Legislative Session number- 81

Bill Name: SF1357

E Modifying the public utilities energy conservation improvement program;
requiring the public utilities commission (PUC) after a certain date to exclude
investments and expenses for energy conservation improvements from the
determination of just and reasonable rates for retail electric and gas service
provided to certain large electric customer facilities exempted from certain
investment and expenditure requirements, authorizing public utilities to recover
energy conservation improvement investments made before that date from
customers; authorizing the application of rate schedules to one or more classes
of retail customers as necessary to reflect certain differing minimum spending
requirements, authorizing rate reductions for large electric customer facilities
to reflect the elimination of energy conservation improvement investments or
expenditures; defining customer facility and large electric customer facility
and expanding the definition of energy conservation improvement for investment
purposes; authorizing owners of large electric customer facilities to petition
the commissioner of public services to exempt electric and gas utilities serving
the facility from investment and expenditure requirements relating to retail
revenues, specifying certain supporting evidence requirements, authorizing
appeal of commissioner decisions; authorizing public utilities, cooperative
associations or municipalities to propose to the commissioner to designate funds
contributed to the energy and conservation account in the general fund to
research and development projects, authorizing expenditure of a certain
percentage required to be invested in energy conservation improvements for the
projects; clarifying certain energy conservation expenditure and investment
requirements of cooperative associations and municipalities; prohibiting
expenditures for improvements directly benefiting exempt large electric customer
facilities; requiring the commissioner to consult with representatives from
public utilities, cooperative and municipal utilities, environmental and energy
conservation groups, the office of the attorney general and state agencies to
evaluate possible changes in the conservation improvement program and report to
the legislature by a certain date (ra, ja)