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Minutes for SB322 - Committee on Utilities
Short Title
Utilities and the net metering act.
Minutes Content for Mon, Feb 12, 2018
Chairman opened the hearing on SB 322 - Utilities and the net metering act. He called for an Office of Revisor of Statutes overview of the bill.
Kyle Hamilton provided an overview of the bill stating that SB 322 would amend the net metering and easy connection act in an attempt to return to 2009 language of the act. (Attachment 1)
Chairman Olson called for proponent testimony on the bill.
Proponent Aaron Cromwell claimed that the current law allows utilities to seek different rates for solar and other Distributed Generation customers, has an end date on metered systems of January 1, 2030 and limits the allowable size of net metered systems. (Attachment 2)
Proponent Dorothy Barnett warned that solar customers who have made investments since statute changes in 2014 are vulnerable to KCC indications that it will allow demand charges or other fees to be added to those with net-metered systems. (Attachment 3)
Chairman Olson called for Opponent testimony.
Opponent Jeff McClanahan justified why the KCC believes that any further modification of the current statutory authority of the Commission regarding rates for distributed generation customers is unnecessary. (Attachment 4)
Opponent Jeff Martin explained that prior to 2014 changes in statute net-metered customers were avoiding the cost of paying for the infrastructure required to serve them. He pointed out that the result was that traditional non-self-generating customers incurred those costs. (Attachment 5)
Opponent Chuck Caisley asked the committee to consider all customers by limiting cross-subsidization that the compromise accomplished in 2014.(Attachment 6)
Opponent Alex Orel asserted that even though electric cooperatives are exempt from the statute his organization is opposed to the bill because net metering decisions are best made by the proper authority responsible for ratemaking decisions such as the KCC, a member-elected board for cooperatives or a publicly-elected city council for municipal-owned utilities. (Attachment 7)
Opponent Whitney Damron stated that the compromise adopted in 2014 remains as an appropriate balance for all parties and the current bill would shift costs for firm service from themselves to traditional electric customers. (Attachment 8)
Jeff Glendenning suggested that allowing true competition in the electricity market, not handing out subsidies to a select few, is the right policy to ensure affordable energy and a reliable grid. (Attachment 9)
Seeing no more testimony Chairman Olson closed the hearing on the bill.
