| 1 | 1 | | 87R11994 CXP-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Hernandez H.B. No. 3699 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to a study by the Public Utility Commission of Texas |
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| 8 | 8 | | regarding smart meter communication networks. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. DEFINITION. In this Act, "commission" means the |
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| 11 | 11 | | Public Utility Commission of Texas. |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 2. SMART METER COMMUNICATION NETWORKS STUDY. (a) |
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| 13 | 13 | | The commission shall conduct a study on the use of smart meter |
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| 14 | 14 | | communication networks to improve response after a widespread power |
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| 15 | 15 | | outage. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (b) The study conducted under this section must: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) identify the costs of using or increasing the |
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| 18 | 18 | | communication capacity of smart meters to allow for remote power |
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| 19 | 19 | | disconnection and restoration; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) assess the potential applications for curtailing |
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| 21 | 21 | | power to individual retail electric customers instead of entire |
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| 22 | 22 | | circuits in the event of a natural disaster or other |
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| 23 | 23 | | weather-related event that results in forced curtailment of power. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (c) In conducting the study, the commission may collaborate |
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| 25 | 25 | | with other state agencies, institutions of higher education, |
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| 26 | 26 | | nonprofit corporations, electric utilities, and other interested |
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| 27 | 27 | | persons. |
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| 28 | 28 | | SECTION 3. REPORT. Not later than September 1, 2022, the |
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| 29 | 29 | | commission shall report the results of the study conducted under |
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| 30 | 30 | | this Act and any recommendations to the legislature. The report |
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| 31 | 31 | | must include recommendations for any statutory changes necessary to |
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| 32 | 32 | | implement the recommendations made in the report. |
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| 33 | 33 | | SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. This Act expires December 31, 2022. |
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| 34 | 34 | | SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect September |
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| 35 | 35 | | 1, 2021. |
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