Video & Transcript Research : 'utility tariffs'
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MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Energy Finance and Policy Committee 3/26/26
Energy Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- and electricity utilities.
- <00:10:11.000>
It electricity utilities. It electricity utilities. - utility scale projects. utility scale projects.
- largest utilities. largest utilities.
- tariffs? Uh sorry. tariffs? Uh sorry.
Keywords:
HF4308, Monticello nuclear plant, Prairie Island, renewable development account, RDA, nuclear waste, spent fuel, dry cask storage, utility tax, commercial-industrial property tax, state general levy, property tax exemption, residential heating fuels, natural gas tax exemption, electricity sales tax exemption, year-round sales tax exemption, distributed solar energy standard, solar mandate, community solar, grid modernization
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- operator of a non-compliant or failing utility or corporation.
- and the Public Utility Commission.
- They already have to include them in their PUC tariff.
- We have one utility serving them.
- It's typically dealing with big utilities.
Keywords:
water rights, Texas Water Trust, water bank, environmental conservation, water quality, instream flows, aquifer, water injection, Edwards Aquifer, environmental regulation, groundwater, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, water conservation, drought, utility regulation, water use restrictions, Public Utility Commission, civil penalties, drought contingency, environmental protection
Summary:
The Committee on Natural Resources met with a quorum present and first took up several pending bills for reconsideration and committee substitute adoption. House Bill 2692, relating to codification and clarification of local laws concerning the San Antonio River Authority, was reported favorably to the full House and sent to the Committee on Local and Consent Calendars by an 11-0 vote. House Bills 1407, 1520, 1535, 2970, 4153, 291, 3663, and 3915 were also reconsidered or laid out as pending business, with committee substitutes adopted where needed and each bill reported favorably, generally by unanimous vote, to the full House and then to Calendars or Calendars/Calendars-related referral as applicable.
The committee then heard House Bill 4530, which would expand the Texas Water Trust framework to include groundwater rights, require Texas Water Development Board review and approval of groundwater dedications, and notify local groundwater districts when groundwater rights are placed in the trust. The bill’s author and witnesses from the Environmental Defense Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and Chispa Texas supported the measure as a conservation tool and a way to create a clear process for voluntary donations; a Texas Water Development Board witness testified neutrally. The bill was left pending.
House Bill 4931, relating to an aquifer storage and recovery project in Medina County, drew support from the author, the Medina County judge, and a regional water alliance witness, who described severe stress on the Edwards Aquifer, low levels at Medina Lake, and the need for a local water-supply tool. The bill was left pending. House Bill 5559, which would clarify enforcement of drought contingency plans for investor-owned water utilities and involve the PUC in model plan development, received support from groundwater district representatives but also concerns from water company and utility witnesses about enforcement authority, approval procedures, and potential conflicts with existing obligations to provide continuous service; the committee substitute was withdrawn and the bill was left pending. House Bill 5560, which would raise the maximum civil penalty for certain groundwater conservation district enforcement actions from $10,000 to $25,000 per violation, prompted debate over whether current law is already sufficient; supporters said the higher cap would better deter overpumping, while opponents argued existing penalties are already severe. That bill was also left pending, and the committee adjourned subject to call of the chair.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- or operator of a noncompliant or failing utility or corporation.
- and the Public Utility Commission.
- They already have to include them in their PUC tariff.
- So rather than have 1800 plus wells, we have one utility serving them.
- It's typically dealing with Brian Sledge: big utilities.
Keywords:
water rights, Texas Water Trust, water bank, environmental conservation, water quality, instream flows, aquifer, water injection, Edwards Aquifer, environmental regulation, groundwater, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, water conservation, drought, utility regulation, water use restrictions, Public Utility Commission, civil penalties, drought contingency, environmental protection
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs Mar 3rd, 2025
Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- We represent about over 900 utilities that provide water and wastewater utility services to rural communities
- We represent about over 900 utilities that provide water and wastewater utility services to rural communities
Keywords:
water resources, interlocal contracts, local government, collaboration, planning activities, wildfire response, firefighting equipment, emergency services, state database, Texas Forest Service, customer complaints, Public Utility Commission, water service, complaint process, utility regulation, SB 971, Texas Water Assistance Program, Water Code, rural political subdivision, rural water
Summary:
The Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs met on Texas Water Day and limited public testimony to two minutes. The chair emphasized the need to move quickly because of scheduling conflicts with other committees and noted the importance of water policy and related stakeholders. The committee heard several bills focused on water administration, rural utilities, emergency response, and public works contracting.
