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May 8, 2012, 12:46 pm
The House Consumer Affairs Committee this morning held a public hearing on a pair of bills that seek to eliminate the mandate that smart meters be installed statewide and further seek to increase privacy protections. Prime Sponsor Rep. Reese explained his intent is to eliminate the government mandate requiring smart meter deployment. The committee heard testimony from a variety of groups, including the PUC, electric providers, and the consumer advocate, who primarily touted the advantages of smart meters. The consumer advocate particularly objected to a proposed amendment that would allow utilities to opt out of the smart meter requirements and questioned the cost to consumers to opt out individually.
Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox later today.
March 15, 2012, 11:39 am
IRRC met this morning to consider one regulation offered by the PUC pursuant to Act 129 of 2008. While there was general agreement that the regulation is widely supported, commissioners voted 4-0 to disapprove the reg, characterizing it as not in the public interest for reasons relating to timeliness.
Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox later today.
February 27, 2012, 12:55 pm
The House Appropriations Committee kicked off its second week of budget hearings with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, where members discussed the role of the PUC in implementing several new laws, including pipeline safety, the Marcellus Shale impact fee, and distributions systems improvement charge. PUC Chairman Powelson assured the committee that the PUC intends to fully implement each law as required, pointing to the commission’s past successful implementations.
Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox later today.
February 14, 2012, 4:21 pm
The Senate Appropriations Committee held a budget hearing with the five commissioners of the Public Utility Commission where members asked a variety of questions primarily relating to the commission’s ability to effectively implement and oversee its new responsibilities granted under a series of new laws enacted by the legislature, including a natural gas impact fee, infrastructure improvement charge, and pipeline safety. Commissioners assured members that they are prepared and will ensure safety and reliability are a top priority.
Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox later this evening.
January 19, 2012, 12:28 pm
The House Democratic Policy Committee this morning held a hearing to ascertain why power outages following the tropical and snow storms of September and October 2011 were so lengthy. Members heard from the five commissioners of the PUC, who explained a review to identify the reasons for the outages is underway; consumers affected by lengthy outages; PPL and Met Ed, who addressed the lessons learned from the outages, particularly the need for better, more accurate communication with customers; and the consumer advocate, who praised the response of the PUC and offered recommendations for consumers to be better prepared for future outages.
Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox later today.
April 28, 2011, 1:19 pm
The House Consumer Affairs Committee held a public hearing this morning on HB 1294, with discussion focusing primarily on the pros and cons of authorizing utilities to charge a fee, much like the DSIC of the water industry, in order to accelerate infrastructure improvements. The bulk of the testimony was in support of the idea, while Consumer Advocate Popowsky raised several concerns about the language of the bill.
Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox this evening.
March 17, 2011, 3:05 pm
The Senate Appropriations Committee held a budget hearing with the five commissioners of the Public Utility Commission. Topics of discussion included electric deregulation, natural gas pipeline safety, and the potential for distribution system improvement charges.
Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox this evening.
March 14, 2011, 4:25 pm
The House Appropriations Committee held a budget hearing with the five members of the Public Utility Commission. PUC Chairman Powelson provided a brief overview of the commission and its budget and the commissioners took questions from the committee. While the PUC oversees five broad categories, questions largely pertained to natural gas and electricity. Members were particularly concerned about natural gas pipeline safety and competitive electric markets.
Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox later this evening.
March 8, 2011, 10:55 am
The House Consumer Affairs Committee met with the chairman of the Public Utility Commission this morning to learn more about the role of the PUC and discuss possible legislative action. The members learned about the five areas of PUC oversight – electricity, natural gas, telephone, water and wastewater, and transportation – and discussed possible legislative remedies for improvement in each area.
Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox later today.
February 10, 2011, 12:06 pm
The House Consumer Affairs Committee met with representatives from the electricity industry today to learn about the structure of the industry in Pennsylvania. The Electric Power Generation Association, Retail Energy Supply Association, Energy Association, PJM, and Consumer Advocate each spoke about their roles in producing and delivering electricity in the state.
Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox later today.
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