Commission powers and rules - utility's Iowa office.

1.The commission shall have broad general powers to effect the purposes of this chapter notwithstanding the fact that certain specific powers are set forth in this section. The commission shall have authority to issue subpoenas and to pay the same fees and mileage as are payable to witnesses in the courts of record of general jurisdiction and shall establish all needful, just and reasonable rules, not inconsistent with law, to govern the exercise of its powers and duties, the practice and procedure before it, and to govern the form, contents and filing of reports, documents and other papers provided for in this chapter or in the commission's rules. In the establishment, amendment, alteration or repeal of any of such rules, the commission shall be subject to the provisions of chapter 17A.#

2.The commission shall employ at rates of compensation consistent with current standards in industry such professionally trained engineers, accountants, attorneys, and skilled examiners and inspectors, secretaries, clerks, and other employees as it may find necessary for the full and efficient discharge of its duties and responsibilities as required by this chapter.#

3.The commission may intervene in any proceedings before the federal energy regulatory commission or any other federal or state regulatory body when it finds that any decision of that tribunal would adversely affect the costs of any public utility service within the state of Iowa.#

4.The commission shall have authority to inquire into the management of the business of all public utilities, and shall keep itself informed as to the manner and method in which the same is conducted, and may obtain from any public utility all necessary information to enable the commission to perform its duties.#

5.The commission shall have the authority to employ or appoint an independent administrative law judge to preside over any hearing or proceeding before the commission. Sections 10A.801 and 17A.11 do not apply to the employment or appointment of an administrative law judge pursuant to this subsection.#

6.Each rate-regulated gas and electric utility operating within the state shall maintain within the state the utility's principal office for Iowa operations. The principal office shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the commission and shall house those books, accounts, papers, and records of the utility deemed necessary by the commission to be housed within the state. The utility shall maintain within the state administrative, technical, and operating personnel necessary for the delivery of safe and reasonably adequate services and facilities as required pursuant to section 476.8. A public utility which violates this section shall be subject to the penalties provided in section 476.51 and shall be denied authority to recover, for a period determined by the commission, the costs of an energy efficiency plan pursuant to section#

476.6, subsection 8.#

Current 2026 Acts overlay: Section 476.2, Code 2026, is amended by adding the following new subsection: NEW SUBSECTION. 7. The commission shall have the authority to compel all public utilities to share with Iowa state university of science and technology the utility's information necessary to develop state load forecasts and state electric transmission system expansion planning analysis pursuant to section 15.120A. A public utility may use a third party to prepare such information to be shared with Iowa state university of science and technology. A public utility may enter into a nondisclosure agreement with Iowa state university of science and technology requiring the shared information be kept confidential if the public utility reasonably believes the information is a confidential record pursuant to section 22.7. The state load forecast and state electric transmission system expansion planning aggregate analysis published pursuant to section 15.120A may be used as evidentiary support in any proceedings before the commission, provided the confidentiality of any information provided by a public utility is maintained.#

Source history[C66, 71, 73, 75, §490A.2; C77, 79, 81, §476.2] 90 Acts, ch 1168, §51; 90 Acts, ch 1252, §22; 96 Acts, ch 1196, §7; 2018 Acts, ch 1135, §6; 2018 Acts, ch 1160, §8; 2020 Acts, ch 1063, §262; 2021 Acts, ch 75, §1; 2024 Acts, ch 1170, §369 Referred to in §476.12#