Legalectric

Who cares about the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s eDockets system? We all should care! It’s the best way to keep up with what’s going on in the docket, what others are filing, what issues are being raised, what’s the status, and to track all NOTICES, which will tell you of hearings, comment windows, orders, and pay particular attention to those from PUC, CAH (Court of Administrative Hearings), PUC’s environmental side, and DER (Commerce – the economic side). Also look for comments from individuals and note their concerns.

How to get to eDockets?

GO HERE!!! https://mn.gov/puc/edockets/

Then click on this:

You’ll get to this screen — type in the docket, and use a hyphen as in the example:

Next, for example: At “Docket number” box, just enter the number, i.e., 22-131, and hit search (when there are multiple dockets, a Certificate of Need AND a Transmission Line Routing docket, be sure to check both dockets, one at a time). This works for any docket, like the 800MW RFP docket, E002/CN-23-212, plug in year “23-212” and there you go! Spend some time playing with it to get acquainted, it’ll become second nature soon.

When you get to the docket, as below, click on the far left blue link (it’s a document ID number) in a row to get that filing described in that row. Practice. Do it a few times, and it’ll be quick and easy! If inactive for a while, it will boot you out and you get to start over.

Also, “subscribing” is important to keep up to date on what’s being filed. When there are multiple dockets, be sure to subscribe to them all!

To subscribe, when you get to the docket, look at top of screen, drop down from “eService” and click on Subscriptions:

Follow the directions, and you’re subscribed. You’ll receive notice of filings in the docket, so you’ll always know what’s going on.

When you get emails about the docket, it will have the docket number, and as they come in, pay particular attention to Notices, as there will be dates that are important, meeting/hearing dates, deadlines for comment, etc.

Now, get to it. LOTS of reading, and as you go, you’ll get familiar with it and the process. IT WILL GET EASIER!!

Now for the fun part — FILING IN eDOCKETS! Why file in eDockets? When you file in eDockets, you know what you’ve submitted has been received and is part of the record, and so others can know what your concerns are — it’s SO important to know you’re not alone in this! They’re noted separately in eDockets so it’s easier to find, not buried in a PUC filing of a handful, or hundreds, of comments.

To file, first you have to register. In that first eDockets screen go to upper right corner:

Scroll down to the “Register” link and follow the directions.

Do a test drive after you’ve registered. At “Sign In,” this time sign in, and follow the directions.

As you go through this, note there’s a “HELP” tab at the top, and YES, they are HELPFUL!

WHEN THERE ARE MULTIPLE DOCKETS, BE SURE TO FILE IN BOTH!

Once you take the time to sign up, and get familiar with it, you’ll see how easy it is to keep up with what’s going on, and how easy it is to eFile — and to file last minute!! So easy, I’d be lost but for eDockets and eFiling, you have no idea how awful it was to make paper copies of all filings, and mail them to everyone, whew, it was beyond difficult, and so expensive. Now, it’s a “work from home” easy-peasy process, the best ever change in PUC process, and pretty much everywhere across the country, in administrative proceedings like this, and in most every court system too. Participating, practice, was so much harder so incredibly time consuming before.