USC Subchapter I

USC Subchapter I
in effect

42 U.S.C. § 6801 Congressional findings and purpose

(a) The Congress finds that improvement in electric utility rate design has great potential for reducing the cost of electric utility services to consumers and current and projected shortages of capital, and for encouraging energy conservation and better use of existing electrical generating facilities. (b) It is the purpose of this subchapter to require the Secretary to develop proposals for improvement of electric utility rate design and transmit such proposals to Congress; to fund electric utility rate demonstration projects; to intervene or participate, upon request, in the proceedings of utility regulatory commissions; and to provide financial assistance to State offices of consumer services to facilitate presentation of consumer interests before such commissions.

42 U.S.C. § 6802 Definitions

As used in this subchapter: (1) The term “Secretary” means the Secretary of Energy. (2) The term “electric utility” means any person, State agency, or Federal agency which sells electric energy. (3) The term “Federal agency” means any agency or instrumentality of the United States. (4) The term “State agency” means a State, political subdivision thereof, or any agency or instrumentality of either. (5) The term “State utility regulatory commission” means (A) any utility regulatory commission which is a State agency or (B) the Tennessee Valley Authority. (6) The term “State” means any State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and any territory or possession of the United States. (7) The term “utility regulatory commission” means any State agency or Federal agency which has authority to fix, modify, approve, or disapprove rates for the sale of electric energy by any electric utility (other than by such agency).

42 U.S.C. § 6803 Development of electric utility rate design proposals by Secretary; contents; submission to Congress; supporting analysis

(a) The Secretary shall develop proposals to improve electric utility rate design. Such proposals shall be designed to encourage energy conservation, minimize the need for new electrical generating capacity, and minimize costs of electric energy to consumers, and shall include (but not be limited to) proposals which provide for the development and implementation of—(1) load management techniques which are cost effective; (2) rates which reflect marginal cost of service, or time of use of service, or both; (3) ratemaking policies which discourage inefficient use of fuel and encourage economical purchases of fuel; and (4) rates (or other regulatory policies) which encourage electric utility system reliability and reliability of major items of electric utility equipment. (b) The proposals prepared under subsection (a) shall be transmitted to each House of Congress not later than 6 months after August 14, 1976, for review and for such further action as the Congress may direct by law. Such proposals shall be accompanied by an analysis of—(1) the projected savings (if any) in consumption of petroleum products, natural gas, electric energy, and other energy resources, (2) the reduction (if any) in the need for new electrical generating capacity, and of the demand for capital by the electric utility industry, and (3) changes (if any) in the cost of electric energy to consumers, which are likely to result from the implementation nationally of each of the proposals transmitted under this subsection.

42 U.S.C. § 6804 Funding, administrative, and judicial authorities of Secretary

The Secretary may— (1) fund (A) demonstration projects to improve electric utility load management procedures and (B) regulatory rate reform initiatives, (2) on request of a State, a utility regulatory commission, or of any participant in any proceeding before a State utility regulatory commission which relates to electric utility rates or rate design, intervene and participate in such proceeding, and (3) on request of any State, utility regulatory commission, or party to any action to obtain judicial review of an administrative proceeding in which the Secretary intervened or participated under paragraph (2), intervene and participate in such action.

42 U.S.C. § 6805 Grants for State consumer protection offices by Secretary

(a) Establishment, operation, and purpose; qualifications for fundsThe Secretary may make grants to States, or otherwise as provided in subsection (c), under this section to provide for the establishment and operation of offices of consumer services to assist consumers in their presentations before utility regulatory commissions. Any assistance provided under this section shall be provided only for an office of consumer services which is operated independently of any such utility regulatory commission and which is empowered to—(1) make general factual assessments of the impact of proposed rate changes and other proposed regulatory actions upon all affected consumers; (2) assist consumers in the presentation of their positions before utility regulatory commissions; and (3) advocate, on its own behalf, a position which it determines represents the position most advantageous to consumers, taking into account developments in rate design reform. (b) Grants subject to State assurances on fundsGrants pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be made only to States which furnish such assurances as the Secretary may require that funds made available under such section will be in addition to, and not in substitution for, funds made available to offices of consumer services from other sources. (c) Offices established by Tennessee Valley AuthorityAssistance may be provided under this section to an office of consumer services established by the Tennessee Valley Authority, if such office is operated independently of the Tennessee Valley Authority.

