Arizona 2025 Regular Session

Arizona House Bill HB2362 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	REFERENCE TITLE: plant; transmission line; definitions State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session 2025 HB 2362 Introduced by Representatives De Los Santos: Garcia, Liguori An Act amending section 40-360, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to the power plant and transmission line siting committee. (TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
2	2
3	3
4	4
5	5
6	6
7	7
8	8
9	9	REFERENCE TITLE: plant; transmission line; definitions
10	10	State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session 2025
11	11	HB 2362
12	12	Introduced by Representatives De Los Santos: Garcia, Liguori
13	13
14	14	REFERENCE TITLE: plant; transmission line; definitions
15	15
16	16
17	17
18	18
19	19
20	20
21	21
22	22
23	23
24	24	State of Arizona
25	25
26	26	House of Representatives
27	27
28	28	Fifty-seventh Legislature
29	29
30	30	First Regular Session
31	31
32	32	2025
33	33
34	34
35	35
36	36
37	37
38	38
39	39
40	40	HB 2362
41	41
42	42
43	43
44	44	Introduced by
45	45
46	46	Representatives De Los Santos: Garcia, Liguori
47	47
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51
52	52
53	53
54	54
55	55
56	56
57	57
58	58
59	59
60	60
61	61
62	62
63	63
64	64	An Act
65	65
66	66
67	67
68	68	amending section 40-360, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to the power plant and transmission line siting committee.
69	69
70	70
71	71
72	72
73	73
74	74	(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
75	75
76	76
77	77
78	78	Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona: Section 1. Section 40-360, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read: START_STATUTE40-360. Definitions In this article, unless the context otherwise requires: 1. "Area of jurisdiction" means the state, a county or an incorporated city or town that exercises concurrent or exclusive jurisdiction over a geographical area. 2. "Certificate of environmental compatibility" means the certificate that is required by this article and that evidences the approval by the state of the sites for a plant or transmission line, or both. 3. "Commission" means the corporation commission. 4. "Committee" means the power plant and transmission line siting committee. 5. "Current Arizona electric transmission system" means the existing electric transmission system serving this state and all transmission lines on file with the commission as of January 31 of the previous year. 6. "Facilities" means a plant or transmission line, or both. 7. "Member" means the state official named herein, the employee designee thereof from the department, agency or governing body of such state official member and the public members designated herein. 8. "Person" means any state or agency or political subdivision thereof, or any individual, partnership, joint venture, corporation, city or county, whether located within or without this state, or any combination of such entities. 9. "Plant" means each separate thermal electric, nuclear or hydroelectric generating unit with a nameplate rating of one hundred twenty-five megawatts or more for which expenditures or financial commitments for land acquisition, materials, construction or engineering exceeding $50,000 have not been made before August 13, 1971. 10. "Transmission line" means five or more new structures that span more than one mile in length as measured from the first structure outside of the substation, switchyard or generating site to which the line connects to the fifth structure and that are erected above ground and support one or more conductors that are designed for the transmission of electric energy at nominal voltages of one hundred fifteen thousand volts or more, that are erected above ground and that span more than one mile in length as measured from the outside of the substation, switchyard or generating site from which the line originates to the outside of the substation, switchyard or generating site where the line terminates and all new switchyards to be used therewith and related thereto for which expenditures or financial commitments for land acquisition, materials, construction or engineering exceeding $50,000 have not been made before August 13, 1971. Transmission line does not include structures located on the substation, switchyard or generating site to which the line connects. 11. "Utility" means any person engaged in the generation or transmission of electric energy. END_STATUTE Sec. 2. Legislative intent A. The legislature finds and declares that there is at present and will continue to be a growing need for electric service that will require the construction of major new facilities. It is recognized that facilities cannot be built without in some way affecting the physical environment where the facilities are located. The legislature further finds that it is essential in the public interest to minimize any adverse effect on the environment and on the quality of life of the citizens of this state that new facilities might cause. The legislature further finds that present practices, proceedings and laws relating to the location of utility facilities may be inadequate to protect environmental values and take into account the total effect on society of the facilities. The lack of adequate statutory procedures may result in delays in new construction and increases in costs that are eventually passed on to the citizens of this state in the form of higher electric rates and that may result in the possible inability of the electric suppliers to meet the needs and desires of the citizens of this state for economical and reliable electric service. Furthermore, the legislature finds that existing law does not provide adequate opportunity for individuals, groups interested in conservation and the protection of the environment, local governments and other public bodies to participate in a timely fashion in the decision to locate a specific major facility at a specific site. B. The legislature declares that it is the purpose of this act to provide a single forum for the expeditious resolution of all matters concerning the location of electric generating plants and transmission lines in a single proceeding to which access will be open to interested and affected individuals, groups, county and municipal governments and other public bodies to enable them to participate in these decisions.
