20:10:31:05.  Assessment of support costs. Support costs not reduced by § 20:10:31:03 are first divided equally between two categories. Fifty percent of the costs are allocated to meters and fifty percent are allocated to miles. The number of miles in the miles category is the total number of miles of intrastate gas distribution and transmission pipeline. The number of meters is the total number of meters operated by distribution operators. A gas transmission operator is assessed a pro rata per mile share of the support costs based on the fifty percent allocated to the miles category. The pipeline measurement is rounded up to the next whole mile. The pipeline measurement for each operator is based on the number of miles operated on the preceding December 31.

          All remaining support costs are assessed on a pro rata basis to distribution pipeline operators based on the number of meters in service by that operator on the preceding December 31. An operator is considered to have one meter in service for each unmetered individual service line on the preceding December 31.

          The charges are assessed and billed annually to each pipeline operator.

          Source: 20 SDR 222, effective July 5, 1994; 35 SDR 48, effective September 9, 2008.

          General Authority: SDCL 49-34B-20.

          Law Implemented: SDCL 49-34B-9, 49-34B-10.