42 U.S.C. § 6806 Statement in annual report

The Secretary shall include in each annual report submitted under section 7267 of this title a statement with respect to activities conducted under this subchapter and recommendations as to the need for and types of further Federal legislation.

42 U.S.C. § 6807 State utility regulatory assistance

(a) Grants to State utility regulatory commissions and nonregulated electric utilitiesThe Secretary may make grants to State utility regulatory commissions and nonregulated electric utilities (as defined in the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 [16 U.S.C. 2602]) to carry out duties and responsibilities under titles I [16 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.] and III [15 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.], and section 210 [16 U.S.C. 824a–3], of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. No grant may be made under this section to any Federal agency. (b) Unnecessary requirements prohibitedAny requirements established by the Secretary with respect to grants under this section may be only such requirements as are necessary to assure that such grants are expended solely to carry out duties and responsibilities referred to in subsection (a) or such as are otherwise required by law. (c) Application for grantNo grant may be made under this section unless an application for such grant is submitted to the Secretary in such form and manner as the Secretary may require. The Secretary may not approve an application of a State utility regulatory commission or nonregulated electric utility unless such commission or nonregulated electric utility assures the Secretary that funds made available under this section will be in addition to, and not in substitution for, funds made available to such commission or nonregulated electric utility from other governmental sources. (d) Apportionment of fundsThe funds appropriated for purposes of this section shall be apportioned among the States in such manner that grants made under this section in each State shall not exceed the lesser of—(1) the amount determined by dividing equally among all States the total amount available under this section for such grants, or (2) the amount which the Secretary is authorized to provide pursuant to subsections (b) and (c) of this section for such State.

42 U.S.C. § 6807a Energy efficiency grants to State regulatory authorities

(a) Energy efficiency grantsThe Secretary is authorized in accordance with the provisions of this section to provide grants to State regulatory authorities in an amount not to exceed $250,000 per authority, for purposes of encouraging demand-side management including energy conservation, energy efficiency and load management techniques and for meeting the requirements of paragraphs (7), (8), and (9) of section 2621(d) of title 16 and as a means of meeting gas supply needs and to meet the requirements of paragraphs (3) and (4) of section 3203(b) of title 15. Such grants may be utilized by a State regulatory authority to provide financial assistance to nonprofit subgrantees of the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program in order to facilitate participation by such subgrantees in proceedings of such regulatory authority to examine energy conservation, energy efficiency, or other demand-side management programs. (b) PlanA State regulatory authority wishing to receive a grant under this section shall submit a plan to the Secretary that specifies the actions such authority proposes to take that would achieve the purposes of this section. (c) Secretarial action(1) In determining whether, and in what amount, to provide a grant to a State regulatory authority under this section the Secretary shall consider, in addition to other appropriate factors, the actions proposed by the State regulatory authority to achieve the purposes of this section and to consider implementation of the ratemaking standards established in—(A) paragraphs (7), (8) and (9) of section 2621(d) of title 16; or (B) paragraphs (3) and (4) of section 3203(b) of title 15. (2) Such actions—(A) shall include procedures to facilitate the participation of grantees and nonprofit subgrantees of the Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program in proceedings of such regulatory authorities examining demand-side management programs; and (B) shall provide for coverage of the cost of such grantee and subgrantees’ participation in such proceedings. (d) RecordkeepingEach State regulatory authority that receives a grant under this section shall keep such records as the Secretary shall require. (e) “State regulatory authority” definedFor purposes of this section, the term “State regulatory authority” shall have the same meaning as provided by section 2602 of title 16 in the case of electric utilities, and such term shall have the same meaning as provided by section 3202 of title 15 in the case of gas utilities, except that in the case of any State without a statewide ratemaking authority, such term shall mean the State energy office. (f) AuthorizationThere are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1994, 1995 and 1996 to carry out the purposes of this section.

42 U.S.C. § 6808 Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated— (1) not to exceed $40,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1979 and 1980 to carry out section 6807 of this title (relating to State utility regulatory assistance); (2) not to exceed $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1979 and 1980 to carry out section 6805 of this title (relating to State offices of consumer services); and (3) not to exceed $8,000,000 for the fiscal year 1979, and $10,000,000 for the fiscal year 1980 to carry out section 6804(1)(B) of this title (relating to innovative rate structures).

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