10 C.F.R. Subpart O—Notice of Probable Violation, Remedial Order, Notice of Proposed Disallowance, and Order of Disallowance
Title 10 - Energy
Authority: Emergency Petroleum Allocation Act of 1973, Pub. L. 93–159, as amended, Pub. L. 93–511, Pub. L. 94–99, Pub. L. 94–133, Pub. L. 94–163, and Pub. L. 94–385, Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974, Pub. L. 93–275, as amended, Pub. L. 94–332, Pub. L. 94–385, Pub. L. 95–70, Pub. L. 95–91; Energy Policy and Conservation Act, Pub. L. 94–163, as amended, Pub. L. 94–385, Pub. L. 95–70, Department of Energy Organization Act, Pub. L. 95–91, as amended, Pub. L. 95–620; E.O. 11790, 39 FR 23185; E.O. 12009, 42 FR 46267.
Source: 44 FR 7924, Feb. 7, 1979, unless otherwise noted.
(a) This subpart establishes the procedures for determining the nature and extent of violations of the DOE regulations in parts 210, 211, and 212 and the procedures for issuance of a Notice of Probable Violation, a Proposed Remedial Order, a Remedial Order, an Interim Remedial Order for Immediate Compliance, a Remedial Order for Immediate Compliance, a Notice of Probable Disallowance, a Proposed Order of Disallowance, an Order of Disallowance, or a Consent Order. Nothing in these regulations shall affect the authority of DOE enforcement officials in coordination with the Department of Justice to initiate appropriate civil or criminal enforcement actions in court at any time. (b) When any report required by the ERA or any audit or investigation discloses, or the ERA otherwise discovers, that there is reason to believe a violation of any provision of this chapter, or any order issued thereunder, has occurred, is continuing or is about to occur, the ERA may conduct an inquiry to determine the nature and extent of the violation. A Remedial Order or Order of Disallowance may be issued thereafter by the Office of Hearings and Appeals. The ERA may commence enforcement proceedings by serving a Notice of Probable Violation, a Notice of Probable Disallowance, a Proposed Remedial Order, a Proposed Order of Disallowance, or an Interim Remedial Order for Immediate Compliance.
Title 10: Energy
PART 205—ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES AND SANCTIONS
Subpart O—Notice of Probable Violation, Remedial Order, Notice of Proposed Disallowance, and Order of Disallowance
§ 205.190 Purpose and scope.
§ 205.191 [Reserved]
§ 205.192 Proposed remedial order.
(a) If the ERA finds, after the 30-day or other period authorized for reply to the Notice of Probable Violation, that a violation has occurred, is continuing, or is about to occur, it may issue a Proposed Remedial Order, which shall set forth the relevant facts and law.
(b) The ERA may issue a Proposed Remedial Order at any time it finds that a violation has occurred, is continuing, or is about to occur even if it has not previously issued a Notice of Probable Violation.
(c) The ERA shall serve a copy of the Proposed Remedial Order upon the person to whom it is directed. The ERA shall promptly publish a notice in the
(d) The Proposed Remedial Order shall set forth the proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law upon which it is based. It shall also include a discussion of the relevant authorities which support the position asserted, including rules, regulations, rulings, interpretations and previous decisions issued by DOE or its predecessor agencies. The Proposed Remedial Order shall be accompanied by a declaration executed by the DOE employee primarily knowledgeable about the facts of the case stating that, to the best of declarant's knowledge and belief, the findings of fact are correct.
(e) The ERA may amend or withdraw a Proposed Remedial Order at its discretion prior to the date of service of a Statement of Objections in that proceeding. The date of service of the amended documents shall be considered the date of service of the Proposed Remedial Order in calculating the time periods specified in this part 205.
§ 205.192A Burden of proof.
(a) In a Proposed Remedial Order proceeding the ERA has the burden of establishing a prima facie case as to the validity of the findings of fact and conclusions of law asserted therein. The ERA shall be deemed to meet this burden by the service of a Proposed Remedial Order that meets the requirements of §205.192(d) and any supplemental information that may be made available under §205.193A.
