. After the expiration of the comment period the DOE may withdraw its agreement to the Consent Order, attempt to negotiate a modification of the Consent Order, or issue the Consent Order as signed. The DOE will publish in the Federal Register, and by press release, notice of any action taken on a Consent Order and such explanation of the action taken as deemed appropriate. The provisions of this paragraph shall be applicable notwithstanding the fact that a Consent Order may have been made immediately effective pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section (except in cases where the Consent Order involves sums of less than $500,000 in the aggregate, excluding penalties and interest).
(d) At any time and in accordance with the procedures of subpart J, a Consent Order may be modified or rescinded, upon petition by the person to whom the Consent Order was issued, and may be rescinded by the DOE upon discovery of new evidence which is materially inconsistent with evidence upon which the DOE's acceptance of the Consent Order was based. Modifications of a Consent Order which is subject to public comment under the provisions of paragraph (c) of this section, which in the opinion of the DOE significantly change the terms or the impact of the original Order, shall be republished under the provisions of that paragraph.
(e) Notwithstanding the issuance of a Consent Order, the DOE may seek civil or criminal penalties or compromise civil penalties pursuant to subpart P concerning matters encompassed by the Consent Order, unless the Consent Order by its terms expressly precludes the DOE from so doing.
(f) If at any time after a Consent Order becomes effective it appears to the DOE that the terms of the Consent Order have been violated, the DOE may refer such violations to the Department of Justice for appropriate action in accordance with subpart P. Subparts P-T [Reserved]