Prior to any hearing a prehearing conference may be held before the presiding officer. Written notice of a prehearing conference shall be transmitted by the Secretary of the Administration or the Chief Hearing Examiner to all parties of record including persons whose petitions for leave to intervene in the proceeding have not theretofore been granted, and where practicable, by general release to the public press.

(a) At the prehearing conference the following matters, among others, shall be considered: (1) Petitions for leave to intervene; (2) motions for consolidation or severance of dockets for joint or separate hearing to the extent that the Administration has not theretofore taken specific action; (3) simplification and delineation of the issues to be heard; (4) designation of matters in respect of which official notice may be taken; (5) requests for discovery and production of evidence considered to be generally relevant and material to the issues in the proceeding; (6) stipulations; (7) limitation of number of witnesses, particularly the avoidance of duplicate expert witnesses; (8) procedure applicable to the proceeding; (9) offers of settlement, as hereinafter to be more particularly discussed in § 201.103; and (10) scheduling of the dates for exchange of exhibits, written testimony both affirmative and rebuttal and establishing the date, time and place for hearing.

(b) If deemed necessary or appropriate, the presiding officer may also, on his own motion, or on motion of Public Counsel direct any party to a proceeding to prepare and submit exhibits setting forth studies, forecasts, or estimates on matters relevant and material to the issues in the proceeding to be sponsored by witnesses available for cross-examination thereon.

The presiding officer will, where practicable, issue prehearing rulings, acting on petitions for leave to intervene, delineating the issues, summarizing the rulings made at the conference, specifying a schedule for the exchange of exhibits and written testimony, the date, time and place of hearing and specifying a time for the filing of exceptions to the rulings. The prehearing rulings shall be served upon all parties to the proceeding and any persons who participated in the conference. Exceptions to the prehearing rulings may be filed by any such party or person within the time specified therein. The presiding officer may serve amended rulings in the light of the exceptions presented. Such rulings and amendments, if any, shall constitute the official account of the conference and shall control the subsequent course of the proceeding, but they may be reconsidered and modified at any time to protect the public interest or to prevent injustice.

Where time, the nature of the proceeding, and the public interest permit, all interested parties shall have the opportunity for submission to and consideration by the presiding officer of offers of settlement, or proposals of adjustment together with facts and/or arguments relevant to such offers or proposals without prejudice to the rights of the parties. The presiding officer need not be present at any negotiations of such nature. The presiding officer shall issue an initial or recommended decision thereon recommending approval or disapproval of such offer of settlement or proposal of adjustment to the Administration for final action thereon. No agreement, offer, or proposal shall be admissible in evidence over the objection of any party in any hearing on the matter. When any settlement does not dispose of the whole proceeding, the remaining issues shall be determined in accordance with sections 7 and 8 of the Administrative Procedure Act.