Senate Bill 790 by Senator Alvarado would let the Public Utility Commission create a simplified process for resolving tenant complaints over water or wastewater bill discrepancies; it was described as a way to avoid lengthy contested-case hearings for small disputes. Senate Bill 971 by Senator Sparks would clean up conflicting statutory definitions of “rural political subdivision” so Texas Water Development Board programs are applied consistently; Texas Rural Water Association testified in support. Senate Bill 767, also by Senator Sparks, would expand and improve a statewide database of fire-response equipment so departments, including volunteer and rural departments, can locate and share resources more effectively during emergencies; fire service witnesses supported the bill and suggested annual updates to keep the database current.
Chair Perry laid out Senate Bill 480 to clarify that local governments and special districts may enter interlocal agreements for water-related planning and research, including aquifer management and flood/water planning. He also presented Senate Bill 1066, which raises payment and performance bond thresholds for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department public works contracts to $150,000, arguing the change would reflect inflation and help smaller vendors on lower-risk projects. Witnesses were heard on the bills, with no opposition recorded in the transcript.
The committee voted out all five bills favorably. SB 1066, SB 480, SB 767, SB 790, and SB 971 each received unanimous committee approval and were recommended to the local and contested calendar, with SB 767 noted as amended by a suggested annual-update requirement for the equipment database.
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs (Part I) Apr 14th, 2025
Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- Utility customers are protected by the Public Utility Commission through original jurisdiction.
- Senate Bill 2160 places original jurisdiction over water and sewer utility rates with the Public Utility
- This includes not only costs for the utilities and ratepayers, but also costs for the public utilities
- That's our water utility CCN.
- districts, municipal utility districts, and others.
Bills:
SB1169, SB1285, SB1583, SB1611, SB1898, SB1976, SB2160, SB2161, SB2658, SB2661, SB2662, SB2692, SB1055, SB1359, SB2660
Keywords:
water service, sewer service, public utility, joint operation, infrastructure, municipality, compliance, SB 1285, bats, bat protection, wildlife protection, Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, Parks and Wildlife Code Section 63.101, hunting bats, bat possession, bat sales, bat trade, pest control, licensed pest control professional, animal control officer
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs (Part II) Apr 14th, 2025
Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- Today, I'd also like to point out that in the case of a utility like my client and even like Aqua Texas
- The one thing that investor-owned utilities have the ability to enforce is their tariffs, which are their
- I don't have any investor-owned utility customers that are directly affected by it.
- If a judge won't order it, how does a utility go and cut people off?
- All utilities are working hard at this point. They've gotten the message.
Bills:
SB1169, SB1285, SB1583, SB1611, SB1898, SB1976, SB2160, SB2161, SB2658, SB2661, SB2662, SB2692, SB1055, SB1359, SB2660
Keywords:
water service, sewer service, public utility, joint operation, infrastructure, municipality, compliance, SB 1285, bats, bat protection, wildlife protection, Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, Parks and Wildlife Code Section 63.101, hunting bats, bat possession, bat sales, bat trade, pest control, licensed pest control professional, animal control officer
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs (Part II) Apr 14th, 2025
Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- The penalties or the enforcement action that bill would give to utility nowhere compares to a $25,000
- Investor owned utilities.
- If a judge won't order it, how does a utility go and cut people off?
- What do you do when you're the utility and you're trying to get more water?
- All utilities are working hard at this point.
Bills:
SB 1169, SB 1285, SB 1583, SB 1611, SB 1898, SB 1976, SB 2160, SB 2161, SB 2658, SB 2661, SB 2662, SB 2692, SB 1055, SB 1359, SB 2660
Keywords:
water service, sewer service, public utility, joint operation, infrastructure, municipality, compliance, SB 1285, bats, bat protection, wildlife protection, Texas Parks and Wildlife Code, Parks and Wildlife Code Section 63.101, hunting bats, bat possession, bat sales, bat trade, pest control, licensed pest control professional, animal control officer
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs Mar 3rd, 2025
Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- We represent over 900 utilities that provide water and wastewater utility services to rural communities
Keywords:
water resources, interlocal contracts, local government, collaboration, planning activities, wildfire response, firefighting equipment, emergency services, state database, Texas Forest Service, customer complaints, Public Utility Commission, water service, complaint process, utility regulation, SB 971, Texas Water Assistance Program, Water Code, rural political subdivision, rural water
FL
Transcript Highlights:
- But this bill deals with utilities and municipal services, specifically.
