Honorable John Carona, Chair, Senate Committee on Business & Commerce
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1139 by Carona (Relating to the exclusion of hospital facilities from a rolling blackout.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Utilities Code to require the Public Utility Commission (PUC) by rule to require each electric utility, municipally owned utility, and electric cooperative to exclude hospital facilities from participating in an attempt to shed load in response to a rolling blackout initiated by any reliability council or power pool. Based on information provided by the PUC, duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the bill could be accomplished utilizing existing resources.
Local Government Impact
According to the Texas Public Power Association, the bill is not expected to have a significant impact on municipally-owned electric utilities.