Wisconsin 2023-2024 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB675 Compare Versions

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

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3	3	2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
4	4	2023 ASSEMBLY BILL 675
5	5	November 27, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives NEYLON, GUSTAFSON, TITTL,
6	6	BALDEH, GREEN, KRUG, MURPHY, O'CONNOR, RETTINGER, ROZAR, SPIROS and
7	7	TRANEL, cosponsored by Senators COWLES, STROEBEL and BALLWEG. Referred
8	8	to Committee on Energy and Utilities.
9	9	*AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*
10	10	AN ACT to repeal 196.026 (2); and to create 196.01 (2o) and 196.025 (8) and (9)
11	11	of the statutes; relating to: the Public Service Commission's website and an
12	12	annual report relating to its dockets.
13	13	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
14	14	This bill establishes certain requirements of the Public Service Commission
15	15	with respect to its website and the issuance of an annual report relating to PSC
16	16	dockets. A “docket” is defined as an investigation, proceeding, or other matter
17	17	opened by a vote of PSC, except for rule making.
18	18	Under the bill, PSC must include, with at least the first reference to a public
19	19	utility in any page or document PSC produces and publishes on its website, all names
20	20	by which the public is likely to know the utility, such as the name of a parent
21	21	company.
22	22	The bill requires PSC, in its website that offers public access to docket
23	23	information, to establish a function that allows a person to sign up to receive email
24	24	notifications relating to a single docket or a single utility and to specify the type of
25	25	activity relating to that docket or utility about which the person would like to receive
26	26	notifications.
27	27	The bill requires PSC to produce a report each year that shows each docket that
28	28	either was opened or had a decision issued on it during the prior calendar year,
29	29	organized into the following two lists: one list that includes dockets relating to
30	30	investor-owned utilities and one list that includes dockets relating to municipal
31	31	water, electric, gas and sewer utilities. Under the bill, PSC must organize each list
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36	36	ASSEMBLY BILL 675
37	37	by utility and include for each docket the docket identification number, the title of
38	38	the proceeding, the number of public comments received in the docket if a public
39	39	comment period was held, the date of the application, and, if applicable, the dates of
40	40	the notice of investigation and the decision.
41	41	The bill also requires the annual report to include for each docket in which a
42	42	PSC decision was issued during the prior calendar year an opinion on the likely
43	43	impact on ratepayers, based on how the decision will impact public utility costs.
44	44	Under the bill, each opinion must state whether the impact on public utility costs,
45	45	and therefore on ratepayers, is likely to be positive (will lower public utility costs),
46	46	negligible (will have little to no impact), negative (will increase the public utility
47	47	costs), or other (will have both increased and decreased costs—for example, if the
48	48	early retirement of a plant increases costs but the use of environmental trust
49	49	financing in that retirement decreases costs). The bill provides that such an opinion
50	50	is for informational purposes only, is not on the merits of the proceeding, and is not
51	51	binding on future PSC decisions.
52	52	The bill authorizes PSC to allow for public comments on these reports,
53	53	including comments from the public utility referenced in the report, and to adjust the
54	54	reports based on comments received. The bill requires PSC, no later than April 30
55	55	of the year after the year that is the subject of the report, to submit the reports to the
56	56	standing committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over energy and utilities and
57	57	to make the reports available to the public on PSC's website.
58	58	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
59	59	enact as follows:
60	60	SECTION 1. 196.01 (2o) of the statutes is created to read:
61	61	196.01 (2o) “Docket" means an investigation, proceeding, or other matter
62	62	opened by a vote of the commission, except for rule making.
63	63	SECTION 2. 196.025 (8) and (9) of the statutes are created to read:
64	64	196.025 (8) COMMISSION WEBSITE. (a) In any document or information produced
65	65	by the commission and published on the commission's website, the commission shall
66	66	include, with at least the first reference to a public utility on any page or document,
67	67	all names by which the public is likely to know the public utility, such as the name
68	68	of a parent company.
69	69	(b) If the commission maintains a website that offers public access to docket
70	70	information, the commission shall establish a function on the website that allows a
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84	84	SECTION 2
85	85	ASSEMBLY BILL 675
86	86	person to sign up to receive email notifications relating to a single docket or a single
87	87	public utility and to specify the type of activity relating to that docket or public utility
88	88	about which the person would like to receive notifications.
89	89	(9) COMMISSION REPORTS AND OPINIONS. (a) No later than April 30 of each year,
90	90	the commission shall produce a report showing, at a minimum, all of the following:
91	91	1. Each docket that either was opened or had a decision issued on it during the
92	92	prior calendar year, organized into two lists: one list that includes dockets relating
93	93	to investor-owned public utilities and one list that includes dockets relating to
94	94	municipal water, electric, gas, and sewer utilities. The commission shall organize
95	95	each list by utility and shall include for each docket the docket identification number,
96	96	the title of the proceeding, the number of public comments received in the docket if
97	97	a public comment period was held, the date of the application, and, if applicable, the
98	98	dates of the notice of investigation and the decision.
99	99	2. The commission's opinion on the likely impact on ratepayers of each
100	100	commission decision issued in a docket during the prior calendar year, basing this
101	101	opinion on how the decision will impact public utility costs. Each opinion shall state
102	102	whether the impact on public utility costs, and therefore on ratepayers, is likely to
103	103	be positive, negligible, negative, or other. An impact is “positive” if the decision will
104	104	lower public utility costs, “negligible” if the decision will have little to no impact,
105	105	“negative” if the decision will increase the public utility costs, and “other” if the
106	106	decision will have both increased and decreased costs, such as if the early retirement
107	107	of a plant increases costs but the use of environmental trust financing under s.
108	108	196.027 in that retirement decreases costs. The commission's opinion under this
109	109	subdivision is not on the merits of the proceeding at issue in the docket and is not
110	110	binding on future commission decisions.
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137	137	SECTION 2 ASSEMBLY BILL 675
138	138	(b) The commission may allow for public comments on the opinions in the report
139	139	under par. (a) 2., including comments from the public utility referenced in the report,
140	140	and may adjust the report based on comments received during the public comment
141	141	period.
142	142	(c) No later than April 30 of the year following the calendar year that is the
143	143	subject of the report, the commission shall submit the report under par. (a) to the
144	144	standing committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over energy and utilities
145	145	under s. 13.172 (3) and shall make the report available to the public on the
146	146	commission's website.
147	147	SECTION 3. 196.026 (2) of the statutes is repealed.
148	148	SECTION 4.0Effective date.
149	149	(1) This act takes effect on the first day of the 7th month beginning after
150	150	publication.
151	151	(END)
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