Power Bill

Summary

The Power Bill - Amends the Federal Power Act to declare that its prohibition against mandatory retail wheeling and sham wholesale transactions does not affect any State or local government authority under State law with respect to electric energy sale (or, as currently, transmission) directly to an ultimate consumer. Prescribes guidelines for State-imposed reciprocity governing access to electric utility transmission and distribution facilities. Grants cooperatively owned sellers or distributors of electricity the right, as consumer-owned cooperatives, to engage in any activity or provide any service lawfully carried out by any other seller or distributor of electricity in the State. Authorizes a State or State regulatory authority to impose charges upon purchases of retail electric energy services, including fees: (1) to recover costs incurred by an electric utility that become unrecoverable due to the availability of retail electric service choice; and (2) to pay all reasonable costs associated with governmental requirements regarding decommissioning of nuclear generating units. (Sec. 4) Declares that, as of the date of enactment of this Act, new electric utility contracts for purchase or sale shall no longer be subject to specified requirements encouraging cogeneration and small power production. Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to promulgate regulations to assure recovery of all costs associated with purchases of electric energy or capacity from a cogeneration and small power production facility by electric utilities. (Sec. 5) Repeals the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935. Prescribes guidelines for Federal and State access to books and records of electric utility holding companies and their affiliates. Prescribes implementation guidelines. (Sec. 6) Requires State laws or regulations for the recovery of stranded costs to be filed with FERC as a prerequisite to State receipt of Federal energy assistance. Precludes any modification or repeal of such laws or regulations for seven years after such filing date. Directs FERC to make such laws or regulations available to the public. (Sec. 9) Instructs the Secretary of Energy to present a status report to the Congress on the extent to which State actions have removed regulatory and statutory barriers to interstate commerce in electricity.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 10 February 1999

   Introduced

   Referred to the House Committee on Commerce.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 10 February 1999

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 10 February 1999

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

4. 1 March 1999

   Referred

   Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power.

   Source: Committee

5. 22 July 1999

   Committee

   Subcommittee Hearings Held.

   Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Introduced in House · 10 February 1999 · Official file

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in House (text)

  Introduced in House · EN · 10 February 1999

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in House (PDF)

  Introduced in House · EN · 10 February 1999

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 10 February 1999

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Sen. Burr, Richard [R-NC] · R · Sponsor
• · hsif00 · Standing

Related records

No cross-record relationships stored yet.