HBA-NMO H.B. 2447 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2447 By: Counts Natural Resources 4/5/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Colorado River Municipal Water District (district) currently provides water to over 340,000 people in West Texas. The district has twenty-five pump stations which require electricity in fourteen counties. A retail electric customer, with its services provided by four separate electric utilities, the district spent approximately $6.2 million on electric services in 1998. H.B. 2447 authorizes the district to generate, purchase at wholesale, and sell water power and electric energy and to acquire and dispose of facilities for those purposes. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Chapter 340, Acts of the 51st Legislature, Regular Session, 1949 (Article 8280-137, V.T.C.S.), by adding Subsection 7B, as follows: Sec. 7B. Authorizes the Colorado River Municipal Water District (district) to: (1) develop and generate water power and electric energy inside the district's boundaries and sell water power and electric energy inside or outside of its boundaries; (2) purchase electric energy at wholesale for resale or for use at a facility the district owns, operates, or maintains inside its boundaries; (3) enter into an agreement to acquire, install, construct, finance, operate, make an addition to, own, or operate an electric energy generating, transmission, or distribution facility, jointly with another person; or (4) sell or otherwise dispose of any of the district's interest in a jointly owned facility described by Subdivision (3) of this section. SECTION 2.Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.