THIS SEARCH     THIS DOCUMENT     GO TO
Next Hit        Forward           New Bills Search
Prev Hit        Back              HomePage
Hit List        Best Sections     Help
                Contents Display   

SEC. 7. NET METERING.

(a) AMENDMENT OF PURPA - The Public Utility Regulatory Polices Act of 1978 is amended by adding the following new section after section 214:

`SEC. 215. NET METERING.

`(a) DEFINITIONS- For purposes of this section--

`(1) The term `eligible on-site generating facility' means a facility on the site of a residential electric consumer with a maximum generating capacity of 100 kilowatts or less that is fueled by solar or wind energy or a facility on the site of a commercial electric consumer with a maximum generating capacity of 250 kilowatts or less that is fueled solely by a renewable energy resource.

`(2) The term `renewable energy resource' means solar energy, wind energy, biomass, and fuel cells.

`(3) The term `net metering service' means service to an electric consumer under which electricity generated by that consumer from an eligible on-site generating facility and delivered to the distribution system through the same meter through which purchased electricity is received may be used to offset the cost of electricity provided by the retail electric supplier to the electric consumer during the applicable billing period so that an electric consumer is billed only for the net electricity consumed during the billing period, but in no event shall the net be less than zero during any calendar year.

`(b) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE NET METERING SERVICE- Each retail electric supplier shall make available upon request net metering service to any retail electric consumer that the supplier currently serves or solicits for service.

`(c) RATES AND CHARGES-

`(1) IDENTICAL CHARGES- A retail electric supplier--

`(A) shall charge the owner or operator of an on-site generating facility rates and charges that are identical to those that would be charged other retail electric customers of the electric company in the same rate class; and

`(B) shall not charge the owner or operator of an on-site generating facility any additional standby, capacity, interconnection, or other rate or charge.

`(2) MEASUREMENT- A retail electric supplier that supplies electricity to the owner or operator of an on-site generating facility shall measure the quantity of electricity produced by the on-site facility and the quantity of electricity consumed by the owner or operator of an on-site generating facility during a billing period in accordance with normal metering practices.

`(3) ELECTRICITY SUPPLIED EXCEEDING ELECTRICITY GENERATED- If the quantity of electricity supplied by a retail electric supplier during a billing period exceeds the quantity of electricity generated by an on-site generating facility and fed back to the electric distribution system during the billing period, the supplier may bill the owner or operator for the net quantity of electricity supplied by the retail electric supplier, in accordance with normal metering practices.

`(4) ELECTRICITY GENERATED EXCEEDING ELECTRICITY SUPPLIED- If the quantity of electricity generated by an on-site generating facility during a billing period exceeds the quantity of electricity supplied by the retail electric supplier during the billing period--

`(A) the retail electric supplier may bill the owner or operator of the on-site generating facility for the appropriate charges for the billing period in accordance with paragraph (2); and

`(B) the owner or operator of the on-site generating facility shall be credited for the excess kilowatt-hours generated during the billing period, with the kilowatt-hour credit appearing on the bill for the following billing period.

`(5) UNUSED CREDITS- At the beginning of each calendar year, any unused kilowatt-hour credits accumulated by an owner or operator of an on-site generating facility during the previous calendar year shall expire without compensation to the owner or operator of an on-site generating facility.

`(d) SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS- (1) An eligible on-site generating facility and net metering system used by a retail electric consumer shall meet all applicable safety, performance, reliability, and interconnection standards established by the National Electrical Code, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and Underwriters Laboratories.

`(2) The Commission, after consultation with State regulatory authorities and nonregulated local distribution systems and after notice and opportunity for comment, may adopt, by rule, additional control and testing requirements for on-site generating facilities and net metering systems that the Commission determines are necessary to protect public safety and system reliability.

`(e) INTERCONNECTION STANDARDS- (1) The Commission shall promulgate regulations requiring that the owners or operators of eligible on-site generating facilities and net metering systems comply with uniform national standards, consistent with this section, for the physical connection between such facilities and systems and local distribution systems. At the election of the owner or operator of the generation facility concerned connections meeting such standards may be made--

`(A) by such owner or operator at such owner's or operator's expense, or

`(B) by the owner or operator of the local distribution system upon the request of the owner or operator of the generating facility and pursuant to an offer by the owner or operator of the generating facility to reimburse the local distribution system in an amount equal to the minimum cost of such connection, consistent with the procurement procedures of the State in which the facility is located.

Such standards shall be consistent with all applicable safety and performance standards established by the national electrical code, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or Underwriters Laboratories and with such additional safety and reliability standards as the Commission shall, by rule, prescribe.

`(2) The regulations under this section shall establish such measures for the safety and reliability of the affected equipment and local distribution systems as may be appropriate.

`(f) STATE AUTHORITY- This section does not preclude a State from imposing additional requirements consistent with the requirements in this section, including the imposition of a cap limiting the amount of net metering available in the State. Nothing in this Act or any other Federal law preempts or otherwise affects authority under State law to require a retail electric supplier to make available net metering service to a retail electric consumer which the supplier serves or offers to serve.'.

(c) TABLE OF CONTENTS- The table of contents for title II of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2601 and following) is amended by adding the following at the end thereof:

SEC. 8. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.

(a) DEFINITIONS- In this section:

(1) EMISSIONS DATA- The term `emissions data' means the type and amount of each pollutant emitted or released by a generation facility in generating electricity.

(2) GENERATION DATA- The term `generation data' means the type of fuel (such as coal, oil, nuclear energy, or solar power) used by a generation facility to generate electricity.

(b) DISCLOSURE SYSTEM- The Secretary shall establish a system of disclosure that--

(1) enables retail consumers to knowledgeably compare retail electric service offerings, including comparisons based on generation source portfolios, emissions data, and price terms; and

(2) considers such factors as--

(A) cost of implementation;

(B) confidentiality of information; and

(C) flexibility.

(c) REGULATION- Not later than March 1, 2002, the Secretary, in consultation with the Board, and with the assistance of a Federal interagency task force that includes representatives of the Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency, shall promulgate a regulation prescribing--

(1) the form, content, and frequency of disclosure of emissions data and generation data of electricity by generation facilities to electricity wholesalers or retail companies and by wholesalers to retail companies;

(2) the form, content, and frequency of disclosure of emissions data, generation data, and the price of electricity by retail companies to ultimate consumers; and

(3) the form, content, and frequency of disclosure of emissions data, generation data, and the price of electricity by generation facilities selling directly to ultimate consumers.

(d) ACCESS TO RECORDS- The Secretary shall have full access to the records of all generation facilities, electricity wholesalers, and retail companies to obtain any information necessary to administer and enforce this section.

(e) FAILURE TO DISCLOSE- The failure of a retail company to accurately disclose information as required by this section shall be treated as a deceptive act in commerce under section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 45).

(f) REGULATIONS- The Secretary may promulgate such regulations, conduct such investigations, and take such other actions as are necessary or appropriate to implement and obtain compliance with this section and regulations promulgated under this section.

THIS SEARCH     THIS DOCUMENT     GO TO
Next Hit        Forward           New Bills Search
Prev Hit        Back              HomePage
Hit List        Best Sections     Help
                Contents Display