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HB 320: ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION RIGHT-OF-WAY FEES

An Act Relating To Public Utilities; Permitting The State Transportation Commission To Assess And Collect Highway Right-of-way Fees From Electricity Transmission Owners; Updating Utility Terminology; Creating The Road Project Fund; Making An Appropriation.

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MOD HB 320
ELECTRIC TRANSMISSION RIGHT-OF-WAY FEES

Legislative URL:
HB 320 on nmlegis.gov
Emergency Clause:
No
Germane:
N/A
Location:
HRC
Action:
[10] not prntd-HRC API.
Issue(s):
,

Related Legislators

Bill Sponsor:

Related Documents

Downloads:
Introduced
Fiscal Impact Report
Summary

This bill amends the mandate to the State Transportation Commission (STC), § 67-3-12 NMSA 1978, regarding rules for utility rights of way with respect to state highways. It requires the STC to adopt a rule that establishes “a schedule of highway right-of-way fees to be paid by an electricity transmission owner that sells its product directly to utilities and not to end users.” Those fees will be deposited into the Road Project Fund. The bill amends § 7-8-15 NMSA 1978 to be consistent with that fee.

 

This piece of legislation also creates The Road Project Fund that will be used “for the planning, design, engineering, construction or improvement of state road and highway projects as identified in the department’s current statewide transportation improvement program or successor program.”

 

Finally, the bill also modernizes the language in a couple of statutory sections with respect to utilities.

 

This bill might have both positive and negative consequences depending on the identity of the party being taxed and whether the fee would encourage or discourage the use of renewable energy, especially wind energy as it is often generated some distance from existing transmission lines.

 

A question with respect to this bill might be whether the funding generated by the fee could be put to more effective use that would encourage the State’s renewable energy industry.

 

Date of Summary:  2/5/2014

Outcome:

HB 320 died in the House Rules Committee.

 

Updated 7/31/14