Advocacy Glossary

Crowdsourcing: Refers to the practice of obtaining needed ideas, services or information by soliciting from a large group of people, typically via the Internet. By engaging people from all walks of life and bringing them into your cause, crowdsourcing helps campaigns grow by addressing issues that are pertinent to meeting the advocacy needs of the future.
Rate cases: Also known as utility ratemaking, this is a process in which public utilities set prices they will charge consumers. This process is usually carried out through rate case proceedings before a public utilities commission and is one of the primary instruments of government regulation of public utilities. When deciding rate cases, public utilities commissioners must consider how the proposed rate change balances both the interests of the utilities and consumers.
State legislative and regulatory affairs: Informs important state legislative and regulatory developments, reviews existing policies and works to develop new legislation that contribute to the needs of the industry.
Ex-parte communications: A practice that generally bans private conversations between state agencies, commissions or representatives of groups with pending cases before them. The intent is to promote public transparency and prevent the unfair influence of key decision-makers. Advocates of ex-parte communications believe that private talks help regulators understand a case better while critics argue that this practice disrupts a level playing field in how a case should be judged.
IRPs: Integrated resource plans are a roadmap used by states to meet forecasted energy demand to ensure reliable service to customers in the most cost-effective way. Many states require utilities to file IRPs, outlining the utility’s long-term plans and resource needs to guide policies that better integrate energy efficiency into utility planning.
Rulemaking: An informal process usually held through a series of workshops or meetings in which parties develop policy proposals on a specific topic. The outcome of these processes can lead to a commission vote or a more formal litigated proceeding. Evidentiary Proceeding - A formal litigated proceeding, such as ratemaking, in which parties put on evidence before a judge similar to a trial. The outcome of this process leads to a decision by an administrative law judge which is followed by a commission vote.
Settlement: A process by which parties negotiate and come to agreement on specific issues. Commissions typically encourage settlement where possible between parties.