(b) Once a prima facie case has been established, a person who objects to a finding of fact or conclusion of law in the Proposed Remedial Order has the burden of going forward with the evidence. Furthermore, the proponent of additional factual representations has the burden of going forward with the evidence.
(c) Unless otherwise specified by the Director of the Office of Hearings and Appeals or his designee, the proponent of an order or a motion or additional factual representations has the ultimate burden of persuasion.
§ 205.193 Notice of Objection.
(a) Within 15 days after publication of the notice of a Proposed Remedial Order in the
(b) A person who fails to file a timely Notice of Objection shall be deemed to have admitted the findings of fact and conclusions of law as stated in the Proposed Remedial Order. If a Notice of Objection is not filed as provided by paragraph (a) of this section, the Proposed Remedial Order may be issued as a final order.
(c) A person who files a Notice of Objection shall on the same day serve a copy of the Notice upon the person to whom the Proposed Remedial Order is directed, the DOE Office that issued the Proposed Remedial Order, and the DOE Assistant General Counsel for Administrative Litigation.
(d) The Notice shall include a certification of compliance with the provisions of this section, the names and addresses of each person served with a copy of the Notice, and the date and manner of service.
(e) If no person files a timely Notice of Objection, ERA may request the Office of Hearings and Appeals to issue the Proposed Remedial Order as a final Remedial Order.
(f) In order to exhaust administrative remedies with respect to a Remedial Order proceeding, a person must file a timely Notice of Objection and Statement of Objections with the Office of Hearings and Appeals.
§ 205.193A Submission of ERA supplemental information.
Within 20 days after service of a Notice of Objection to a Proposed Remedial Order the ERA may serve, upon the person to whom the Proposed Remedial Order was directed, supplemental information relating to the calculations and determinations which support the findings of fact set forth in the Proposed Remedial Order.
§ 205.194 Participants; official service list.
(a) Upon receipt of a Notice of Objection, the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall publish a notice in the
(b) The Office that issued the Proposed Remedial Order and the person to whom the Order is directed shall be considered participants before the Office of Hearings and Appeals at all stages of an enforcement proceeding. Any other person whose interest may be affected by the proceeding may file a request to participate in the proceeding with the Office of Hearings and Appeals within 20 days after publication of the notice referred to in paragraph (a) of this section. The request shall contain
(1) The person's name, address, and telephone number and similar information concerning his duly authorized representative, if any;
(2) A detailed description of the person's interest in the proceeding;
(3) The specific reasons why the person's active involvement in the proceeding will substantially contribute to a complete resolution of the issues to be considered in the proceeding;
(4) A statement of the position which the person intends to adopt in the proceeding; and
(5) A statement of the particular aspects of the proceeding, e.g. oral argument, submission of briefs, or discovery, in which the person wishes to actively participate.
(c) After considering the requests submitted pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall determine those persons who may participate on an active basis in the proceeding and the nature of their participation. Participants with similar interests may be required to consolidate their submissions and to appear in the proceeding through a common representative.
(d) Within 30 days after publication of the notice referred to in paragraph (a) of this section, the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall prepare an official service list for the proceeding. Within the same 30 day period the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall mail the official service list to all persons who filed requests to participate. For good cause shown a person may be placed on the official service list as a non-participant, for the receipt of documents only. An opportunity shall be afforded to participants to oppose the placement of a non-participant on the official service list.
(e) A person requesting to participate after the period for submitting requests has expired must show good cause for failure to file a request within the prescribed time period.
(f) The Office of Hearings and Appeals may limit the nature of a person's participation in the proceeding, if it finds that the facts upon which the person's request was based have changed or were incorrect when stated or that the person has not been actively participating or has engaged in disruptive or dilatory conduct. The action referred to in this provision shall be taken only after notice and an opportunity to be heard are afforded.
§ 205.195 Filing and service of all submissions.
(a)(1) Statements of Objections, Responses to such Statements, and any motions or other documents filed in connection with a proceeding shall meet the requirements of §205.9 and shall be filed with the Office of Hearings and Appeals in accordance with §205.4. Unless otherwise specified, any participant may file a response to a motion within five days of service.
