2017 -- S 0876

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LC002681

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS

     Introduced By: Senators Lombardo, Quezada, McCaffrey, Jabour, and Archambault

     Date Introduced: May 11, 2017

     Referred To: Senate Commerce

     (Lieutenant Governor)

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 39-1-27.7.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 39-1 entitled "Public

Utilities Commission" is hereby amended to read as follows:

     39-1-27.7.1. Revenue decoupling.

     (a) The general assembly finds and declares that electricity and gas revenues shall may be

fully decoupled from sales pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and further finds and

declares that any decoupling proposal submitted by an electric-distribution company as defined in

subdivision 39-1-2(12) or gas-distribution company included as a public utility in subdivision 39-

1-2(20) that has greater than one hundred thousand (100,000) customers, shall be for the

following purposes:

     (1) Increasing efficiency in the operations and management of the electric- and gas-

distribution system;

     (2) Achieving the goals established in the electric-distribution company's plan for system

reliability and energy efficiency and conservation procurement as required pursuant to subsection

39-1-27.7(c);

     (3) Increasing investment in least-cost resources that will reduce long-term electricity

demand;

     (4) Reducing risks for both customers and the distribution company including, but not

limited to, societal risks, weather risks, and economic risks;

     (5) Increasing investment in end-use energy efficiency;

     (6) Eliminating disincentives to support energy-efficiency programs;

     (7) Facilitating and encouraging investment in utility infrastructure, safety, and

reliability; and

     (8) Considering the reduction of fixed, recurring customer charges and transition to

increased unit charges that more accurately reflect the long-term costs of energy production and

delivery.

     (b) Each electric-distribution company as defined by subdivision 39-1-2(12) and gas-

distribution company included as a public utility in subdivision 39-1-2(20) having greater than

one hundred thousand (100,000) customers shall file proposals at the commission to implement

the policy set forth in subsection (a). The commission shall may approve such proposals,

provided they contain the features and components set forth in subsection (c), and that they are

consistent with the intent and objectives contained in subsection (a). Actions taken by the

commission in the exercise of its ratemaking authority for electric- and gas-rate cases shall be

within the norm of industry standards and recognize the need to maintain the financial health of

the distribution company as a stand-alone entity in Rhode Island.

     (c) The proposals shall contain the following features and components:

     (1) A revenue decoupling reconciliation mechanism that reconciles annually the revenue

requirement allowed in the company's base distribution-rate case to revenues actually received for

the applicable twelve-month (12) period; provided that the mechanism for gas distribution shall

be determined on a revenue-per-customer basis, in a manner typically employed for gas-

distribution companies in the industry. Any revenues over-recovered or under-recovered shall be

credited to, or recovered from, customers, as applicable; and

     (2) An annual infrastructure, safety, and reliability spending plan for each fiscal year and

an annual rate-reconciliation mechanism that includes a reconcilable allowance for the anticipated

capital investments and other spending pursuant to the annual pre-approved budget as developed

in accordance with subsection (d).

     (d) Prior to the beginning of each fiscal year, gas- and electric-distribution companies

shall consult with the division of public utilities and carriers regarding their infrastructure, safety,

and reliability spending plan for the following fiscal year, addressing the following categories:

     (1) Capital spending on utility infrastructure;

     (2) For electric-distribution companies, operation and maintenance expenses on

vegetation management;

     (3) For electric-distribution companies, operation and maintenance expenses on system

inspection, including expenses from expected resulting repairs; and

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     (4) Any other costs relating to maintaining safety and reliability that are mutually agreed

upon by the division and the company.

     The distribution company shall submit a plan to the division and the division shall

cooperate in good faith to reach an agreement on a proposed plan for these categories of costs for

the prospective fiscal year within sixty (60) days. To the extent that the company and the division

mutually agree on a plan, such plan shall be filed with the commission for review and approval

within ninety (90) days. If the company and the division cannot agree on a plan, the company

shall file a proposed plan with the commission and the commission shall review and, if the

investments and spending are found to be reasonably needed to maintain safe and reliable

distribution service over the short and long term, approve the plan within ninety (90) days.

     (e) Every electric- or gas-distribution company, as defined in subsection (a) of this

section, shall submit a general rate schedule change filing (i.e. full rate filing) no later than

January 1, 2018, and at least every three (3) years thereafter.

     (e)(f) The commission shall have the following duties and powers, in addition to its

existing authorities established in title 39 of the general laws:

     (1) To maintain reasonable and adequate service-quality standards, after decoupling, that

are in effect at the time of the proposal and were established pursuant to § 39-3-7.

     (2) The commission may exclude the low-income rate class from the revenue decoupling

reconciliation-rate mechanism for either electric or gas distribution. The commission also may

exclude customers in the large commercial and industrial rate class from the gas-distribution

mechanism.

     (3) The commission may adopt performance incentives for the electric-distribution

company that provides a shared-savings mechanism whereby the company would receive a

percentage of savings realized as a result of achieving the purposes of this section while the

remaining savings are credited to customers.

     (4) The commission shall review and approve, with any necessary amendments,

performance-based, energy-savings targets developed and submitted by the Rhode Island energy

efficiency and resources management council. Said performance-based targets shall also be used

as a consideration in any shared-savings mechanism established by the commission pursuant to

subdivision (3) herein.

     (5) The general assembly recognizes that the revenue decoupling mechanism

substantially reduces the risk to the company and its investors. The commission may consider the

availability of revenue decoupling during any rate filing by reducing the appropriate profit level

to offset the full impact of the company's reduced risk attributable to decoupling.

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     (f)(g) The Rhode Island energy efficiency and resources management council shall

propose performance-based, energy-savings targets to the commission no later than September 1,

2010. The targets shall include, but not be limited to, specific energy kilowatt-hour savings

overall and peak-demand savings for both summer- and winter-peak periods expressed in total

megawatts as well as appropriate targets recommended in the opportunities report filed with the

commission pursuant to § 39-1-27.7(c)(3). The council shall revise, as necessary, these targets on

an annual basis prior to the reconciliation process established pursuant to subsection (c) and

submit its revisions to the commission for approval.

     (g)(h) Reporting. Every electric-distribution company, as defined in subsection (a) shall

report to the governor, general assembly, division of public utilities, and public utilities

commission annually on or before September 1, 2012. Said report shall include, but not be limited

to, the following elements:

     (1) A comparison of revenues from traditional rate regulation and how the revenues have

differed as part of an approved decoupling structure;

     (2) A summary of how the company is achieving the performance-based targets that may

have been adopted pursuant to subdivision (e)(f)(4);

     (3) A summary of any shared savings the company may have received pursuant to the

performance incentives authorized in subdivision (e)(f)(3);

     (4) A summary of how the company is achieving the service-quality standards required in

subdivision (e)(f)(1);

     (5) An overview of how decoupling is impacting revenue stabilization goals that have

resulted from decoupling; and

     (6) A summary of any customer education programs provided.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS

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     This act would permit, rather than require, electricity and gas revenues to be decoupled

from sales and require submission of a full rate filing every three (3) years by electric and gas

distribution companies.

     This act would also require electric-distribution companies to provide an annual report on

revenues to the governor, general assembly, division of public utilities, and the PUC.

     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC002681

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