North Carolina SB 720: GSC Conforming Amends./2019 Land-Use Changes.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 720

Short Title: North Carolina Consumer Protection Act. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Meyer and Murdock (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S720-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT THAT REVISES CERTAIN DEFINITIONS IN PUBLIC UTILITY LAW AND 2
ADDS ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS TO PROTECT RATEPAYERS FROM PAYING 3
UNJUST OR UNREASONABLE FEES TO PUBLIC UTILITIES. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
SECTION 1. G.S. 62-133.8 reads as rewritten: 6
"§ 62-133.8. Clean Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (CEPS). 7
(a) Definitions. – As used in this section: 8
(1) Advertising. – Any promotional activity aimed at increasing a public utility's 9
visibility, reputation, or profitability. This includes media campaigns, digital 10
marketing, and other promotional materials that do not address public service 11
issues or conservation efforts directly approved by a State or federal agency. 12
Advertising does not include any of the following: 13
a. Public messages that the public utility is directed to publish by a 14
federal, State, or local agency. 15
b. Public messages providing information on safety measures, 16
emergency conditions, or service interruptions. 17
(1)(1a) "Clean energy facility" means a Clean energy facility. – A renewable energy 18
facility, a nuclear energy facility, including an uprate to a nuclear energy 19
facility, or a fusion energy facility. 20
(1a)(1b) "Clean energy resource" means renewable Clean energy resource. – 21
Renewable energy resources, nuclear energy resources, including an uprate to 22
a nuclear energy facility, and fusion energy. 23
(1b)(1c) "Combined heat and power system" means a Combined heat and power 24
system. – A system that uses waste heat to produce electricity or useful, 25
measurable thermal or mechanical energy at a retail electric customer's 26
facility. 27
(1d) Commission. – The North Carolina Utilities Commission created under 28
G.S. 62-10, which regulates public utilities in North Carolina. 29
(2) "Demand-side management" means activities, Demand-side management. – 30
Activities, programs, or initiatives undertaken by an electric power supplier 31
or its customers to shift the timing of electricity use from peak to nonpeak 32
demand periods. "Demand-side management" includes, but is not limited to, 33
load management, electric system equipment and operating controls, direct 34
load control, and interruptible load. 35

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 720-First Edition
(3) "Electric power supplier" means a Electric power supplier. – A public utility, 1
an electric membership corporation, or a municipality that sells electric power 2
to retail electric power customers in the State. 3
(3a) "Electricity demand reduction" means a Electricity demand reduction. – A 4
measurable reduction in the electricity demand of a retail electric customer 5
that is voluntary, under the real-time control of both the electric power 6
supplier and the retail electric customer, and measured in real time, using 7
two-way communications devices that communicate on the basis of standards. 8
(4) "Energy efficiency measure" means an Energy efficiency measure. – An 9
equipment, physical, or program change implemented after January 1, 2007, 10
that results in less energy used to perform the same function. "Energy 11
efficiency measure" includes, but is not limited to, energy produced from a 12
combined heat and power system that uses non-clean energy resources. 13
"Energy efficiency measure" does not include demand-side management. 14
(4a) "Fusion" means a Fusion. – A reaction in which at least one heavier, more 15
stable nucleus is produced from two lighter, less stable nuclei, typically 16
through high temperatures and pressures, emitting energy as a result. 17
(4b) "Fusion energy" means the Fusion energy. – The product of fusion reactions 18
inside a fusion device, used for the purpose of generating electricity or other 19
commercially usable forms of energy. 20
(4c) Lobbying. – Any action undertaken to influence or attempt to influence 21
legislative or executive action, or both, as defined under G.S. 120C-100, as 22
well as any activity undertaken to influence regulatory matters, such as 23
rate-making. 24
(4c)(4d) "New clean energy facility" means:New clean energy facility. – Includes 25
either of the following: 26
a. A new renewable energy facility; orfacility. 27
b. Facilities placed into service on or after January 1, 2007, which are 28
either (i) a nuclear energy facility, including an uprate to a nuclear 29
energy facility, or (ii) a fusion energy facility. 30
(5) "New renewable energy facility" means a New renewable energy facility. – A 31
renewable energy facility that either:includes one of the following: 32
a. Was placed into service on or after January 1, 2007. 33
b. Delivers or has delivered electric power to an elect