Howard Walker voted Yea (Conference Report Vote) on this Legislation.
Title: Energy Utility Regulations
Title: Energy Utility Regulations
Vote to adopt a conference report that replaces the Public Utilities Commission with the Public Services Commission (PSC), and increases regulations on public utilities with respect to changes in utility rates, mergers, and other elements.
- Prohibits gas or electric utilities from increasing or altering their rates and charges without receiving the PSC's approval, unless the PSC is unable to reach a decision within 12 months of the utilities' filing of the application for a change of rates, at which point the application is considered approved [sec. 6a (1)]. - Requires utilities to apply and receive approval from the PSC before acquiring, controlling, or merging with a jurisdictional regulated utility, and requires jurisdictional regulated utilities to acquire such approval prior to selling, assigning, transferring, or encumbering its assets. In doing so, the PSC is authorized to impose terms and conditions on the acquisition, transfer, merger, or encumbrance to protect both the jurisdictional regulated utility and their customers [sec. 6q (1)]. - Authorizes electric utilities to apply with the PSC for a certificate of necessity for construction, investment, or purchasing costs in excess of $500 million, provided that a portion of the costs is allocable to retail customers, for the following [sec. 6s (1)]:
Title: Energy Utility Regulations
Vote to adopt a conference report that replaces the Public Utilities Commission with the Public Services Commission (PSC), and increases regulations on public utilities with respect to changes in utility rates, mergers, and other elements.
- Prohibits gas or electric utilities from increasing or altering their rates and charges without receiving the PSC's approval, unless the PSC is unable to reach a decision within 12 months of the utilities' filing of the application for a change of rates, at which point the application is considered approved [sec. 6a (1)]. - Requires utilities to apply and receive approval from the PSC before acquiring, controlling, or merging with a jurisdictional regulated utility, and requires jurisdictional regulated utilities to acquire such approval prior to selling, assigning, transferring, or encumbering its assets. In doing so, the PSC is authorized to impose terms and conditions on the acquisition, transfer, merger, or encumbrance to protect both the jurisdictional regulated utility and their customers [sec. 6q (1)]. - Authorizes electric utilities to apply with the PSC for a certificate of necessity for construction, investment, or purchasing costs in excess of $500 million, provided that a portion of the costs is allocable to retail customers, for the following [sec. 6s (1)]:
Title: Energy Utility Regulations
Vote to pass a bill that revises state policies regarding energy utilities and utility rates.
- Allows the Public Service Commission (PSC) to review and temporarily prevent or delay rate increases for good cause (Sec. 6a). - Requires approval by the PSC for the acquisition or mergers of jurisdictional regulated utilities (Sec. 6q). - Allows utility companies who wish to construct a new electric generation facility, make significant investment in an existing facility, purchase an existing facility, or enter into a power purchase agreement to apply to the PSC for a certificate of necessity. This allows the utility to recover the approved costs of the project from their customers (Sec. 6r). - Requires an integrated resource plan from utilities seeking a certificate of necessity that includes a long-term forecast of utility load growth, type of generation technology to be used, and projected energy efficiency savings (Sec. 6r). - Limits the amount of energy a utility may purchase from an alternative supplier to ten percent. Removes earlier provisions allowing customers to chose an alternative supplier at will (Sec. 10). - Modifies the way utility rates are set to account more for actual energy consumption by customers, including schools, universities, and community colleges. Allows rate changes to be phased in over five years to minimize the impact on customers (Sec. 11). - House Bill 5524 is tie-barred to HB 5383, HB 5525, HB 5548, HB 5549, and HB 5972-5977. Unless all are enacted, the bill will not take effect. - Substitute offered by House Committee on Energy and Technology.
NOTE: THIS IS A SUBSTITUTE BILL, MEANING THE LANGUAGE OF THE ORIGINAL BILL HAS BEEN REPLACED. THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE SUBSTITUTE BILL TEXT DIFFERS FROM THE PREVIOUS VERSION OF THE TEXT CAN VARY GREATLY.
Title: Energy Utility Regulations