SPRINGFIELD UTILITY BD. v. Emerald PUD

125 P.3d 740, 339 Or. 631
CourtOregon Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 30, 2005
DocketS51305
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 125 P.3d 740 (SPRINGFIELD UTILITY BD. v. Emerald PUD) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oregon Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
SPRINGFIELD UTILITY BD. v. Emerald PUD, 125 P.3d 740, 339 Or. 631 (Or. 2005).

Opinion

125 P.3d 740 (2005)
339 Or. 631

SPRINGFIELD UTILITY BOARD, acting for and on behalf of the City of Springfield, Petitioner on Review,
v.
EMERALD PEOPLE'S UTILITY DISTRICT, Respondent on Review.

CC 16-01-19121, CA A118530, SC S51305.

Supreme Court of Oregon, En Banc.

Argued and Submitted January 5, 2005.
Decided December 30, 2005.

Peter R. Mersereau, of Mersereau & Shannon, LLP, Portland, argued the cause for petitioner on review. Thomas W. McPherson, of Mersereau & Shannon LLP, Portland, filed the briefs for petitioner on review.

Timothy J. Sercombe, of Preston Gates & Ellis, LLP, Portland, argued the cause for respondent on review. With him on the briefs was Carra L. Sahler.

John H. Hammond, Jr., of Berry, Elsner & Hammond, LLP, Portland, filed a brief on behalf of amicus curiae Oregon Municipal Electric Utilities.

Lori Irish Bauman, of Ater Wynne LLP, Portland, filed a brief on behalf of amicus curiae Oregon People's Utility District Association, Inc.

*741 CARSON, C.J.

At issue in this declaratory judgment action is whether a city possesses authority to exclude a people's utility district (PUD) from providing electrical services in an area newly annexed to the city when the Public Utility Commission of Oregon (PUC)[1] previously *742 had allocated that area to the PUD as part of the PUD's exclusive service territory. For the reasons that follow, we conclude that a city does not possess such authority.

Springfield Utility Board (the board), acting on behalf of the City of Springfield (the city), adopted an ordinance that purported to exclude Emerald People's Utility District (Emerald) from serving an area newly annexed to the city. Much of the annexed area fell within an area that the PUC previously had allocated to Emerald as part of Emerald's exclusive service territory. The board filed a declaratory judgment action against Emerald, seeking a determination that the board was the exclusive provider of electrical services in the annexed area. Emerald counterclaimed, seeking a determination that the board could not exclude Emerald from the newly annexed area. On competing motions for summary judgment, the trial court ruled that the board had authority under ORS 221.420(2)(a)[2] to exclude Emerald from providing electrical services in the annexed area, and it entered a declaratory judgment in favor of the board.

Emerald appealed. The Court of Appeals reversed as to the part of the annexed area that fell within Emerald's allocated exclusive service territory, but affirmed as to the remainder of the annexed area. Springfield Utility Board v. Emerald PUD, 191 Or.App. 536, 84 P.3d 167 (2004). We allowed the board's petition for review and, for the reasons that follow, now affirm the decision of the Court of Appeals.

I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The following undisputed facts are taken from the opinion of the Court of Appeals and from the record. The board operates a municipal electric utility that was created in 1950 under the provisions of ORS chapter 225, following a voter-approved amendment to the Springfield city charter. That city charter also empowers the board to exercise the regulatory authority provided in ORS 221.420, discussed post.[3] The board has acted as the exclusive provider of residential electrical services within the city limits of Springfield since 1975.

Emerald is a PUD that was created by election in 1978 pursuant to Article XI, section 12, of the Oregon Constitution and the provisions of ORS chapter 261.[4] Emerald's political boundaries encompass mostly unincorporated parts of Lane County and, prior to the annexation at issue in this case, did not encompass any part of the city.

At the time of Emerald's creation in 1978, the PUC had allocated to Pacific Power & Light (PP & L) the exclusive right to provide electrical services to the area within Emerald's political boundaries. In 1983, Emerald purchased certain electric transmission and distribution facilities from PP & L that were either within or adjacent to Emerald's political boundaries. The PUC approved the sale of those facilities and issued an order transferring the allocation of that exclusive service territory from PP & L to Emerald. Emerald has acted as the exclusive provider *743 of electrical services within that area since the PUC issued its 1983 allocation order.

The present dispute between the board and Emerald arose in 2000, after the city sought to have an undeveloped parcel of land annexed to the city to permit the development of a residential subdivision. Much of the area that the city sought to annex fell within the exclusive service territory that the PUC had allocated to Emerald in its 1983 order. In April 2000, in anticipation of the planned annexation, the board adopted an ordinance that purported to exercise the city's authority under ORS 221.420(2)(a) to exclude Emerald from the area to be annexed, including the part of that area that fell within Emerald's allocated exclusive service territory.

For its part, Emerald disputed the board's authority to exclude Emerald from its allocated exclusive service territory. Emerald also applied to the PUC for allocation of the additional right to act as the exclusive service provider for the part of the area to be annexed that fell outside the PUC's 1983 allocation order.[5] In addition, Emerald began to construct electric distribution facilities within the area to be annexed.

The Lane County Local Government Boundary Commission ultimately approved the annexation of the area at issue to the city on November 8, 2000. In October 2001, the board filed a declaratory judgment action against Emerald in Lane County Circuit Court, seeking a declaration that the board enjoyed the exclusive right to provide electrical services to the annexed area at issue. The board also sought an injunction prohibiting Emerald from providing electrical services in the annexed area. Emerald answered and filed a counterclaim for declaratory relief, seeking a judicial determination that the board could not exclude Emerald from the annexed area or extend the board's utility services into Emerald's allocated exclusive service territory.

Both parties moved for summary judgment. After hearing arguments relating to those motions, the trial court determined that the board had authority under ORS 221.420(2)(a) to exclude Emerald from the annexed area, including the part of that area that fell within Emerald's allocated exclusive service territory. Accordingly, the trial court entered a declaratory judgment in favor of the board, declaring the board to be the exclusive provider of electrical services to the entire annexed area at issue.

Emerald appealed. The Court of Appeals affirmed in part and reversed in part. Springfield Utility Board, 191 Or.App.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
125 P.3d 740, 339 Or. 631, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/springfield-utility-bd-v-emerald-pud-or-2005.