By Cassie Gavin
Senior Director of Government Relations
This week at the N.C. General Assembly we saw Senate committees move two bills that the Chapter is working against. One would raise registration fees for electric vehicles to the highest in the country and another would allow electric utilities to seek multi-year rate increases instead of having to seek annual approvals from the Utilities Commission. The legislature is taking a spring break next week so these bills are expected to be calendared for Senate votes in the first week of May.
SB 559, Storm Securitization/Alt. Rates, sponsored by Senators Rabon (R-Bladen, Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender), Hise (R-Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Yancey ) and Blue (D-Wake) would allow Duke Energy to seek multi-year rate-making for up to five years. This would mean less of a voice for customers and less accountability for the utility.
SB 559 was approved by the Senate Environment committee on Thursday. Please thank Senators Woodard (D-Durham, Granville, Person) and Peterson (D-New Hanover) for speaking up for protecting the public’s voice in the rate-making process. Many individuals from the public spoke against the bill in committee, including speakers representing Appalachian Voices, AARP, manufacturers, retail merchants, Google, and the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association. The only speaker who spoke in favor of the bill was a Duke Energy staffer.
SB 446, Electric/Hybrid Vehicle Registration Fees, sponsored by Senator Jim Davis (R-Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain), was approved by two Senate committees this week. Please thank Senators McKissick (D-Durham), Clark (D-Cumberland, Hoke), Woodard, and Nickel (D-Wake) for asking questions and challenging the sponsor on the need for this proposal. In Finance Committee, Senator McKissick proposed the creation of a study committee to look at how to address the problem of the dwindling Highway Trust Fund in an equitable way, but the sponsor did not respond.
Both SB 559 and SB 446 are next scheduled to be taken up by the Senate Rules Committee which would normally meet on Tuesday, April 30th. Then the bills would next go to the full Senate for votes.
Opportunity for Action:
Please ask your Senator to require a stakeholder process before the legislature considers the major change to our utility system that is proposed in SB 559 Storm Securitization/Alt. Rates and to vote “no” on the bill if the multi-year rate-making piece (part 2) remains in.
In the House this week we saw Representatives file a number of good bills to meet the bill-filing deadline including:
- H 768, Clean Energy Goal fo State Property by 2050, to establish a state goal of 100% clean energy for state buildings by 2050 and the state-owned motor fleet.
- H 767, State Clean Energy Goal for 2050, to establish a state goal of 100% clean energy by 2050 and promote the creation of green jobs.
- H 927, Ban Certain Polystyrene Products, to prohibit the sale of certain polystyrene food service products.
- H 788, EV Charging Station/Parking, to regulate parking in EV charging station spots.
- H 823, NC Managing Environmental Waste Act of 2019, to address the issue of single-use plastics.