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SB 245: UTILITY INFO DISCLOSURE TO CUSTOMERS

An Act Relating To Utilities; Enacting A New Section Of Chapter 62, Article 8 Nmsa 1978 To Provide For Information Disclosure To Customers.

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MOD SB 245
UTILITY INFO DISCLOSURE TO CUSTOMERS

Legislative URL:
SB 245 on nmlegis.gov
Emergency Clause:
No
Germane:
N/A
Location:
- OTHER -
Action:
[2] SCONC/SCORC-SCONC API.
Issue(s):

Related Legislators

Bill Sponsor:

Related Documents

Downloads:
Introduced
Fiscal Impact Report
Summary

Senate Bill 245 requires public utilities that provide electricity to retail customers to disclose the composition of its retail electric sales by fuel type. For each fuel type, the utility must disclose:

  • the percentage of retail sales attributable to that fuel type;
  • the cost to the utility per kilowatt-hour;
  • the water consumed and the carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury emitted per kilowatt-hour;
  • “any other characteristic whose disclosure would serve to inform customers of a significant environmental impact.”

 

Fuel types include coal, natural gas, oil, hydropower, wind energy, nuclear energy, solar energy, geothermal energy and biomass (both biogas and biofuels). The bill requires the utilities to include both electricity produced at generating plants in which it has an ownership interest and electricity purchased through contracts having a duration of three months or longer. It allows the public utility reasonably to estimate or approximate the values used in its disclosure.

 

Finally, the bill requires the Public Regulation Commission to adopt rules by January 1, 2014 setting forth detail for the disclosures. It requires that the disclosures be made on customer inserts to bills at least twice a year and that they be understandable to customers.

 

Date of Summary:  1/24/2013