(a) When a petition or appeal is filed, the commission shall determine within 30 days of the filing of the petition or appeal whether the petition contains all of the information required by this subchapter. For purposes of this section only, the initial review of probable grounds shall be limited to a determination whether the petitioner has met the requirements §24.305 of this title (relating to Petition or Appeal). If the commission determines that the petition or appeal does not meet the requirements of §24.305 of this title, the commission shall inform the petitioner of the deficiencies within the petition or appeal and allow the petitioner the opportunity to correct these deficiencies. If the commission determines that the petition or appeal does meet the requirements of §24.305 of this title, the commission shall forward the petition or appeal to the State Office of Administrative Hearings for an evidentiary hearing.
(b) For a petition or appeal to review a rate that is charged pursuant to a written contract, the commission will forward the petition or appeal to the State Office of Administrative Hearings to conduct an evidentiary hearing on public interest.
(c) For a petition or appeal to review a rate that is not charged pursuant to a written contract, the commission will forward the petition or appeal to the State Office of Administrative Hearings to conduct an evidentiary hearing on the rate.
(d) If the seller and buyer do not agree that the protested rate is charged pursuant to a written contract, the administrative law judge shall abate the proceedings until the contract dispute over whether the protested rate is part of the contract has been resolved by a court of proper jurisdiction.

Source Note: The provisions of this §24.307 adopted to be effective October 17, 2018, 43 TexReg 6826