Public Service Commission v. Ely Light & Power Co.

393 P.2d 305, 80 Nev. 312, 55 P.U.R.3d 123, 1964 Nev. LEXIS 168
CourtNevada Supreme Court
DecidedJune 18, 1964
Docket4714
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 393 P.2d 305 (Public Service Commission v. Ely Light & Power Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nevada Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Public Service Commission v. Ely Light & Power Co., 393 P.2d 305, 80 Nev. 312, 55 P.U.R.3d 123, 1964 Nev. LEXIS 168 (Neb. 1964).

Opinion

*313 OPINION

By the Court,

Badt, C. J.:

This utility rate case comes to us on an appeal from the district court reversing an order of the Public Service Commission.

The commission had upon its own motion instituted an investigation concerning the rates charged by Ely Light and Power Company. NES 704.120(5). 1

After a hearing, the commission on July 13, 1961, *314 made its findings and ordered the utility to submit revised tariff schedules reflecting annual reductions of $32,767 in domestic lighting revenues, $18,000 in its commercial lighting revenues, and $5,346 in its public street and highway lighting revenues. It should be noted here that the utility owns no generating facilities and no transmission facilities (with the exception of certain poles, transformers, etc.), but since 1922 has purchased all its power requirements from the facilities of Kennecott Copper Corporation. It distributes power to the City of Ely, to White Pine County, and to the towns of Ruth, McGill and East Ely.

At the hearing the usual dispute as to the rate base occurred. On the basis of the utility’s annual reports as submitted to the commission and a current audit of the utility’s records by the commission, the commission, on a rate base of original cost of plant in service, less depreciation, found that the utility’s return ranged for the past several years from 13.71 percent to 15.79 percent. As against this, evidence presented by the utility, upon three different methods of computing its rate base, and contending that reproduction cost, less depreciation, was the proper method to be adopted, showed returns varying from 5.9 percent to 11.6 percent, and that net earnings upon the depreciated reproduction cost, based upon its 1960 operation, would yield 5.9 percent.

On the first appeal to the district court (a complaint seeking a judicial review of the commission’s orders, pursuant to NRS 704.540) additional testimony was taken, and the court also considered the evidence introduced before the commission. Pursuant to NRS 704.560 the court then ordered the transmission of a copy of such new evidence to the commission. 2 The commission, after consideration of the new evidence taken before the *315 court, modified the street lighting schedule to reflect the partial ownership by the utility of the facilities connected with such service, but in all other respects sustained its original order. The first hearing before the commission was conducted December 16, 1960, and a second hearing, March 6, 1961. Using original cost, less depreciation, for plant investment, the commission first indicated the rate base for the years ending December 31, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, and 1959. For the last-named period it showed the following:

Plant in service______________________________________ $503,650.81

Reserve for depreciation__________________________ 153,608.03

Net plant in service________________________________ 350,042.78

Net operating income.____________________________ 55,261.89

Rate of return, 15.79%

It also showed the dividends declared by the utility for these same years, respectively, as follows: 1955, $24,000; 1956, $24,000; 1957, $24,000; 1958, $30,000; 1959, $35,000.

On the other hand, the utility, through its witnesses, fixed its rate base, on the basis of reproduction cost new, less depreciation, at $635,391. This was based in large part on a report prepared by Ebasco Services, Inc., listing all items of property in great detail.

Rate of return reflected by evidence submitted by the utility, under varying methods, was as follows:

Original Cost Rate Base__________________________ $337,712.48

Working Capital______________________________________ 63,011.15

400,723.63

Net Operating Income____________________________ 44,351.14

Rate of Return, 11.6%

Reproduction Cost Rate Base

Reproduction cost, less depreciation______ $635,391.00

Less property not in use__________________________ 3,105.00

632,286.00

*316 Add 10% going concern and development cost.____________________________________________ 63,228.00

695,514.00

Working Capital_______________________________________ 63,011.15

758,525.15

Rate of Return, 5.9 %

Fort Dodge Decision Rate Base 3

30% Original cost, less depreciation______ $101,313.74

70% Replacement cost, less

depreciation______________________________________ 486,860.02

588,173.76

Working Capital______________________________________ 63,011.15

651,184.91

Rate of Return, 6.8%

50-50 Rate Base

50% Original cost, less depreciation— $168,856.24 50 % Replacement cost, less

depreciation______________________________________ 347,757.00

516,613.24

Working Capital________________________________ 63,011.15

3a 569,924.39

Rate of Return, 7.8%

The commission rehearing of March 6, 1961, recited that the annual report of the utility for 1960 shows the following results:

*317 Operating Revenues_______________________________ $510,115.91

Rents from Plant in Service.________________ 3,804.89

Merchandising & Jobbing._____________________ 3,407.11

Total Operating Revenues______________________ 517,327.91

Total Operating Expenses______________________ 384,378.50

Depreciation Expense______________________________ 26,607.58

Taxes_________________________________________________________ 53,123.52

Net Operating Income.__________________________ 53,218.31

Rate of Return, 15.5%

The learned district judge in his opinion recited the issues before the court to be as follows:

“(a) Whether the Commission may lawfully exercise its rate making power by the imposition of a ceiling upon a utility’s income in lieu of fixing rates for its services.

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Bluebook (online)
393 P.2d 305, 80 Nev. 312, 55 P.U.R.3d 123, 1964 Nev. LEXIS 168, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/public-service-commission-v-ely-light-power-co-nev-1964.