The Alaska Senate passed a bill extending the termination date of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, relating to the regulations regarding refuse utilities, and to the powers and duties of the legislative audit division. The intent of SB 190 is that the Regulatory Commission of Alaska adopt regulations that are specific to refuse utilities and that provide for sufficient public notice and time for ratepayers to meaningfully comment on rate filings.
Sen. Robert Myers (North Pole) said:
“At its core, SB 190 is a relatively short bill that extends the termination date of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska until June 30, 2030, in alignment with the recommendations of the legislative auditor. The RCA is an independent quasi-judicial regulatory body that was formed by the legislature in 1999 to replace the Alaska Public Utilities Commission. The RCA monitors active certificates for public utilities pipelines. The certificates cover a broad range of activities from provisional certificates for small village water and wastewater systems to fully regulated telecommunications electric and natural gas monopolies. The changes made in the Senate Finance Committee are also simple housekeeping that I support as they address the refuse utility backlog by adding them to the simplified rate filing procedure and to remove an extraneous RCA annual report review process on the advice of the legislative auditor.”
Section 2 of AS 42.05.381(e) states that the commission will adopt regulations for electric cooperatives, and for local exchange telephone utilities, and refuse utilities, setting a range for adjustment of rates by a simplified rate filing procedure. They may apply for permission to adjust its rates over a period of time under the simplified rate filing procedure regulations. Additionally, the commission may review the implementation of the simplified rate filing procedure at intervals and may revoke permission to use the procedure or require modification to correct an error.
The bill passed on a 16-0 vote and is transmitted to the House of Representatives for consideration.
Transcribed audio courtesy of KTOO 360TV.
