Tri-State Generation & Transmission Ass'n v. New Mexico Public Regulation Commission , 787 F.3d 1068 ( 2015 )

FILED
PUBLISH United States Court of Appeals
Tenth Circuit
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS June 1, 2015
TENTH CIRCUIT Elisabeth A. Shumaker
Clerk of Court
TRI-STATE GENERATION AND
TRANSMISSION ASSOCIATION,
INC., a Colorado nonprofit
cooperative corporation,
Plaintiff - Appellee,
v. No. 14-2164
NEW MEXICO PUBLIC
REGULATION COMMISSION, a
New Mexico Agency, and its
members; COMMISSIONER
PATRICK H. LYONS;
COMMISSIONER THERESA
BECENTI-AGUILAR;
COMMISSIONER BEN L. HALL;
COMMISSIONER VALERIE
ESPINOZA; COMMISSIONER
KAREN L. MONTOYA, acting in
their official capacities,
Defendants.
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KIT CARSON ELECTRIC
COOPERATIVE, INC.,
Movant - Appellant.
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW MEXICO
(D.C. No. 1:13-CV-00085-KG-LAM)
Charles V. Garcia of Cuddy & McCarthy, L.L.P., Albuquerque, New Mexico,
(Arturo L. Jaramillo, and Young-Jun Roh of Cuddy & McCarthy, L.L.P., Santa
Fe, New Mexico, on the briefs), for Movant - Appellant.
John R. Cooney, (Earl E. DeBrine, Jr., and Joan E. Drake of Modrall, Sperling,
Roehl, Harris & Sisk, P.A., Albuquerque, New Mexico; Robert E. Youle and
Brian G. Eberle of Sherman & Howard, L.L.C., Denver, Colorado, on the brief),
for Plaintiff - Appellee.
Before KELLY, PHILLIPS, and MORITZ, Circuit Judges.
KELLY, Circuit Judge.
Movant-Appellant Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, Inc. (KCEC) appeals
from the district court’s denial of its motion seeking intervention as of right or
permissive intervention in a pending case. Tri-State Generation & Transmission
Ass’n v. N.M. Pub. Regulation Comm’n, Civ. No. 13-00085 KG/LAM (D.N.M.
Aug. 18, 2014). Our jurisdiction arises under 28 U.S.C. § 1291, and we affirm.
Background
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. (Tri-State), a
Colorado non-profit regional cooperative that provides wholesale electric power,
filed suit against the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission (NMPRC)
seeking declaratory and injunctive relief under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Tri-State
argued that the NMPRC’s exercise of jurisdiction and suspension of Tri-State’s
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wholesale electric rates in New Mexico violated the Commerce Clause of the
United States Constitution.
Briefly, Tri-State is a regional generation and transmission (G&T)
cooperative that provides wholesale electric power to its forty-four member
systems in four states—Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Each
of the member systems has a representative that sits on Tri-State’s Board of
Directors and has an equal vote as to Tri-State’s annual rates. Tri-State charges a
“postage-stamp rate” for electricity to its members—i.e., the members systems are
all charged the same amount. Aplt. App. 649 & n.3. Each member system has
entered into a requirements contract with Tri-State, pursuant to which each
member agrees to purchase and receive from Tri-State all the electric power and
energy the member requires. These member systems then sell the electricity
provided by Tri-State to their members at retail. One of Tri-State’s member
systems is KCEC, a New Mexico rural electric cooperative that provides services
to roughly 28,500 commercial, governmental, and residential member-customers
in Northern New Mexico.
Public utilities in New Mexico are regulated by the NMPRC. See N.M.
