SENATE BILL REPORT
SHB 2441
As Reported By Senate Committee On:
Environment, Energy & Water, February 22, 2002
Title: An act relating to amending the authority and duties of the joint committee on energy supply.
Brief Description: Modifying the duties of the joint committee on energy supply.
Sponsors: House Committee on Technology, Telecommunications & Energy (originally sponsored by Representatives Crouse, Morris, DeBolt, Wood, Berkey, Bush, Hunt, Ruderman, Delvin, Esser, Anderson and Pflug).
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Environment, Energy & Water: 2/21/02, 2/22/02 [DPA].
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY & WATER
Majority Report: Do pass as amended.
Signed by Senators Fraser, Chair; Regala, Vice Chair; Eide, Hale, Honeyford, Jacobsen, Keiser and Morton.
Staff: Andrea McNamara (786‑7483)
Background: In January 2001, Governor Locke declared an energy supply alert in response to the developing energy crisis. The declaration invoked, for the first time since enacted in the 1970s, the provisions in state law related to the Joint Legislative Committee on Energy and Utilities (Joint Committee). In the ten months following the original declaration of energy supply alert, the Governor and the Joint Committee operated under the procedures outlined in statute for meeting, requesting, considering and issuing extension of orders, and reviewing energy programs.
Current law allows the Joint Committee to meet only when there is a declared state of energy supply alert or energy emergency.
The Joint Committee is authorized to approve, and the Governor is authorized to order, extensions of an energy supply alert for an additional 60 consecutive days and an energy emergency for an additional 45 consecutive days (no less and no more).
Current law does not require any notice or opportunity for the Joint Committee to meet prior to the Governor issuing a declaration. The Joint Committee is required to approve or deny requests from the Governor to extend orders beyond their original expiration dates but does not specify how much time the Governor should or must give the Joint Committee to consider such requests.
Current law requires the Joint Committee to review any programs submitted to the Joint Committee from any source related to production, allocation, or consumption of energy, including plans submitted by the Governor and any other voluntary local or regional plans submitted by any other source.
Last year's omnibus energy bill renamed the committee from the Joint Legislative Committee on Energy and Utilities to the Joint Legislative Committee on Energy Supply.
Summary of Amended Bill: The Joint Legislative Committee on Energy Supply (Joint Committee) is authorized to meet at least once per year or at any time upon the call of the chair to receive information about energy supply; during a declared condition of energy supply alert or emergency; and, at the call of the chair in response to gubernatorial action to terminate such a condition.
Flexibility is added to the periods of time for which an extension of an energy supply alert or energy emergency may be approved and ordered. An energy supply alert may be extended up to 90 days for the first extension and up to 120 days for subsequent extensions. An energy emergency may be extended up to 45 days for the first extension and up to 60 days for subsequent extensions. The committee may approve a requested extension for a longer period of time up to the maximum but not a shorter time than requested.
The Governor must make a reasonable, good faith effort to provide the Joint Committee with notice that the Governor is considering declaring a condition of energy supply alert or energy emergency. The Governor must also provide the Joint Committee with 14 days' notice when requesting an extension of a condition of energy supply alert or energy emergency, unless such notice is waived by the committee.
The obligation to review voluntary or local or regional programs submitted to the Joint Committee for the production, allocation, or consumption of energy is made discretionary, except for review of plans submitted by the Governor which continue to be required.
Amended Bill Compared to Substitute Bill: The striking amendment clarifies that the Joint Committee may meet at any time, upon the call of the chair, to receive information about energy supply issues.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: None.
Testimony Against: None.
Testified: No one.