(2) All documents shall be filed in duplicate, unless they contain confidential information, in which case they must be filed in triplicate.
(3) If a person claims that any portion of a document which he is filing contains confidential information, such information should be deleted from two of the three copies which are filed. One copy from which confidential information has been deleted will be placed in the Office of Hearings and Appeals Public Docket Room.
(b)(1) Persons other than DOE offices shall on the date a submission is filed serve each person on the official service list. Service shall be made in accordance with §205.7 and may also be made by deposit in the regular United States mail, properly stamped and addressed, when accompanied by proof of service consisting of a certificate of counsel or an affidavit of the person making the service. If any filing arguably contains confidential information, a person may serve copies with the confidential information deleted upon all persons on the official service list except DOE offices, which shall be served both an original filing and one with deletions.
(2) A DOE office shall on the date it files a submission serve all persons on the official service list, unless the filing arguably contains confidential information. In that case the DOE office shall notify the person to whom the information relates of the opportunity to identify and delete the confidential information. The DOE Office may delay the service of a submission containing arguably confidential information upon all persons other than the possessor of the confidential information and other DOE offices up to 14 days. The possessor of the confidential information shall serve the filing with any deletions upon all persons on the official service list within such time period.
(c) Any filing made under this section shall include a certification of compliance by the filer with the provisions of this subpart. The person serving a document shall file a certificate of service, which includes the date and manner of service for each person on the official service list.
§ 205.196 Statement of objections.
(a) A person who has filed a Notice of Objection shall file a Statement of Objections to a Proposed Remedial Order within 40 days after service of the Notice of Objection. A request for an extension of time for filing must be submitted in writing and may be granted for good cause shown.
(b) The Statement of Objections shall set forth the bases for the objections to the issuance of the Proposed Remedial Order as a final order, including a specification of the issues of fact or law which the person intends to contest in any further proceeding involving the compliance matter which is the subject of the Proposed Remedial Order. The Statement shall set forth the findings of fact contained in the Proposed Remedial Order which are alleged to be erroneous, the factual basis for such allegations, and any alternative findings which are sought. The Statement shall include a discussion of all relevant authorities which support the position asserted. The Statement may include additional factual representations which are not referred to in the Proposed Remedial Order and which the person contends are material and relevant to the compliance proceeding. For each additional factual representation which the person asserts should be made, the Statement shall include reasons why the factual representation is relevant and material, and the manner in which its validity is or will be established. The person shall also specify the manner in which each additional issue of fact was raised in any prior administrative proceeding which led to issuance of the Proposed Remedial Order, or the reasons why it was not raised.
(c) A Statement of Objections that is filed by the person to whom a Proposed Remedial Order is directed shall include a copy of any relevant Notice of Probable Violation, each Response thereto, the Proposed Remedial Order, and any relevant work papers or supplemental information previously provided by ERA. Copies of this material must also be included with the copy of the Statement of Objections served upon the DOE Assistant General Counsel for Administrative Litigation. All other persons on the official service list must be notified that such materials are available from the notifier upon written request.
§ 205.197 Response to statement of objections; reply.
(a) Within 30 days after service of a Statement of Objections each participant may file a Response. If any motions are served with the Statement of Objections, a participant shall have 30 days from the date of service to respond to such submissions, notwithstanding any shorter time periods otherwise required in this subpart. The Response shall contain a full discussion of the position asserted and a discussion of the legal and factual bases which support that position. The Response may also contain a request that any issue of fact or law advanced in a Statement of Objections be dismissed. Any such request shall be accompanied by a full discussion of the reasons supporting the dismissal.
(b) A participant may submit a Reply to any Response within 10 days after the date of service of the Response.
§ 205.198 Discovery.
(a) If a person intends to file a Motion for Discovery, he must file it at the same time that he files his Statement of Objections or at the same time he files his Response to a Statement of Objections, whichever is earlier. All Motions for Discovery and related filings must be served upon the person to whom the discovery is directed. If the person to whom the discovery is directed is not on the official service list, the documents served upon him shall include a copy of this section, the address of the Office of Hearings and Appeals and a statement that objections to the Motion may be filed with the Office of Hearings and Appeals.
