Update: On August 19, 2015, AEP filed a memorandum contra the motion to postpone the procedural schedule issued by the attorney examiner in this proceeding filed by the joint movants, including OMA Energy Group. In its memorandum contra, AEP contended that the joint movants and other intervenors have already had an opportunity to brief the issue of the schedule in this case. AEP further argued that time is of the essence with regard to the Commission’s consideration of its amended application, that the parties have had (and the procedural schedule provides) ample opportunity for discovery, and that the joint movants have sufficient resources to conduct a hearing in this case and the FirstEnergy ESP proceeding at the same time. The joint movants will be filing a reply to AEP’s memorandum contra.

Moreover, on August 14, 2015, Sierra Club and the Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) filed a joint motion to establish local public hearings, in which they requested that the attorney examiners issue an order scheduling at least three local public hearings in AEP’s service territory to allow customers to educate themselves and to express their views on AEP’s amended application to expand its PPA rider. Sierra Club and ELPC advanced arguments that the Commission’s decision in this matter could impact AEP customers’ bills by millions of dollars over the next three-and-half decades in support of their request for public hearings on the amended application.

AEP filed a memorandum contra the joint motion to establish local public hearings on August 21, 2015, contending that there is no legal requirement to conduct public hearings in this case, and that the Commission already conducted public hearings in the ESP case, in which the Company’s PPA rider proposal was introduced and approved at an initial rate of zero dollars. Additionally, AEP argued that members of the public have had ample opportunity, and have taken advantage of such opportunity, to provide comments on this case through the Commission website.