Rhode Island 2023 Regular Session

Rhode Island Senate Bill S0479 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3
4	4
5	5	2023 -- S 0479
6	6	========
7	7	LC002059
8	8	========
9	9	S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
16	16	Introduced By: Senators Ciccone, DiPalma, Lombardo, and Burke
17	17	Date Introduced: March 07, 2023
18	18	Referred To: Senate Commerce
19	19
20	20
21	21	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
22	22	SECTION 1. Section 39-1-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 39-1 entitled "Public Utilities 1
23	23	Commission" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
24	24	39-1-1. Declaration of policy — Purposes. 3
25	25	(a) The general assembly finds and therefore declares that: 4
26	26	(1) The businesses of distributing electrical energy, producing and transporting 5
27	27	manufactured and natural gas, operating water works and furnishing supplies of water for domestic, 6
28	28	industrial, and commercial use, offering to the public transportation of persons and property, 7
29	29	furnishing and servicing telephonic and wireless audio and visual communication systems, and 8
30	30	operation of community antenna television systems are affected with a public interest; 9
31	31	(2) Supervision and reasonable regulation by the state of the manner in which the 10
32	32	businesses construct their systems and carry on their operations within the state are necessary to 11
33	33	protect and promote the convenience, health, comfort, safety, accommodation, and welfare of the 12
34	34	people, and are a proper exercise of the police power of the state; and 13
35	35	(3) Preservation of the state’s resources, commerce, and industry requires the assurance of 14
36	36	adequate public transportation and communication facilities, water supplies, and an abundance of 15
37	37	energy, all supplied to the people with reliability, at economical cost, and with due regard for the 16
38	38	preservation and enhancement of the environment, the conservation of natural resources, including 17
39	39	scenic, historic, and recreational assets, and the strengthening of long-range, land-use planning. 18
40	40	(b) It is hereby declared to be the policy of the state to provide fair regulation of public 19
41	41
42	42
43	43	LC002059 - Page 2 of 4
44	44	utilities and carriers in the interest of the public, to promote availability of adequate, efficient, and 1
45	45	economical energy, communication, and transportation services and water supplies to the 2
46	46	inhabitants of the state, to provide just and reasonable rates and charges for such services and 3
47	47	supplies, without unjust discrimination, undue preferences or advantages, or unfair or destructive 4
48	48	competitive practices, and to cooperate with other states and agencies of the federal government in 5
49	49	promoting and coordinating efforts to achieve realization of this policy. 6
50	50	(c) To this end, there is hereby vested in the public utilities commission and the division of 7
51	51	public utilities and carriers the exclusive power and authority to supervise, regulate, and make 8
52	52	orders governing the conduct of companies offering to the public in intrastate commerce energy, 9
53	53	communication, and transportation services and water supplies for the purpose of increasing and 10
54	54	maintaining the efficiency of the companies, according desirable safeguards and convenience to 11
55	55	their employees and to the public, and protecting them and the public against improper and 12
56	56	unreasonable rates, tolls, and charges by providing full, fair, and adequate administrative 13
57	57	procedures and remedies, and by securing a judicial review to any party aggrieved by such an 14
58	58	administrative proceeding or ruling. 15
59	59	(d) The legislature also finds and declares, as of 1996, the following: 16
60	60	(1) That lower retail electricity rates would promote the state’s economy and the health and 17
61	61	general welfare of the citizens of Rhode Island; 18
62	62	(2) That current research and experience indicates that greater competition in the electricity 19
63	63	industry would result in a decrease in electricity rates over time; 20
64	64	(3) That greater competition in the electricity industry would stimulate economic growth; 21
65	65	(4) That it is in the public interest to promote competition in the electricity industry and to 22
66	66	establish performance-based ratemaking for regulated utilities; 23
67	67	(5) That in connection with the transition to a more competitive electric utility industry, 24
68	68	public utilities should have a reasonable opportunity to recover transitional costs associated with 25
69	69	commitments prudently incurred in the past pursuant to their legal obligations to provide reliable 26
70	70	electric service at reasonable costs; 27
71	71	(6) That it shall be the policy of the state to encourage, through all feasible means and 28
72	72	measures, states where fossil-fueled, electric-generating units producing air emissions affecting 29
73	73	Rhode Island air quality are located to reduce such emissions over time to levels that enable cost-30
74	74	effective attainment of environmental standards within Rhode Island; and 31
75	75	(7) That in a restructured electrical industry the same protections currently afforded to low-32
76	76	income customers shall continue. 33
77	77	(e) The legislature further finds and declares as of 2006: 34
78	78
79	79
80	80	LC002059 - Page 3 of 4
81	81	(1) That prices of energy, including especially fossil-fuels and electricity, are rising faster 1
82	82	than the cost of living and are subject to sharp fluctuations, which conditions create hardships for 2
83	83	many households, institutions, organizations, and businesses in the state; 3
84	84	(2) That while utility restructuring has brought some benefits, notably in transmission and 4
85	85	distribution costs and more efficient use of generating capacities, it has not resulted in competitive 5
86	86	markets for residential and small commercial-industrial customers, lower overall prices, or greater 6
87	87	diversification of energy resources used for electrical generation; 7
88	88	(3) That the state’s economy and the health and general welfare of the people of Rhode 8
89	89	Island benefit when energy supplies are reliable and least-cost; and 9
90	90	(4) That it is a necessary move beyond basic utility restructuring in order to secure for 10
91	91	Rhode Island, to the maximum extent reasonably feasible, the benefits of reasonable and stable 11
92	92	rates, least-cost procurement, and system reliability that includes energy resource diversification, 12
93	93	distributed generation, and load management; and 13
94	94	(f) The legislature further finds and declares that the state benefits most when energy 14
95	95	supplies are delivered in a safe and reliable manner; and that attempts to lower costs and increase 15
96	96	profits must not take precedence over the need for the residents of the state to have access to 16
97	97	customer service representatives physically located and accessible within the state. 17
98	98	SECTION 2. Chapter 39-2 of the General Laws entitled "Duties of Utilities and Carriers" 18
99	99	is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 19
100	100	39-2-29. Duty to maintain customer service operations within the state. 20
101	101	Every public utility operated and licensed to provide services to the residents and 21
102	102	businesses within the state under chapter 1 of title 39 shall maintain a customer service operation 22
103	103	physically located within the state which is reasonably staffed to meet the expectations of the 23
104	104	public. The customer service operation shall be available to answer customer inquiries, meet with 24
105	105	customers, accept payment of bills, and perform any other services that the public utilities 25
106	106	commission may direct from time to time. 26
107	107	SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage. 27
108	108	========
109	109	LC002059
110	110	========
111	111
112	112
113	113	LC002059 - Page 4 of 4
114	114	EXPLANATION
115	115	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
116	116	OF
117	117	A N A C T
118	118	RELATING TO PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS -- PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
119	119	***
120	120	This act would require all public utilities to maintain a customer service facility within the 1
121	121	state to perform services such as addressing customer inquiries and accepting bill payments. 2
122	122	This act would take effect upon passage. 3
123	123	========
124	124	LC002059
125	125	========
126	126