Vermont Business Magazine The Department of Public Service is developing a new protocol for handling complaints about the potential failure of a company to comply with the terms and conditions of a certificate of public good (CPG) issued by the Public Service Board under 30 V.S.A. §§ 248 or 248a. The Department will follow the protocol to keep a record of these complaints, research and investigate, track progress and respond. The first report of complaints tracked under this new protocol is due to the legislature in January of 2017. The purpose of this protocol is to ensure compliance with CPG conditions and to enable neighbors of projects to easily and effectively report on circumstances they feel may not be in compliance with applicable CPG conditions.
“Vermont’s success in developing local distributed renewable electric generation has meant that more communities are hosting energy projects and more Vermonters are living next door to them. This is true of wireless telecommunications infrastructure as well,” according to Christopher Recchia, Commissioner of the Department. “While a vast majority of certificate (CPG) holders do the right thing, this new protocol will create a single location within State government to receive and track complaints about any facilities potentially not complying with their CPG to ensure that Vermonters know where to turn and receive appropriate assistance, and to give us the relevant information we need to effectively follow up,” he added. “The protocol will also ensure consistent complaint handling and response, enable the collection of better data, and facilitate regular reporting about complaints and their outcomes to the public and the Vermont Legislature,” said Recchia.
The Department is seeking public input in a variety of ways as it writes the protocol. A survey is available for the public on the Department’s website at http://publicservice.vermont.gov/quick-links. Comments or concerns may be mailed to the Department at 112 State St., Montpelier, VT 05620 or emailed to the consumer mailbox at [email protected] or by calling 802-828-2332. A draft of the protocol will be made available on the Department’s website in August for additional input.
Source: DPS. 7.14.2016