Ames

Petitioner Douglas A. Ames asserts California’s Public Utilities Commission (commission or PUC) erred by approving certain budget proposals by real parties in interest (collectively, the utilities). 1 Citing Public Utilities Code section 454.5, subdivision (b)(9)(C), 2 and section 454.55, Ames contends the commission should have endorsed his proposal and thereby compelled the utilities to subsidize the “thermal energy storage” industry with a substantial portion of the $349,509,463 collective budget for “demand response activities” undertaken by the utilities (i.e., programs designed to incentivize or otherwise convince customers to use less electricity, particularly during high demand time periods). Our review of the entire record leads us to conclude that the commission acted according to law and the findings in the decisions are supported by substantial evidence. We therefore affirm commission decisions Nos. 09-08-027 (the initial decision) and 10-03-023 (modifying the initial decision and denying Ames’s request for reconsideration of the initial decision).

FACTS

We will summarize the relevant contents of the commission’s decisions before turning in the discussion to…