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2008 SESSION

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Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor
Subcommittee Utilities

Norment (Chairman), Stolle, Puller, McEachin

Clerk: Martha Turner
Staff: Frank Munyan
Date of Meeting: February 21, 2008
Time and Place: Thursday, February 21 10:30 a.m. 3rd Floor West

H.B. 543 Natural gas utilities; alternative ratemaking plan, report.

Patron: Nixon

Natural gas utilities; alternative ratemaking plan.  Authorizes any natural gas utility to file a conservation and ratemaking efficiency plan that includes (i) a normalization component that removes the effect of weather from the determination of conservation and energy efficiency results, (ii) cost-effective conservation and energy efficiency programs, and (iii) provisions to address the needs of low-income or low-usage residential consumers. A conservation and ratemaking efficiency plan is a plan that includes a decoupling mechanism that decouples the recovery of a utility's allowed distribution revenue from the level of consumption of natural gas by its customers. Such plans may include one or more residential, small commercial, or small general service classes, but shall not apply to large commercial or large industrial customer classes. The State Corporation Commission (SCC) is required to allow a utility that implements a plan to recover, through its regulated rates, its costs, together with a return thereon, associated with cost-effective conservation and energy efficiency programs. Utilities that demonstrate certain reductions in annualized, weather-normalized usage per customer, will receive the opportunity to earn an incentive of 15 percent share of the independently verified net economic benefits created by the conservation and energy efficiency programs. The SCC is prohibited from reducing a utility's profit as a result of the implementation of a natural gas conservation and ratemaking efficiency plan. The SCC is required to report annually on the implementation of the measure.

H.B. 1319 Underground transmission lines; pilot program established.

Patron: May

Underground transmission lines; pilot program.  Establishes a pilot program for the placement of four new transmission lines, applied for between July 1, 2008, and July 1, 2012, to be placed underground, either in whole or in part. The bill establishes criteria for the State Corporation Commission to consider and procedures for the State Corporation Commission to follow in selecting the four projects.