Vistra Corp. v. Public Utilities Regulatory Authority

Summary

The court held that PURA's annual renewable portfolio standards proceeding was statutorily uncontested, so its decision was not a final decision reviewable under the administrative appeal provision. The court also held that the plaintiffs exhausted their administrative remedies by seeking a declaratory ruling, participating in the RPS proceeding, and pursuing judicial relief only after PURA completed that proceeding. Although the settlement agreement itself was not a final decision, the plaintiffs' request could reasonably be construed as seeking a determination of the applicability of RPS statutes, giving the trial court jurisdiction over the declaratory judgment claim. Chief Justice Mullins, joined by Justice D'Auria, concurred in part and dissented in part, concluding that the declaratory judgment claim sought only contract interpretation and was outside the statutory scheme.