Vermont H. 753: An act relating to rental housing and installation of antennas

Bill Text

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H.753
Introduced by Representatives Torre of Moretown and Morrow of Weston
Referred to Committee on
Date:
Subject: Utilities; residential ratepayers; involuntary service disconnections;
consumer protections
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to require the
Public Utility Commission to adopt by rule enhanced residential ratepayer
protections with respect to involuntary utility service disconnections.
An act relating to utility service disconnections and ratepayer protections
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
Sec. 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the “Vermont Energy Equity Law.”
Sec. 2. 30 V.S.A. § 209(b) is amended to read:
(b) Required rules.
(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 218 of this chapter, the
Public Utility Commission shall, under 3 V.S.A. chapter 25, adopt rules
applicable to companies subject to this chapter that:
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(1)(A) regulate or prescribe terms and conditions of extension of utility
service to customers or applicants for service including:
(A)(i) the conditions under which a deposit may be required, if any;
(B)(ii) the extension of service lines;
(C)(iii) the terms of payment of any required deposit; and
(D)(iv) the return of any deposit;
(2)(B) regulate or prescribe the grounds upon which the companies may
disconnect or refuse to reconnect service to customers; and
(3)(C) regulate and prescribe reasonable procedures used by companies
in disconnecting or reconnecting services and billing customers.
(2) The Public Utility Commission shall amend Rule 3.300, which
governs the disconnection of residential gas, electric, and water service, to
further specify that:
(A) a certificate from a physician or other licensed health care
provider certifying that a ratepayer or resident within the ratepayer’s
household would suffer an immediate and serious health hazard by the
disconnection of gas, electric, or water service, or by failure to reconnect such
service, shall prevent disconnection or require reconnection, as applicable, and
shall remain in effect for the time period specified in the certification unless
the Commission rules otherwise; and
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(B) no gas, electric, or water utility may involuntarily disconnect
service to any residential ratepayer during periods of extreme heat, as defined
by the Commission.
(3) The Public Utility Commission shall adopt a rule requiring each gas,
electric, and water utility to establish a strategic and realistic plan for
achieving the lowest prudently feasible number of monthly and annual
involuntary residential service disconnections in the utility’s service territory
and to include such plan in a new or revised Service Quality and Reliability
Plan, which the utility shall submit to the Commission for approval.
Sec. 3. 30 V.S.A. § 218d(a) is amended to read:
(a) Notwithstanding section 218 and sections 225–227 of this title, upon
petition of an electric or natural gas company, upon request of the Department
of Public Service, or on its own initiative, the Public Utility Commission may,
after opportunity for hearing, approve alternative forms of regulation for an
electric or natural gas company; provided, however, in the case of a municipal
plant or department formed under local charter or chapter 79 of this title or an
electric cooperative formed under chapter 81 of this title, any alternative forms
of regulation approved by the Commission shall also be approved by a
majority of the voters of a municipality or cooperative voting upon the
question at a duly warned annual or special meeting held for that purpose.
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Before doing so, the Commission shall find that the proposed form of
alternative regulation will:
(1) establish a system of regulation in which such companies have clear
incentives to provide least cost energy service to their customers;
(2) provide just and reasonable rates for service to all classes of
customers;
(3) deliver safe and reliable service;
(4) offer incentives for innovations and improved performance that
advance state State energy policy such as increasing reliance on Vermont-based
renewable energy and decreasing the extent to which the financial success of
distribution utilities between rate cases is linked to increased sales to end use
customers and may be threatened by decreases in those sales;
(5) promote improved quality of service, reliability, and service choices,
including a reduction in the number of monthly and annual involuntary
disconnections to the lowest prudently feasible number in a company’s service
territory;
(6) encourage innovation in the provision of service;
(7) establish a reasonably balanced system