Stat. Ann. § 62-6-4(A) (granting the NMPRC the “general and exclusive power
and jurisdiction to regulate and supervise every public utility in respect to its
rates and service regulations”). In 1999, Tri-State and Plains Electric Generation
and Transmission Cooperative, Inc. (Plains) applied to the NMPRC to allow the
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two to merge. Tri-State, Plains, and others entered into a Stipulation which,
among other things: (1) required Tri-State to file an “Advice Notice” with the
NMPRC prior to setting rates for New Mexico members; (2) provided member
cooperatives with the opportunity to file protests to Tri-State’s rates with the
NMPRC; and (3) provided procedures for the NMPRC to suspend the rates,
conduct a hearing, and “establish reasonable rates.” Aplt. App. 541. In 2000, the
NMPRC approved the Stipulation and merger on condition that Tri-State would
be subject to its jurisdiction “to the extent provided by law.” Id. at 407. The
New Mexico legislature subsequently codified the Stipulation’s protest
procedures, which provide in relevant part:
New Mexico rates proposed by a generation and transmission
cooperative shall be filed with the commission in the form of an
advice notice, a copy of which shall be simultaneously served on all
member utilities. Any member utility may file a protest of the
proposed rates no later than twenty days after the generation and
transmission cooperative files the advice notice. If three or more
New Mexico member utilities file protests and the commission
determines there is just cause in at least three of the protests for
reviewing the proposed rates, the commission shall suspend the rates,
conduct a hearing concerning reasonableness of the proposed rates
and establish reasonable rates.
N.M. Stat. Ann. § 62-6-4(D). In 2012, Tri-State’s Board of Directors voted to
approve a 4.9% rate increase for the calendar year 2013. Tri-State appropriately
filed Advice Notice No. 15 with the NMPRC to inform it of the increase. KCEC,
along with two other New Mexico member systems, filed protests objecting to the
rate increase. Over Tri-State’s objections, the NMPRC suspended Tri-State’s rate
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increase for 2013.
On January 25, 2013, Tri-State filed the present action against the NMPRC.
Later, in September 2013, Tri-State approved a wholesale rate increase for 2014
and filed an Advice Notice with the NMPRC. After rate protests by KCEC and
three others, the NMPRC proceeded to suspend Tri-State’s 2014 rate increases as
well. The NMPRC consolidated the proceedings on both the 2013 and 2014
wholesale rates. These proceedings remain pending before the NMPRC.
In February 2014, Tri-State filed an amended complaint adding factual
allegations regarding the NMPRC’s suspension of its 2014 wholesale rate. Tri-
State’s amended complaint asserts Tri-State is entitled to declaratory and
injunctive relief because “[t]he Commission’s exertion of jurisdiction to suspend
and subsequently review and establish Tri-State’s rates in New Mexico constitutes
economic protectionism and imposes a burden on interstate commerce in violation
of the Commerce Clause.” Aplt. App. 658–60. Tri-State requested an order
declaring that:
(a) the Commission lacks jurisdiction over Tri-State’s rates and
interstate wholesale contracts in New Mexico and any attempt by the
Commission to exercise jurisdiction over, suspend and/or determine
Tri-State’s rates is unconstitutional under the United States
Constitution; (b) the Commission’s order suspending Tri-State’s
2013 and 2014 wholesale rates and setting a rate hearing is
unconstitutional under the United States Constitution; (c) the
Commission may not take any action with respect to Tri-State’s rates
or contracts.
Id. at 661; see also id. at 662 (requesting injunctive relief under 42 U.S.C. §
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1983). In its answer, the NMPRC raised eight affirmative defenses, including the
doctrines of waiver and estoppel. It also reserved the right to raise further
affirmative defenses that later might become available.
On May 28, 2013, KCEC sought to intervene as of right pursuant to Federal
Rule of Civil Procedure 24(a)(2) and permissively pursuant to Rule 24(b). Tri-
State opposed intervention, but the NMPRC did not.
