SB1166: Energy planning & electric utility oversight; membership for Com. on Electricity Utility Regulation.

Legislative Summary

Energy planning and electric utility oversight. Increases from 10 to 14 the membership of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation (the Commission) by adding three nonlegislative citizen members with expertise in ratepayer advocacy and the Attorney General or his designee from the Division of Consumer Counsel as an ex officio member; requires the Commission to annually elect a chairman and vice-chairman, meet twice annually, and receive an annual report from the State Corporation Commission by November 1 regarding the implementation of the Virginia Electric Utility Regulation Act; requires newly appointed members of the Commission to receive an orientation on electric utility regulation from the State Corporation Commission annually; authorizes the Commission to employ an executive director and such other persons as it deems necessary and to employ experts who have knowledge of the issues before it; and extends the expiration of the Commission from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2029. The bill requires the Commission to (i) monitor applications by the Commonwealth for grants and awards for energy projects from the federal government, (ii) consider legislation referred to it during any session of the General Assembly or other requests by members of the General Assembly, and (iii) conduct studies and gather information and data in order to accomplish its purposes. Energy planning and electric utility oversight. Increases from 10 to 14 the membership of the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation (the Commission) by adding three nonlegislative citizen members with expertise in ratepayer advocacy and the Attorney General or his designee from the Division of Consumer Counsel as an ex officio member; requires the Commission to annually elect a chairman and vice-chairman, meet twice annually, and receive an annual report from the State Corporation Commission by November 1 regarding the implementation of the Virginia Electric Utility Regulation Act; requires newly appointed members of the Commission to receive an orientation on electric utility regulation from the State Corporation Commission annually; authorizes the Commission to employ an executive director and such other persons as it deems necessary and to employ experts who have knowledge of the issues before it; and extends the expiration of the Commission from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2029. The bill requires the Commission to (i) monitor applications by the Commonwealth for grants and awards for energy projects from the federal government, (ii) consider legislation referred to it during any session of the General Assembly or other requests by members of the General Assembly, and (iii) conduct studies and gather information and data in order to accomplish its purposes. The bill requires the Division of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency of the Department of Energy to present the final version of the Virginia Energy Plan to the Commission at a public meeting. The bill also requires the Commission, upon request by the Chairman of the House Committee on Commerce and Energy or the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, to prepare a ratepayer impact statement for any proposed legislation related to electric utility regulation specified by such Chairman. Each such Chairman may request up to five ratepayer impact statements in any given regular or special session of the General Assembly. Additionally, the Commission, upon the request of any member of the General Assembly and at the Commission's discretion, may prepare a ratepayer impact statement for any proposed legislation related to electric utility regulation specified by such member. The bill changes the date by which an electric utility is required to file its updated integrated resource plan from May 1 to October 15, in each year immediately preceding the year the utility is subject to a review of rates for generation and distribution services filing, and provides that after January 1, 2024, each electric utility not subject to an annual review shall file an annual update to the integrated resource plan by October 15, in each year that the utility is subject to review of rates for generation and distribution services filing. The bill requires electric utilities, as part of preparing any integrated resource plan, to conduct outreach to engage the public in a stakeholder review process and provide opportunities for the public to contribute information, input, and ideas on the utility's integrated resource plan including the plan's development methodology, modeling inputs, and assumptions, as well as the ability for the public to make relevant inquiries, to the utility when formulating its integrated resource plan and to report its public outreach efforts to the Commission.