BILL REQ. #: S-1506.1
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2011 Regular Session |
Read first time 02/16/11. Referred to Committee on Environment, Water & Energy.
AN ACT Relating to prohibiting the use of tradable evidence of nonpower attributes as a declared resource for electric utility fuel mix disclosures; and amending RCW 19.29A.010.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 19.29A.010 and 2000 c 213 s 2 are each amended to read
as follows:
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter
unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Biomass generation" means electricity derived from burning
solid organic fuels from wood, forest, or field residue, or dedicated
energy crops that do not include wood pieces that have been treated
with chemical preservatives such as creosote, pentachlorophenol, or
copper-chroma-arsenic.
(2) "Bonneville power administration system mix" means a generation
mix sold by the Bonneville power administration that is net of any
resource specific sales and that is net of any electricity sold to
direct service industrial customers, as defined in section 3(8) of the
Pacific Northwest electric power planning and conservation act (16
U.S.C. Sec. 839(a)(8)).
(3) "Coal generation" means the electricity produced by a
generating facility that burns coal as the primary fuel source.
(4) "Commission" means the utilities and transportation commission.
(5) "Conservation" means an increase in efficiency in the use of
energy use that yields a decrease in energy consumption while providing
the same or higher levels of service. Conservation includes low-income
weatherization programs.
(6) "Consumer-owned utility" means a municipal electric utility
formed under Title 35 RCW, a public utility district formed under Title
54 RCW, an irrigation district formed under chapter 87.03 RCW, a
cooperative formed under chapter 23.86 RCW, or a mutual corporation or
association formed under chapter 24.06 RCW, that is engaged in the
business of distributing electricity to more than one retail electric
customer in the state.
(7) "Declared resource" means an electricity source specifically
identified by a retail supplier to serve retail electric customers,
regardless of the disposition of any nonpower attributes. A declared
resource includes a stated quantity of electricity tied directly to a
specified generation facility or set of facilities either through
ownership or contract purchase, or a contractual right to a stated
quantity of electricity from a specified generation facility or set of
facilities. A renewable energy credit or other tradable evidence of
nonpower attributes may not be used as a declared resource.
(8) "Department" means the department of ((community, trade, and
economic development)) commerce.
(9) "Electricity information coordinator" means the organization
selected by the department under RCW 19.29A.080 to: (a) Compile
generation data in the Northwest power pool by generating project and
by resource category; (b) compare the quantity of electricity from
declared resources reported by retail suppliers with available
generation from such resources; (c) calculate the net system power mix;
and (d) coordinate with other comparable organizations in the western
interconnection.
(10) "Electric meters in service" means those meters that record in
at least nine of twelve calendar months in any calendar year not less
than two hundred fifty kilowatt hours per month.
(11) "Electricity product" means the electrical energy produced by
a generating facility or facilities that a retail supplier sells or
offers to sell to retail electric customers in the state of Washington,
provided that nothing in this title shall be construed to mean that
electricity is a good or product for the purposes of Title 62A RCW, or
any other purpose. It does not include electrical energy generated on-site at a retail electric customer's premises.
(12) "Electric utility" means a consumer-owned or investor-owned
utility as defined in this section.
(13) "Electricity" means electric energy measured in kilowatt
hours, or electric capacity measured in kilowatts, or both.
(14) "Fuel mix" means the actual or imputed sources of electricity
sold to retail electric customers, expressed in terms of percentage
contribution by resource category. The total fuel mix included in each
disclosure shall total one hundred percent.
(15) "Geothermal generation" means electricity derived from thermal
energy naturally produced within the earth.
(16) "Governing body" means the council of a city or town, the
commissioners of an irrigation district, municipal electric utility, or
public utility district, or the board of directors of an electric
cooperative or mutual association that has the authority to set and
approve rates.
(17) "High efficiency cogeneration" means electricity produced by
equipment, such as heat or steam used for industrial, commercial,
heating, or cooling purposes, that meets the federal energy regulatory
commission standards for qualifying facilities under the public utility
regulatory policies act of 1978.
(18) "Hydroelectric generation" means a power source created when
water flows from a higher elevation to a lower elevation and the flow
is converted to electricity in one or more generators at a single
facility.
(19) "Investor-owned utility" means a company owned by investors
that meets the definition of RCW 80.04.010 and is engaged in
distributing electricity to more than one retail electric customer in
the state.
(20) "Landfill gas generation" means electricity produced by a
generating facility that uses waste gases produced by the decomposition
of organic materials in landfills.
(21) "Natural gas generation" means electricity produced by a
generating facility that burns natural gas as the primary fuel source.
(22) "Northwest power pool" means the generating resources included
in the United States portion of the Northwest power pool area as
defined by the western systems coordinating council.
(23) "Net system power mix" means the fuel mix in the Northwest
power pool, net of: (a) Any declared resources in the Northwest power
pool identified by in-state retail suppliers or out-of-state entities
that offer electricity for sale to retail electric customers; (b) any
electricity sold by the Bonneville power administration to direct
service industrial customers; and (c) any resource specific sales made
by the Bonneville power administration.
(24) "Oil generation" means electricity produced by a generating
facility that burns oil as the primary fuel source.
(25) "Proprietary customer information" means: (a) Information
that relates to the source and amount of electricity used by a retail
electric customer, a retail electric customer's payment history, and
household data that is made available by the customer solely by virtue
of the utility-customer relationship; and (b) information contained in
a retail electric customer's bill.
(26) "Renewable resources" means electricity generation facilities
fueled by: (a) Water; (b) wind; (c) solar energy; (d) geothermal
energy; (e) landfill gas; or (f) biomass energy based on solid organic
fuels from wood, forest, or field residues, or dedicated energy crops
that do not include wood pieces that have been treated with chemical
preservatives such as creosote, pentachlorophenol, or copper-chrome-arsenic.
(27) "Resale" means the purchase and subsequent sale of electricity
for profit, but does not include the purchase and the subsequent sale
of electricity at the same rate at which the electricity was purchased.
(28) "Retail electric customer" means a person or entity that
purchases electricity for ultimate consumption and not for resale.
(29) "Retail supplier" means an electric utility that offers an
electricity product for sale to retail electric customers in the state.
(30) "Small utility" means any consumer-owned utility with twenty-five thousand or fewer electric meters in service, or that has an
average of seven or fewer customers per mile of distribution line.
(31) "Solar generation" means electricity derived from radiation
from the sun that is directly or indirectly converted to electrical
energy.
(32) "State" means the state of Washington.
(33) "Waste incineration generation" means electricity derived from
burning solid or liquid wastes from businesses, households,
municipalities, or waste treatment operations.
(34) "Wind generation" means electricity created by movement of air
that is converted to electrical energy.