Though not a party to the litigation, KCEC filed an answer to Tri-State’s
complaint in which it asserted essentially the same affirmative defenses to Tri-
State’s claims as had the NMPRC. Aplt. App. 382. The only unique defense
KCEC presented was that Tri-State’s complaint failed to state a claim upon which
relief could be granted. Prior to the district court’s ruling on KCEC’s motion, the
NMPRC moved for summary judgment, arguing both that: (1) Tri-State was
estopped from challenging the NMPRC’s rate-making jurisdiction given its
agreement to the earlier Stipulation; and (2) the NMPRC’s order did not violate
either New Mexico law or the Commerce Clause of the United States
Constitution. Id. at 931–47. Though still not a party to the litigation, KCEC filed
a proposed response to the NMPRC’s motion for summary judgment, presenting
essentially the same arguments as the NMPRC and providing no additional
evidence. Aplee. Supp. App. 52–58.
The district court then denied KCEC’s motion to intervene, finding that
neither intervention as of right nor permissive intervention was appropriate.
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KCEC timely appealed.
Discussion
KCEC argues that the district court erred in denying intervention as of right
under Rule 24(a)(2) and in denying permissive intervention under Rule 24(b).
A. Intervention as of Right
We review de novo the denial of a motion to intervene as of right. Kane
Cnty., Utah v. United States, 597 F.3d 1129, 1133 (10th Cir. 2010). Rule 24(a) of
the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure provides that, upon timely motion, the court
must allow a party to intervene who: “claims an interest relating to the property
or transaction that is the subject of the action, and is so situated that disposing of
the action may as a practical matter impair or impede the movant’s ability to
protect its interest, unless existing parties adequately represent that interest.”
Tri-State does not dispute that KCEC’s motion for intervention was timely.
Thus, we address whether KCEC can satisfy the remaining two requirements of
intervention as of right. First, KCEC must establish an interest in the property or
transaction underlying the action that might be impaired by the action’s
disposition. See Natural Res. Def. Council, Inc. v. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Comm’n, 578 F.2d 1341, 1345 (10th Cir. 1978) (“the question of impairment is
not separate from the question of existence of an interest”). KCEC identifies
several interests that could be impaired by the case at hand that it contends are
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sufficient to satisfy Rule 24(a)(2): (1) its “persistent record of advocacy to obtain
reasonable rates from Tri-State”; (2) its “direct economic interest in the
determination of whether the NMPRC’s exercise of its rate jurisdiction pursuant
to Section 62-6-4(D) violates the Commerce Clause”; (3) its interest in upholding
its membership agreement and power supply contract with Tri-State; (4) its
statutory right to regulatory review of Tri-State’s rates; and (5) its interest in
upholding the Tri-State/Plains merger and the Stipulation. Aplt. Br. 23–26. We
assume, as did the district court, that KCEC has sufficiently shown an interest in
the lawsuit that may be impaired by its disposition. Cf. Kane Cnty., 597 F.3d at
1133. Thus, we proceed directly to the inquiry whether KCEC’s interest is
adequately represented by the NMPRC.
“Even if an applicant satisfies the other requirements of Rule 24(a)(2), it is
not entitled to intervene if its ‘interest is adequately represented by existing
parties.’” San Juan Cnty., Utah v. United States, 503 F.3d 1163, 1203 (10th Cir.
2007) (en banc) (quoting Fed. R. Civ. P. 24(a)(2)). This requirement is satisfied
where the applicant “shows that representation of his interest may be
inadequate”—a “minimal” showing. Trbovich v. United Mine Workers of Am.,
404 U.S. 528, 538 n.10 (1972) (emphasis added) (internal quotation marks
omitted); see also Utah Ass’n of Counties v. Clinton, 255 F.3d 1246, 1254 (10th
Cir. 2001). Thus, the likelihood of a divergence of interest “need not be great” to
satisfy the requirement. Natural Res. Def. Council, 578 F.2d at 1346.