(b) A Motion for Discovery may request that:
(1) A person produce for inspection and photocopying non-privileged written material in his possession;
(2) A person respond to written interrogatories;
(3) A person admit to the genuineness of any relevant document or the truth of any relevant fact; or
(4) The deposition of a material witness be taken.
(c) A Motion for Discovery shall set forth the reasons why the particular discovery is necessary in order to obtain relevant and material evidence and shall explain why such discovery would not unduly delay the proceeding.
(d) Within 20 days after a Motion for Discovery is served, a participant or a person to whom the discovery is directed may file a request that the Motion be denied in whole or in part, stating the reasons which support the request.
(e) Discovery may be conducted only pursuant to an Order issued by the Office of Hearings and Appeals. A Motion for Discovery will be granted if it is concluded that discovery is necessary for the party to obtain relevant and material evidence and that discovery will not unduly delay the proceeding. Depositions will be permitted if a convincing showing is made that the participant cannot obtain the material sought through one of the other discovery means specified in paragraph (b) of this section.
(f) The Director of the Office of Hearings and Appeals or his designee may issue subpoenas in accordance with §205.8 in support of Discovery Orders, except that §205.8 (h)(2), (3), and (4) shall not apply to such subpoenas.
(g) The Office of Hearings and Appeals may order that any direct expenses incurred by a person to produce evidence pursuant to a Motion for Discovery be charged to the person who filed the Motion.
(h)(1) If a person fails to comply with an order relating to discovery, the Office of Hearings and Appeals may order appropriate sanctions.
(2) It shall be the duty of aggrieved participants to request that appropriate relief be fashioned in such situations.
(i) Any order issued by the Office of Hearings and Appeals with respect to discovery shall be subject to further administrative review or appeal only upon issuance of the determination referred to in §205.199B.
§ 205.198A Protective order.
A participant who has unsuccessfully attempted in writing to obtain information that another participant claims is confidential may file a Motion for Discovery and Protective Order. This motion shall meet the requirements of §205.198 and shall specify the particular confidential information that the movant seeks and the reasons why the information is necessary to adequately present the movant's position in the proceeding. A copy of the written request for information, a certification concerning when and to whom it was served and a copy of the response, if any, shall be appended to the motion. The motion must give the possessor of the information notice that a Response to the Motion must be filed within ten days. The Response shall specify the safeguards, if any, that should be imposed if the information is ordered to be released. The Office of Hearings and Appeals may issue a Protective Order upon consideration of the Motion and the Response.
§ 205.199 Evidentiary hearing.
(a) Filing Requirements. At the time a person files a Statement of Objections he may also file a motion requesting an evidentiary hearing be convened. A motion requesting an evidentiary hearing may be filed by any other participant within 30 days after that participant is served with a Statement of Objections.
(b) Contents of Motion for Evidentiary Hearing. A Motion for Evidentiary Hearing shall specify each disputed issue of fact and the bases for the alternative findings the movant asserts. The movant shall also describe the manner in which each disputed issue of fact was raised in any prior administrative proceeding which led to issuance of the Proposed Remedial Order, or why it was not raised. The movant shall with respect to each disputed or alternative finding of fact:
(1) As specifically as possible, identify the witnesses whose testimony is required;
(2) State the reasons why the testimony of the witnesses is necessary; and
(3) State the reasons why the asserted position can be effectively established only through the direct questioning of witnesses at an evidentiary hearing.
(c) Response to Motion for Evidentiary Hearing. Within 20 days after service of any Motion for Evidentiary Hearing, the Office that issued the Proposed Remedial Order shall, and any other participant may file a Response with the Office of Hearings and Appeals. The Response shall specify:
(1) Each particular factual representation which is accepted as correct for purposes of the proceeding;
(2) Each particular factual representation which is denied;
(3) Each particular factual representation which the participant is not in a position to accept or deny;
(4) Each particular factual representation which is not accepted and the participant wishes proven by the submission of evidence;
(5) Each particular factual representation which the participant is prepared to dispute through the testimony of witnesses or the submission of verified documents; and
(6) Each particular factual representation which the participant asserts should be dismissed as immaterial or irrelevant.
