Bill Amendment: TX HB1500 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature

NOTE: For additional amemendments please see the Bill Drafting List

---

Bill Title: Relating to the continuation and functions of the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Office of Public Utility Counsel, and the functions of the independent organization certified for the ERCOT power region; increasing an administrative penalty.

Status: 2023-06-09 - Effective on 9/1/23 [HB1500 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-HB1500-Senate_Amendment_S_2_F11-King.html

---

Amend CSHB 1500 (senate committee printing) by adding the following appropriately numbered SECTIONS and renumbering subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:

SECTION ____.  The heading to Section 39.918, Utilities Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 39.918.  UTILITY FACILITIES FOR POWER RESTORATION AFTER SIGNIFICANT [WIDESPREAD] POWER OUTAGE.

SECTION ____.  Section 39.918, Utilities Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (a-1) to read as follows:

(a)  In this section, "significant ["widespread] power outage" means an event that [results in]:

(1)  results in a loss of electric power that:

(A)  affects a significant number of distribution customers of a transmission and distribution utility [;] and

[(B)] has lasted or is expected to last for at least six [eight] hours;

(B)  affects distribution customers of a transmission and distribution utility in an area for which the governor has issued a disaster or emergency declaration;

(C)  affects distribution customers served by a radial transmission or distribution facility, creates a risk to public health or safety, and has lasted or is expected to last for at least 12 hours; or

(D) creates [and

[(2)] a risk to publichealth or safetybecause it affects a critical infrastructure facility that serves the public such as a hospital, health care facility, law enforcement facility, fire station, or water or wastewater facility; or

(2)  causes the independent system operator to order a transmission and distribution utility to shed load.

(a-1)  The Texas Division of Emergency Management, the independent organization certified under Section 39.151 for the ERCOT power region, or the executive director of the commission may determine that a power outage other than an outage described by Subsection (a) is a significant power outage for the purposes of this section.

(b)  Notwithstanding any other provision of this subtitle, a transmission and distribution utility may:

(1)  lease and operate facilities that provide temporary emergency electric energy to aid in restoring power to the utility's distribution customers during a significant [widespread] power outage in which:

(A)  the independent system operator has ordered the utility to shed load; or

(B)  the utility's distribution facilities are not being fully served by the bulk power system under normal operations; and

(2)  procure, own, and operate, or enter into a cooperative agreement with other transmission and distribution utilities to procure, own, and operate jointly, transmission and distribution facilities that have a lead time of at least six months and would aid in restoring power to the utility's distribution customers following a significant [widespread] power outage. In this section, long lead time facilities may not be electric energy storage equipment or facilities under Chapter 35, Utilities Code.

SECTION ____.  Section 39.918(k), Utilities Code, is repealed.