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For instance, where a governmental agency is seeking to represent both the
interests of the general public and the interests of a private party seeking
intervention, we have repeatedly found representation inadequate for purposes of
Rule 24(a)(2). See, e.g., Utahns for Better Transp. v. U.S. Dep’t of Transp., 295
F.3d 1111, 1117 (10th Cir. 2002) (“[I]n such a situation the government’s
prospective task of protecting ‘not only the interest of the public but also the
private interest of the petitioners in intervention’ is ‘on its face impossible’ and
creates the kind of conflict that ‘satisfies the minimal burden of showing
inadequacy of representation.’” (citation omitted)); Clinton, 255 F.3d at 1256(inadequate representation prong satisfied where government was “obligated to
consider a broad spectrum of views, many of which may conflict with the
particular interest of the would-be intervenor”); Nat’l Farm Lines v. Interstate
Commerce Comm’n, 564 F.2d 381, 384 (10th Cir. 1977) (inadequate
representation prong satisfied where Interstate Commerce Commission sought to
protect “not only the interest of the public but also the private interest of the
petitioners in intervention”).
These cases, however, are inapplicable where “‘the objective of the
applicant for intervention is identical to that of one of the parties.’” City of
Stilwell, Okla. v. Ozarks Rural Elec. Coop. Corp., 79 F.3d 1038, 1042 (10th Cir.
1996) (quoting Bottoms v. Dresser Indus., Inc., 797 F.2d 869, 872 (10th Cir.
1986)); see also Coal. of Ariz./N.M. Counties for Stable Econ. Growth v. Dep’t of
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Interior, 100 F.3d 837, 845 (10th Cir. 1996). Under such circumstances, we
presume representation is adequate. See Bottoms, 797 F.2d at 872–73; San Juan
Cnty., 503 F.3d at 1204 (opinion of Hartz, J.); id. at 1227 & n.1 (Ebel, J.,
dissenting). 1 Thus, even though a party seeking intervention may have different
“ultimate motivation[s]” from the governmental agency, where its objectives are
the same, we presume representation is adequate. Ozarks, 79 F.3d at 1042.
We are presented with precisely such a situation here, where the NMPRC
and KCEC have identical litigation objectives: preserving the NMPRC’s rate
jurisdiction over Tri-State. All of KCEC’s claimed interests—its track record of
rate advocacy, its direct economic interest in the result of the litigation, its
interest in upholding its contracts with Tri-State, its interest in preserving its right
to regulatory review of rates, and its interest in upholding the Tri-State/Plains
merger and Stipulation—ineluctably flow from its objective of preserving the
NMPRC’s jurisdiction over Tri-State’s wholesale electricity rates. Each of
1
In San Juan County, this court addressed en banc whether several
conservation groups were entitled to intervene in a federal quiet-title action
brought by San Juan County against the United States. 503 F.3d at 1167. Six
judges concluded that the conservation groups did not have a sufficient “interest”
under Rule 24(a), id. at 1207 (Kelly, J., concurring), and thus had no occasion to
address whether the conservation groups’ interests would be adequately
represented by the United States. Of the judges to address the adequate
representation prong, all seven—Judge Hartz writing for three judges and Judge
Ebel writing for four—agreed that a presumption of adequate representation
applied where an applicant for intervention had objectives “identical” to a party to
the suit. Id. at 1204 (opinion of Hartz, J.); id. at 1227 & n.1 (Ebel, J., dissenting).
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KCEC’s claimed interests are part and parcel of its broader interest in maintaining
the NMPRC’s jurisdiction over these rates.
And of course, the NMPRC’s objective in the proceeding is
identical—preserving its own jurisdiction over Tri-State’s wholesale electric
rates. This simply is not a case where the governmental agency must account for
a “broad spectrum” of interests that may or may not be coextensive with the
intervenor’s particular interest. Clinton, 255 F.3d at 1256. Tri-State’s suit
challenges the constitutionality of a New Mexico statute granting the NMPRC
power to, under certain circumstances, “suspend” a G&T cooperative’s rates,
“conduct a hearing” on the reasonableness of the rates, and “establish reasonable
rates.” N.M. Stat. Ann. § 62-6-4(D). Thus, the suit presents a “binary”
issue—whether the New Mexico statute granting the NMPRC this authority
accords with the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. San Juan
Cnty., 503 F.3d at 1228 (Ebel, J., dissenting). The challenge does not require the
NMPRC to strike some balance between the interest of electricity wholesalers,
retailers, and the general public. Nor does it require the NMPRC to determine the
reasonableness of Tri-State’s current rates or establish reasonable rates. It simply
requires the NMPRC to argue its authority under § 62-6-4(D) does not violate the
Commerce Clause.
