§717p Joint Boards

Summary

The Commission can send a case it is handling to a board made up of one or more people chosen from each State that is affected. The board has the same powers, duties, and responsibilities as a Commission member who runs a hearing. Its decisions count the same as the Commission’s and it must follow the procedures the Commission sets. The Commission picks the board members from people nominated by each State’s commission or by the Governor if there is no State commission. Each State gets the same number of members unless it gives up that right. The Commission may reject a nominee and ask for a new one. Board members are paid expense allowances the Commission provides, and the Commission can cancel a referral if it has good reason. The Commission may work with State commissions on things like rates, costs, records, charges, practices, and rules for natural-gas companies, and it can hold joint hearings under rules it sets. It must share reports and useful information with State commissions. If a State asks and it won’t harm the Commission’s work, the Commission may send its expert staff to testify for the State, but the State must repay their pay and travel costs. Any money repaid goes back to the same federal funds that paid the expenses.