79	79
80	80	Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
81	81
82	82	Section 1. Section 40-360, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
83	83
84	84	START_STATUTE40-360. Definitions
85	85
86	86	In this article, unless the context otherwise requires:
87	87
88	88	1. "Area of jurisdiction" means the state, a county or an incorporated city or town that exercises concurrent or exclusive jurisdiction over a geographical area.
89	89
90	90	2. "Certificate of environmental compatibility" means the certificate that is required by this article and that evidences the approval by the state of the sites for a plant or transmission line, or both.
91	91
92	92	3. "Commission" means the corporation commission.
93	93
94	94	4. "Committee" means the power plant and transmission line siting committee.
95	95
96	96	5. "Current Arizona electric transmission system" means the existing electric transmission system serving this state and all transmission lines on file with the commission as of January 31 of the previous year.
97	97
98	98	6. "Facilities" means a plant or transmission line, or both.
99	99
100	100	7. "Member" means the state official named herein, the employee designee thereof from the department, agency or governing body of such state official member and the public members designated herein.
101	101
102	102	8. "Person" means any state or agency or political subdivision thereof, or any individual, partnership, joint venture, corporation, city or county, whether located within or without this state, or any combination of such entities.
103	103
104	104	9. "Plant" means each separate thermal electric, nuclear or hydroelectric generating unit with a nameplate rating of one hundred twenty-five megawatts or more for which expenditures or financial commitments for land acquisition, materials, construction or engineering exceeding $50,000 have not been made before August 13, 1971.
105	105
106	106	10. "Transmission line" means five or more new structures that span more than one mile in length as measured from the first structure outside of the substation, switchyard or generating site to which the line connects to the fifth structure and that are erected above ground and support one or more conductors that are designed for the transmission of electric energy at nominal voltages of one hundred fifteen thousand volts or more, that are erected above ground and that span more than one mile in length as measured from the outside of the substation, switchyard or generating site from which the line originates to the outside of the substation, switchyard or generating site where the line terminates and all new switchyards to be used therewith and related thereto for which expenditures or financial commitments for land acquisition, materials, construction or engineering exceeding $50,000 have not been made before August 13, 1971. Transmission line does not include structures located on the substation, switchyard or generating site to which the line connects.
107	107
108	108	11. "Utility" means any person engaged in the generation or transmission of electric energy. END_STATUTE
109	109
110	110	Sec. 2. Legislative intent
111	111
112	112	A. The legislature finds and declares that there is at present and will continue to be a growing need for electric service that will require the construction of major new facilities. It is recognized that facilities cannot be built without in some way affecting the physical environment where the facilities are located. The legislature further finds that it is essential in the public interest to minimize any adverse effect on the environment and on the quality of life of the citizens of this state that new facilities might cause. The legislature further finds that present practices, proceedings and laws relating to the location of utility facilities may be inadequate to protect environmental values and take into account the total effect on society of the facilities. The lack of adequate statutory procedures may result in delays in new construction and increases in costs that are eventually passed on to the citizens of this state in the form of higher electric rates and that may result in the possible inability of the electric suppliers to meet the needs and desires of the citizens of this state for economical and reliable electric service. Furthermore, the legislature finds that existing law does not provide adequate opportunity for individuals, groups interested in conservation and the protection of the environment, local governments and other public bodies to participate in a timely fashion in the decision to locate a specific major facility at a specific site.
113	113
114	114	B. The legislature declares that it is the purpose of this act to provide a single forum for the expeditious resolution of all matters concerning the location of electric generating plants and transmission lines in a single proceeding to which access will be open to interested and affected individuals, groups, county and municipal governments and other public bodies to enable them to participate in these decisions.