Given that the NMPRC and KCEC have identical objectives in the dispute,
we presume that the NMPRC’s representation is adequate. To overcome this
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presumption, KCEC must make “a concrete showing of circumstances” that the
NMPRC’s representation is inadequate. Bottoms, 797 F.2d at 872 (quoting 7A
Charles A. Wright & Arthur R. Miller, Federal Practice & Procedure § 1909, at
529 (1972)). These circumstances include a “showing that there is collusion
between the representative and an opposing party, that the representative has an
interest adverse to the applicant, or that the representative failed to represent the
applicant’s interest.” Id. at 872–73 (citing Sanguine, Ltd. v. U.S. Dep’t of
Interior, 736 F.2d 1416, 1419 (10th Cir. 1984)).
KCEC argues that “the NMPRC, as an adjudicatory body in a pending rate
case, is limited in its ability to present evidence or advance arguments” regarding
how its rate-making authority satisfies the Commerce Clause. Aplt. Br. 31. It
argues that, under existing Commerce Clause standards, the NMPRC will have to
establish that the law’s burden on interstate commerce was not “clearly excessive
in relation to the putative local benefits.” Id. at 30 (quoting Ark. Elec. Coop.
Corp. v. Ark. Pub. Serv. Comm’n, 461 U.S. 375, 395 (1983)). KCEC contends
that the NMPRC will be inhibited from effectively making this argument, given
its “impartial adjudicatory role” in the pending rate proceedings. Id. at 31. But
contrary to KCEC’s assertion, the pendency of rate proceedings will not prevent
the NMPRC from arguing the local benefits furthered by § 62-6-4(D). The
NMPRC need not argue for a particular rate or rate structure in order to set forth
the intrastate benefits of its jurisdiction over Tri-State’s rates.
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In addition, there is no reason to think that the NMPRC will not vigorously
argue in favor of its statutory authority. The NMPRC is represented by the New
Mexico Attorney General, who is obligated by law to defend the constitutionality
of the statute. See N.M. Stat. Ann. § 8-5-2. Further, through this point in
litigation, the NMPRC has “displayed no reluctance” to defend the statute. San
Juan Cnty., 503 F.3d at 1206 (opinion of Hartz, J.); see also Coal. of Ariz./N.M.
Counties, 100 F.3d at 845 (considering DOI’s “reluctance in protecting the Owl”
in finding that DOI may not adequately represent photographer/biologist’s
interests). As noted, the NMPRC has raised a number of affirmative defenses to
Tri-State’s claims and reserved the right to raise additional defenses. KCEC’s
proposed response to Tri-State’s complaint raised nearly identical defenses. The
NMPRC raised additional arguments in its motion for summary judgment,
including that Tri-State was estopped from challenging the NMPRC’s rate-making
jurisdiction given its agreement to the earlier Stipulation. The NMPRC’s
arguments were once again parroted by KCEC in its proposed motion for
summary judgment. In short, the NMPRC appears to be representing KCEC’s
interests precisely as KCEC would.
Finally, we note that, unlike cases where intervention applicants possessed
unique knowledge or expertise beyond that of the governmental agency, see, e.g.,
Nat’l Farm Lines, 564 F.2d at 383, KCEC does not argue it possesses particular
expertise beyond that of the NMPRC, cf. Kane Cnty., 597 F.3d at 1135.
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For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the district court’s denial of
intervention as of right under Rule 24(a)(2).
