Reading Room Document

Authority of Department of Transportation to Compensate Parties Intervening in Proceedings Before the Department

This document is a memorandum opinion addressing the issue of whether the Department of Transportation has the authority to provide compensation to parties intervening in proceedings before the department. The conclusion reached is that the decision in Greene County Planning Board v. Federal Power Commission does not preclude the Department of Transportation from determining whether it has the statutory authority to provide compensation to parties who intervene in proceedings. The document presents the questions of whether the Department of Transportation has explicit or implicit statutory authority to provide compensation, as well as the standards and procedures under which such compensation may be provided.

March 1, 1978