Several legislative bills emphasizing the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and its duties will be handled at an upcoming meeting of the Oklahoma House Utilities Committee.
During the Tuesday, February 10 meeting (3 p.m. Room 206 of Capitol bldg) the committee will consider votes on four such bills.
One such measure, HB3466 – Corporation Commission; removing Corporation Commission petty cash fund; effective date, was introduced by Rep. Brad Boles, a Republican from Marlow. He is also a candidate for the Corporation Commission and proposes the removal of a petty fund from the agency. His bill would amend the state law that created petty funds in nearly all state agencies.
HB3392 by Rep. Amanda Clinton, D-Tulsa, wants the corporation commission to conduct a study into the impact of “large load” customers of electric utilities.
“The Commission is hereby directed to conduct a comprehensive
study examining the current and projected impacts of large load
customers on:
1. Electric generation capacity, transmission, and distribution
infrastructure;
2. System reliability, resilience, and resource adequacy;
3. Utility planning, including integrated resource planning and
transmission planning;
4. Electricity rates, cost allocation, and potential cross subsidization affecting existing ratepayers;
5. The need for new infrastructure investments attributable to
large load customers and the appropriate assignment of such costs; and
6. Any other factors the Commission deems necessary to protect
public interest.”
Rep. Jim Shaw’s HB3724, will be reviewed and the subject of a possible vote. Shaw, a Republican from Chandler, proposed the measure and targets “applicability to high-demand facilities with certain electricity requirements; prohibiting taxpayer-funded subsidies for high-demand facilities; detailing prohibited subsidies; prohibiting certain public infrastructure investments; prohibiting certain agreements…”
His bill would prohibit any state financial help for such a “high-demand facility”, stating, “No high-demand facility shall be eligible for any taxpayer funded subsidy, including, but not limited to:
1. State or local tax credits;
2. Rebates, refunds, or abatements;
3. Grants or forgivable loans;
4. Tax increment financing;”
The bill would authorize the Corporation Commission to “promulgate rules to effectuate the provisions” of the act.
Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, D-Oklahoma City, filed HB4060 – Corporation Commission; creating the Plug-In Solar Power Amendments Act. It focuses on portable solar power generators which can be used in the event of residential power emergencies or for RVs.
Rep. Alonso-Sandoval wants to protect the solar generators from being forced by a utility to obtain authorization or permission from a utility, pay a fee for installation or installation of additional metering.
His bill would require the corporation commission to adopt rules necessary for the enforcement of the act.