(d) Prehearing Conferences. After all submissions with respect to a Motion for Evidentiary Hearing are filed, the Office of Hearings and Appeals may conduct conferences or hearings to resolve differences of view among the participants.
(e) Decision on Motion for Evidentiary Hearing. After considering all relevant information received in connection with the Motion, the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall enter an Order. In the Order the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall direct that an evidentiary hearing be convened if it concludes that a genuine dispute exists as to relevant and material issues of fact and an evidentiary hearing would substantially assist it in making findings of fact in an effective manner. If the Motion for Evidentiary Hearing is granted in whole or in part, the Order shall specify the parties to the hearing, any limitations on the participation of a party, and the issues of fact set forth for the evidentiary hearing. The Order may also require parties that have adopted similar positions to consolidate their presentations and to appear at the evidentiary hearing through a common representative. If the Motion is denied, the Order may allow the movant to file affidavits and other documents in support of his asserted findings of fact.
(f) Review of Decision. The Order of the Office of Hearings and Appeals with respect to a Motion for Evidentiary Hearing shall be subject to further administrative review or appeal only upon issuance of the determination referred to in §205.199B.
(g) Conduct of Evidentiary Hearing. All evidentiary hearings convened pursuant to this section shall be conducted by the Director of the Office of Hearings and Appeals or his designee. At any evidentiary hearing the parties shall have the opportunity to present material evidence which directly relates to a particular issue of fact set forth for hearing. The presiding officer shall afford the parties an opportunity to cross examine all witnesses. The presiding officer may administer oaths and affirmations, rule on objections to the presentation of evidence, receive relevant material, rule on any motion to conform the Proposed Remedial Order to the evidence presented, rule on motions for continuance, dispose of procedural requests, determine the format of the hearing, modify any order granting a Motion for Evidentiary Hearing, direct that written motions or briefs be provided with respect to issues raised during the course of the hearing, issue subpoenas, and otherwise regulate the conduct of the hearing. The presiding officer may take reasonable measures to exclude duplicative material from the hearing, and may place appropriate limitations on the number of witnesses that may be called by a party. The presiding officer may also require that evidence be submitted through affidavits or other documents if the direct testimony of witnesses will unduly delay the orderly progress of the hearing and would not contribute to resolving the issues involved in the hearing. The provisions of §205.8 which relate to subpoenas and witness fees shall apply to any evidentiary hearing, except that subsection §205.8(h) (2), (3), and (4) shall not apply.
§ 205.199A Hearing for the purpose of oral argument only.
(a) A participant is entitled upon timely request to a hearing to present oral argument with respect to the Proposed Remedial Order, whether or not an evidentiary hearing is requested or convened. A participant's request shall normally be considered untimely, if made more than 10 days after service of a determination regarding any motion filed by the requestor or, if no motions were filed by him, if made after the date for filing his Reply or his Response to a Statement of Objections.
(b) If an evidentiary hearing is convened, and a hearing for oral argument is requested, the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall determine whether the hearing for oral argument shall be held in conjunction with the evidentiary hearing or at a separate time.
(c) A hearing for the purpose of receiving oral argument will generally be conducted only after the issues involved in the proceeding have been delineated, and any written material which the Office of Hearings and Appeals has requested to supplement a Statement of Objections or Responses has been submitted. The presiding officer may require further written submissions in support of any position advanced or issued at the hearing, and shall allow responses any such submissions.
§ 205.199B Remedial order.
(a) After considering all information received during the proceeding, the Director of the Office of Hearings and Appeals or his designee may issue a final Remedial Order. The Remedial Order may adopt the findings and conclusions contained in the Proposed Remedial Order or may modify or rescind any such finding or conclusion to conform the Order to the evidence or on the basis of a determination that the finding or conclusion is erroneous in fact or law or is arbitrary or capricious. In the alternative, the Office of Hearings and Appeals may determine that no Remedial Order should be issued or may remand all or a portion of the Proposed Remedial Order to the issuing DOE office for further consideration or modification. Every determination made pursuant to this section shall state the relevant facts and legal bases supporting the determination.