B. Permissive Intervention
Rule 24(b)(1)(B) governing permissive intervention provides that, on
timely motion, the court may permit anyone to intervene who “has a claim or
defense that shares with the main action a common question of law or fact.” In
exercising its discretion to permit a party to intervene, “the court must consider
whether the intervention will unduly delay or prejudice the adjudication of the
original parties’ rights.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 24(b)(3). The district court observed
that it was clear that KCEC’s affirmative defenses had questions of law and fact
in common with the NMPRC’s defenses. It further rejected Tri-State’s argument
that allowing intervention would yield a deluge of other intervention applications
from similarly situated electricity retailers. Nevertheless, the court found that, on
balance, permissive intervention was inappropriate, because: (1) allowing
intervention would burden the parties with additional discovery; and (2) the
NMPRC would adequately represent KCEC’s interests.
We review the district court’s denial of permissive intervention for an
abuse of discretion. Kane Cnty, 597 F.3d at 1135; Alameda Water & Sanitation
Dist. v. Browner, 9 F.3d 88, 89–90 (10th Cir. 1993). In reviewing for abuse of
discretion, “we may not . . . substitute our own judgment for that of the trial
court.” Nalder v. West Park Hosp., 254 F.3d 1168, 1174 (10th Cir. 2001)
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(internal quotation marks omitted). “An abuse of discretion will be found only
where the trial court makes ‘an arbitrary, capricious, whimsical, or manifestly
unreasonable judgement.’” Fed. Deposit Ins. Corp. v. Oldenburg, 34 F.3d 1529,
1555 (10th Cir. 1994) (quoting United States v. Hernandez-Herrera, 952 F.2d 342,
343 (10th Cir. 1991)). As KCEC notes, “decisions holding that the district court
abused its discretion in denying permissive intervention are predictably rare.”
Aplt. Br. 35–36. This concession is in fact an understatement—KCEC cites no
Tenth Circuit decisions reversing a district court’s denial of permissive
intervention.
KCEC contends that the district court abused its discretion by relying on
the NMPRC’s adequate representation of KCEC’s interests, both because the
NMPRC could not adequately represent KCEC’s interests and because Rule 24(b)
does not speak to adequate representation as a consideration. Aplt. Br. 40–41.
As to the contention that NMPRC may not adequately represent KCEC’s rights,
we reject this argument for reasons specified above in our Rule 24(a) analysis.
As to KCEC’s suggestion that Rule 24(b) does not provide for consideration of
adequate representation, we have elsewhere affirmed denial of permissive
intervention on such grounds. Ozarks, 79 F.3d at 1043; see also Perry v.
Proposition 8 Official Proponents, 587 F.3d 947, 955 (9th Cir. 2009) (in
exercising discretion under Rule 24(b), district court may consider “whether the
intervenors’ interests are adequately represented by other parties” (citation
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omitted)); Am. Ass’n of People with Disabilities v. Herrera, 257 F.R.D. 236, 249
(D.N.M. 2008) (“While not a required part of the test for permissive intervention,
a court’s finding that existing parties adequately protect prospective intervenors’
interests will support a denial of permissive intervention.”).
KCEC also argues that the district court abused its discretion by finding
that the parties would be burdened by discovery propounded by KCEC virtually
identical to that sought by the NMPRC. KCEC argues that there was no evidence
to support this finding, and that even if there was, the district court always retains
the ability to limit and manage discovery pursuant to its authority under Rule 26
of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Aplt. Br. 38 (citing United States v.
Albert Inv. Co., 585 F.3d 1386, 1396 (10th Cir. 2009)). Given Rule 24(b)(3)’s
mandate to the district court to consider whether intervention might unduly delay
or prejudice adjudication of the original parties’ rights, we think the district court
was entitled to consider the potential for burdensome or duplicative discovery in
its analysis—even given its ability to manage discovery. In short, KCEC has not
shown that the district court’s denial of permissive intervention was “arbitrary,
capricious, whimsical, or manifestly unreasonable.” Oldenburg, 34 F.3d at 1555.
AFFIRMED.
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