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Senate Bill 547 |
Senate Author: Eltife |
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Effective: 9-1-09 |
House Sponsor: Hughes |
Senate Bill 547 adds provisions to the Utilities Code relating to the transition to retail electric competition for certain areas outside of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). It makes such provisions applicable to an investor-owned electric utility that is operating solely outside of ERCOT in areas of Texas included in the Southwest Power Pool on January 1, 2008, that was not affiliated with the Southeastern Electric Reliability Council on January 1, 2008, and to which provisions for certain other non-ERCOT utilities do not apply. The bill delays the introduction of retail competition for such an electric utility until fair competition and reliable service are available to all retail customer classes in the area served by the utility. It establishes a sequence of required events, in five prescribed stages, to be followed to introduce retail competition in the utility's service area. The bill authorizes the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) to modify the sequence of such events, but prohibits the PUC from modifying the substance of the requirements. Until the date the electric utility is authorized by the PUC to implement retail customer choice, its rates are subject to regulation under the law on electric rates, and until the date the utility implements customer choice, statutory provisions relating to the restructuring of the electric utility industry, other than those of the bill and those relating to goals for renewable energy and energy efficiency, do not apply to the utility.