(b) The DOE shall serve a copy of any determination issued pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section upon the person to whom it is directed, any person who was served with a copy of the Proposed Remedial Order, the DOE office that issued the Proposed Remedial Order, the DOE Assistant General Counsel for Administrative Litigation and any other person on the official service list. Appropriate deletions may be made in the determinations to ensure that confidentiality of information protected from disclosure under 18 U.S.C. 1905 and 5 U.S.C. 552. A copy of the determination with appropriate deletions to protect confidential and proprietary data shall be placed in the Office of Hearings and Appeals Public Docket Room.
§ 205.199C Appeals of remedial order to FERC.
(a) The person to whom a Remedial Order is issued by the Office of Hearings and Appeals may file an administrative appeal if the Remedial Order proceeding was initiated by a Notice of Probable Violation issued after October 1, 1977, or, in those situations in which no Notice of Probable Violation was issued, if the proceeding was initiated by a Proposed Remedial Order issued after October 1, 1977.
(b) Any such appeal must be initiated within 30 days after service of the Order by giving written notice to the Office of Hearings and Appeals that the person to whom a Remedial Order is issued wishes to contest the Order.
(c) The Office of Hearings and Appeals shall promptly advise the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission of its receipt of a notice described in paragraph (b) of this section.
(d) The Office of Hearings and Appeals may, on a case by case basis, set reasonable time limits for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to complete its action on such an appeal proceeding.
(e) In order to exhaust administrative remedies, a person who is entitled to appeal a Remedial Order issued by the Office of Hearings and Appeals must file a timely appeal and await a decision on the merits. Any Remedial Order that is not appealed within the 30-day period shall become effective as a final Order of the DOE and is not subject to review by any court.
§§ 205.199D-205.199E [Reserved]
§ 205.199F Ex parte communications.
(a) No person who is not employed or otherwise supervised by the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall submit ex parte communications to the Director or any person employed or otherwise supervised by the Office with respect to any matter involved in Remedial Order or Order of Disallowance proceedings.
(1) Ex parte communications include any ex parte oral or written communications relative to the merits of a Proposed Remedial Order, Interim Remedial Order for Immediate Compliance, or Proposed Order of Disallowance proceeding pending before the Office of Hearings and Appeals. The term shall not, however, include requests for status reports, inquiries as to procedures, or the submission of proprietary or confidential information. Notice that proprietary or confidential submissions have been made shall be given to all persons on the official service list.
(b) If any communication occurs that violates the provisions of this section, the Office of Hearings and Appeals shall promptly make the substance of the communication available to the public and serve a copy of a written communication or a memorandum summarizing an oral communication to all participants in the affected proceeding. The Office of Hearings and Appeals may also take any other appropriate action to mitigate the adverse impact to any person whose interest may be affected by the ex parte contact.
§ 205.199G Extension of time; Interim and Ancillary Orders.
The Director of the Office of Hearings and Appeals or his designee may permit upon motion any document or submission referred to in this subpart other than appeals to FERC to be amended or withdrawn after it has been filed or to be filed within a time period different from that specified in this subpart. The Director or his designee may upon motion or on his own initiative issue any interim or ancillary Orders, reconsider any determinations, or make any rulings or determinations that are deemed necessary to ensure that the proceedings specified in this subpart are conducted in an appropriate manner and are not unduly delayed.
§ 205.199H Actions not subject to administrative appeal.
A Notice of Probable Violation, Notice of Proposed Disallowance, Proposed Remedial Order or Interim Remedial Order for Immediate Compliance issued pursuant to this subpart shall not be an action from which there may be an administrative appeal pursuant to subpart H. In addition, a determination by the Office of Hearings and Appeals that a Remedial Order, an Order of Disallowance, or a Remedial Order for Immediate Compliance should not be issued shall not be appealable pursuant to subpart H.
§ 205.199I Remedies.
