HOUSE BILL No. 5522

 

December 4, 2007, Introduced by Reps. LaJoy, Mayes, Gaffney, Hune and Accavitti and referred to the Committee on Energy and Technology.

 

     A bill to amend 1939 PA 3, entitled

 

"An act to provide for the regulation and control of public and

certain private utilities and other services affected with a public

interest within this state; to provide for alternative energy

suppliers; to provide for licensing; to include municipally owned

utilities and other providers of energy under certain provisions of

this act; to create a public service commission and to prescribe

and define its powers and duties; to abolish the Michigan public

utilities commission and to confer the powers and duties vested by

law on the public service commission; to provide for the

continuance, transfer, and completion of certain matters and

proceedings; to abolish automatic adjustment clauses; to prohibit

certain rate increases without notice and hearing; to qualify

residential energy conservation programs permitted under state law

for certain federal exemption; to create a fund; to provide for a

restructuring of the manner in which energy is provided in this

state; to encourage the utilization of resource recovery

facilities; to prohibit certain acts and practices of providers of

energy; to allow for the securitization of stranded costs; to

reduce rates; to provide for appeals; to provide appropriations; to

declare the effect and purpose of this act; to prescribe remedies

and penalties; and to repeal acts and parts of acts,"

 

(MCL 460.1 to 460.10cc) by adding section 11.

 


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 11. (1) Subject to subsections (2), (4), and (7), the

 

commission shall adopt electric rates that reflect the cost of

 

providing service to each customer class. The cost of providing

 

service to each customer class shall be determined using a method

 

that allocates costs among customer classes as follows:

 

     (a) Production-related and transmission costs to each customer

 

class based on the 75-25 method of cost allocation.

 

     (b) Fixed costs based upon the demand of each customer class.

 

     (c) Costs that vary with the number of customers based upon

 

the number of customers in each class.

 

     (d) Costs that vary with electricity usage based upon the

 

level of electricity consumption in each customer class.

 

     (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the

 

commission shall establish rate schedules which ensure that public

 

and private schools, universities, and community colleges are

 

charged retail electric rates that reflect the actual cost of

 

providing service to those customers. Not later than 90 days after

 

the effective date of the amendatory act that added this section,

 

electric utilities regulated under this section shall file with the

 

commission tariffs to ensure that public and private schools,

 

universities, and community colleges are charged electric rates

 

that fully reflect their unique load characteristics.

 

     (3) For the purposes of this section, the commission shall

 

determine the demand of each customer class based upon the

 

contribution of each customer class to the average of the utility's

 

12 monthly system coincident peak demands for the relevant 12-month

 


period.

 

     (4) The commission shall adopt rates that take into account

 

cost differences based upon the time of day and season of year, the

 

ability of a customer to shift usage from peak to off-peak periods,

 

and the cost of interruptible service.

 

     (5) If it determines that it is necessary to minimize impact

 

on customers, the commission may phase in cost-based rates over a

 

period that does not exceed 3 years from the effective date of the

 

amendatory act that added this section for primary customers and

 

over a period that does not exceed 7 years from the effective date

 

of the amendatory act that added this section for secondary or

 

residential customers.

 

     (6) During the phase-in period described in subsection (5),

 

the commission shall, for each customer class, ensure that rates in

 

effect for customers receiving service from alternative electric

 

suppliers reflect the full amount, whether positive or negative, by

 

which the rates in effect for other customers in the same customer

 

class differ from actual cost of service. Any differential may be

 

allocated on a per-customer basis.

 

     (7) Notwithstanding subsection (1), the commission shall

 

establish 1 or more economic incentive rate schedules or approve 1

 

or more special contracts for the purpose of attracting or

 

retaining industrial or commercial facilities in this state. The

 

commission shall adopt policies to determine what facilities are

 

eligible for those rate schedules or contracts. In adopting the

 

policies under this subsection, the commission shall consider

 

whether the facilities have received a competitive and verifiable

 


economic incentive rate from another state or jurisdiction, are in

 

an energy intensive industry, create significant jobs, tax revenue,

 

or other economic benefits to this state, are eligible for and have

 

received economic development incentives from the Michigan economic

 

development corporation, or are engaged in a competitive edge

 

technology as defined in section 88a of the Michigan strategic fund

 

act, 1984 PA 270, 125.2088a. The annual aggregate amount of

 

electricity available under the economic incentive rate schedules

 

or contracts for an individual utility shall be limited to an

 

amount equal to 5% of the utility's primary load. The commission

 

shall adopt accounting and rate-making policies to ensure that all

 

discounts provided under this subsection are recovered by the

 

utility through charges applicable to all customers.

 

     (8) As used in this section:

 

     (a) "Customer class" means groupings of customers determined

 

by the commission based upon the voltage level at which each

 

customer receives electric service.

 

     (b) "Fixed costs" means those non-production-related and

 

nontransmission costs that do not vary directly with the number of

 

customers or the level of electricity use.

 

     (c) "Primary customers" means customers receiving service at a

 

nominal voltage level equal to or exceeding 2,400 volts.

 

     (d) "Secondary customers" means nonresidential customers

 

receiving service at a nominal voltage level less than 2,400 volts.

 

     (e) "75-25 method of cost allocation" means a cost allocation

 

method which allocates 75% of total capacity costs based upon the

 

demand of each customer class and 25% of total capacity costs based

 


upon the level of electricity consumption of each customer class.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless all of the following bills of the 94th Legislature are

 

enacted into law:

 

     (a) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5524(request no.

 

02552'07*).

 

     (b) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5521(request no.

 

04883'07*).

 

     (c) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5520(request no.

 

04885'07*).

 

     (d) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5523(request no.

 

05023'07*).

 

     (e) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No.____ (request no.

 

05570'07).

 

     (f) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No.____ (request no.

 

05919'07).

 

     (g) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5525(request no.

 

05920'07).

 

     (h) House Bill No. 5383.

 

     (i) House Bill No. 5384.