Wisconsin 2023-2024 Regular Session

Wisconsin Senate Bill SB647 Compare Versions

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

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4	4	2023 SENATE BILL 647
5	5	November 9, 2023 - Introduced by Senators COWLES, STROEBEL and BALLWEG,
6	6	cosponsored by Representatives NEYLON, GUSTAFSON, TITTL, BALDEH, GREEN,
7	7	KRUG, MURPHY, O'CONNOR, RETTINGER, ROZAR, SPIROS and TRANEL. Referred to
8	8	Committee on Utilities and Technology.
9	9	AN ACT to repeal 196.026 (2); and to create 196.01 (2o) and 196.025 (8) and (9)
10	10	of the statutes; relating to: the Public Service Commission's website and an
11	11	annual report relating to its dockets.
12	12	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
13	13	This bill establishes certain requirements of the Public Service Commission
14	14	with respect to its website and the issuance of an annual report relating to PSC
15	15	dockets. A “docket” is defined as an investigation, proceeding, or other matter
16	16	opened by a vote of PSC, except for rule making.
17	17	Under the bill, PSC must include, with at least the first reference to a public
18	18	utility in any page or document PSC produces and publishes on its website, all names
19	19	by which the public is likely to know the utility, such as the name of a parent
20	20	company.
21	21	The bill requires PSC, in its website that offers public access to docket
22	22	information, to establish a function that allows a person to sign up to receive email
23	23	notifications relating to a single docket or a single utility and to specify the type of
24	24	activity relating to that docket or utility about which the person would like to receive
25	25	notifications.
26	26	The bill requires PSC to produce a report each year that shows each docket that
27	27	either was opened or had a decision issued on it during the prior calendar year,
28	28	organized into the following two lists: one list that includes dockets relating to
29	29	investor-owned utilities and one list that includes dockets relating to municipal
30	30	water, electric, gas and sewer utilities. Under the bill, PSC must organize each list
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36	36	by utility and include for each docket the docket identification number, the title of
37	37	the proceeding, the number of public comments received in the docket if a public
38	38	comment period was held, the date of the application, and, if applicable, the dates of
39	39	the notice of investigation and the decision.
40	40	The bill also requires the annual report to include for each docket in which a
41	41	PSC decision was issued during the prior calendar year an opinion on the likely
42	42	impact on ratepayers, based on how the decision will impact public utility costs.
43	43	Under the bill, each opinion must state whether the impact on public utility costs,
44	44	and therefore on ratepayers, is likely to be positive (will lower public utility costs),
45	45	negligible (will have little to no impact), negative (will increase the public utility
46	46	costs), or other (will have both increased and decreased costs—for example, if the
47	47	early retirement of a plant increases costs but the use of environmental trust
48	48	financing in that retirement decreases costs). The bill provides that such an opinion
49	49	is for informational purposes only, is not on the merits of the proceeding, and is not
50	50	binding on future PSC decisions.
51	51	The bill authorizes PSC to allow for public comments on these reports,
52	52	including comments from the public utility referenced in the report, and to adjust the
53	53	reports based on comments received. The bill requires PSC, no later than April 30
54	54	of the year after the year that is the subject of the report, to submit the reports to the
55	55	standing committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over energy and utilities and
56	56	to make the reports available to the public on PSC's website.
57	57	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
58	58	enact as follows:
59	59	SECTION 1. 196.01 (2o) of the statutes is created to read:
60	60	196.01 (2o) “Docket" means an investigation, proceeding, or other matter
61	61	opened by a vote of the commission, except for rule making.
62	62	SECTION 2. 196.025 (8) and (9) of the statutes are created to read:
63	63	196.025 (8) COMMISSION WEBSITE. (a) In any document or information produced
64	64	by the commission and published on the commission's website, the commission shall
65	65	include, with at least the first reference to a public utility on any page or document,
66	66	all names by which the public is likely to know the public utility, such as the name
67	67	of a parent company.
68	68	(b) If the commission maintains a website that offers public access to docket
69	69	information, the commission shall establish a function on the website that allows a
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85	85	person to sign up to receive email notifications relating to a single docket or a single
86	86	public utility and to specify the type of activity relating to that docket or public utility
87	87	about which the person would like to receive notifications.
88	88	(9) COMMISSION REPORTS AND OPINIONS. (a) No later than April 30 of each year,
89	89	the commission shall produce a report showing, at a minimum, all of the following:
90	90	1. Each docket that either was opened or had a decision issued on it during the
91	91	prior calendar year, organized into two lists: one list that includes dockets relating
92	92	to investor-owned public utilities and one list that includes dockets relating to
93	93	municipal water, electric, gas, and sewer utilities. The commission shall organize
94	94	each list by utility and shall include for each docket the docket identification number,
95	95	the title of the proceeding, the number of public comments received in the docket if
96	96	a public comment period was held, the date of the application, and, if applicable, the
97	97	dates of the notice of investigation and the decision.
98	98	2. The commission's opinion on the likely impact on ratepayers of each
99	99	commission decision issued in a docket during the prior calendar year, basing this
100	100	opinion on how the decision will impact public utility costs. Each opinion shall state
101	101	whether the impact on public utility costs, and therefore on ratepayers, is likely to
102	102	be positive, negligible, negative, or other. An impact is “positive” if the decision will
103	103	lower public utility costs, “negligible” if the decision will have little to no impact,
104	104	“negative” if the decision will increase the public utility costs, and “other” if the
105	105	decision will have both increased and decreased costs, such as if the early retirement
106	106	of a plant increases costs but the use of environmental trust financing under s.
107	107	196.027 in that retirement decreases costs. The commission's opinion under this
108	108	subdivision is not on the merits of the proceeding at issue in the docket and is not
109	109	binding on future commission decisions.
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137	137	(b) The commission may allow for public comments on the opinions in the report
138	138	under par. (a) 2., including comments from the public utility referenced in the report,
139	139	and may adjust the report based on comments received during the public comment
140	140	period.
141	141	(c) No later than April 30 of the year following the calendar year that is the
142	142	subject of the report, the commission shall submit the report under par. (a) to the
143	143	standing committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over energy and utilities
144	144	under s. 13.172 (3) and shall make the report available to the public on the
145	145	commission's website.
146	146	SECTION 3. 196.026 (2) of the statutes is repealed.
147	147	SECTION 4.0Effective date.
148	148	(1) This act takes effect on the first day of the 7th month beginning after
149	149	publication.
150	150	(END)
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