(a) A Remedial Order, a Remedial Order for Immediate Compliance, an Order of Disallowance, or a Consent Order may require the person to whom it is directed to roll back prices, to make refunds equal to the amount (plus interest) charged in excess of those amounts permitted under DOE Regulations, to make appropriate compensation to third persons for administrative expenses of effectuating appropriate remedies, and to take such other action as the DOE determines is necessary to eliminate or to compensate for the effects of a violation or any cost disallowance pursuant to §212.83 or §212.84. Such action may include a direction to the person to whom the Order is issued to establish an escrow account or take other measures to make refunds directly to purchasers of the products involved, notwithstanding the fact that those purchasers obtained such products from an intermediate distributor of such person's products, and may require as part of the remedy that the person to whom the Order is issued maintain his prices at certain designated levels, notwithstanding the presence or absence of other regulatory controls on such person's prices. In cases where purchasers cannot be reasonably identified or paid or where the amount of each purchaser's overcharge is incapable of reasonable determination, the DOE may refund the amounts received in such cases directly to the Treasury of the United States on behalf of such purchasers.
(b) The DOE may, when appropriate, issue final Orders ancillary to a Remedial Order, Remedial Order for Immediate Compliance, Order of Disallowance, or Consent Order requiring that a direct or indirect recipient of a refund pass through, by such means as the DOE deems appropriate, including those described in paragraph (a) of this section, all or a portion of the refund, on a pro rata basis, to those customers of the recipient who were adversely affected by the initial overcharge. Ancillary Orders may be appealed to the Office of Hearings and Appeals only pursuant to subpart H.
§ 205.199J Consent order.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subpart, the DOE may at any time resolve an outstanding compliance investigation or proceeding, or a proceeding involving the disallowance of costs pursuant to §205.199E with a Consent Order. A Consent Order must be signed by the person to whom it is issued, or a duly authorized representative, and must indicate agreement to the terms contained therein. A Consent Order need not constitute an admission by any person that DOE regulations have been violated, nor need it constitute a finding by the DOE that such person has violated DOE regulations. A Consent Order shall, however, set forth the relevant facts which form the basis for the Order.
(b) A Consent Order is a final Order of the DOE having the same force and effect as a Remedial Order issued pursuant to §205.199B or an Order of Disallowance issued pursuant to §205.199E, and may require one or more of the remedies authorized by §205.199I and §212.84(d)(3). A Consent Order becomes effective no sooner than 30 days after publication under paragraph (c) of this section, unless (1) the DOE makes a Consent Order effective immediately, because it expressly deems it necessary in the public interest, or (2) the Consent Order involves a sum of less than $500,000 in the aggregate, excluding penalties and interest, in which case it will be effective when signed both by the person to whom it is issued and the DOE, and will not be subject to the provisions of paragraph (c) of this section unless the DOE determines otherwise. A Consent Order shall not be appealable pursuant to the provisions of §205.199C or §205.199D and subpart H, and shall contain an express waiver of such appeal or judicial review rights as might otherwise attach to a final Order of the DOE.
(c) When a Consent Order has been signed, both by the person to whom it is issued and the DOE, the DOE will publish notice of such Consent Order in the
(d) At any time and in accordance with the procedures of subpart J, a Consent Order may be modified or rescinded, upon petition by the person to whom the Consent Order was issued, and may be rescinded by the DOE upon discovery of new evidence which is materially inconsistent with evidence upon which the DOE's acceptance of the Consent Order was based. Modifications of a Consent Order which is subject to public comment under the provisions of paragraph (c) of this section, which in the opinion of the DOE significantly change the terms or the impact of the original Order, shall be republished under the provisions of that paragraph.
(e) Notwithstanding the issuance of a Consent Order, the DOE may seek civil or criminal penalties or compromise civil penalties pursuant to subpart P concerning matters encompassed by the Consent Order, unless the Consent Order by its terms expressly precludes the DOE from so doing.
(f) If at any time after a Consent Order becomes effective it appears to the DOE that the terms of the Consent Order have been violated, the DOE may refer such violations to the Department of Justice for appropriate action in accordance with subpart P.
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