- It places caps on the use of gross utility revenues for general government at 10%.
- Further, it removes municipal natural gas utilities from the bill's provisions.
- Utility revenues that may be used for general government purposes.
- , is within 2,000 meters of a municipal utility facility, and the utility has sufficient capacity to
Keywords:
temporary door locking device, emergency safety, building code, training programs, fire exit security, utility services, municipal agreements, public meetings, rates and fees, public service commission, municipal utility, water service, wastewater service, property owners, annexation, civil action, community associations, condominium, homeowners associations, structural integrity
Summary:
The Committee on Regulated Industries met with a quorum and took up four bills. First, it considered SB 1724 on municipal utility services. Senator Martin offered a late-filed delete-everything amendment that would require annual customer meetings for extraterritorial utility customers, cap use of gross utility revenues for general government at 10%, eliminate a 25% surcharge on customers outside city limits, reduce the rate differential cap from 50% to 25%, remove municipal natural gas utilities from the bill, and preserve certain existing bond-related surcharges until debt is retired or refinanced. The League of Cities raised implementation concerns about the July 1, 2026 effective date and the need for rate studies and budget adjustments. The amendment was adopted and the committee reported CS/SB 1724 favorably.
The committee then heard SB 936 on temporary door locking devices from Senator McLean. The bill would define temporary door locking devices, allow them to be installed at any height, require the Florida Building Commission to add standards to the Florida Building Code, and require their use to be incorporated into safety plans, drills, and training. With no opposition or amendments, SB 936 was reported favorably.
Next, the committee considered SB 1014 by Senator Mayfield, which would prohibit municipalities from refusing water or wastewater service solely because a property owner will not annex, and would require service expansion when a property is near a municipal main line, not served by another utility, and the utility has capacity. A committee amendment narrowed the bill to properties near a main line and reduced the distance threshold from 2,000 meters to one-half mile. The Florida League of Cities opposed the bill as amended, citing concerns about property size, annexation conflicts, enclave creation, and possible revenue impacts, but the bill was reported favorably.
Finally, the committee heard SB 1498 on community associations from Chair Bradley. A strike-all amendment revised technical provisions on video conference recordings, turnover inspection reports, SIRS references, and electronic voting, and added two major policy changes: requiring associations to provide records to law enforcement and prosecutors and creating a second-degree misdemeanor for willful refusal, and prohibiting mandatory club or amenity fee schemes controlled by developers or third parties that generate profit beyond proportional expenses. Testimony in support described homeowner disputes involving concentrated board control, lack of transparency, and mandatory fees in communities such as Rosedale. The amendment was adopted and CS/SB 1498 was reported favorably. At the end of the meeting, Senator Bracey Davis asked to be recorded voting in the affirmative on tabs 1, 2, and 3, and the committee adjourned.
AL
Alabama 2026 1st Special Session
Alabama Senate Transportation and Energy Committee Mar 11th, 2026
Transportation and Energy
Transcript Highlights:
- Um, as you all know, there is a longstanding what's come to be known as a one-call system for utility
- So what that's doing is it's making us have to guess where those utilities are in order to move projects
- it's making us have to guess<00:17:11.600>
where <00:17:11.919>those <00:17:12.319>utilities - <00:17:12.799>
are <00:17:13.679>uh <00:17:13.839>in guess where those utilities - are uh in guess where those utilities are uh in order<00:17:14.160>
to <00:17:14.319>move<
Keywords:
SB341, Alabama, veteran license plate, veteran tag, distinctive license tag, specialty plate, radiation exposure, atomic bomb testing, ionizing radiation, World War II veterans, Vietnam veterans, Korean War veterans, Cold War veterans, Desert Storm, Desert Shield, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Inherent Resolve, Department of Veterans Affairs, probate judge
AL
Alabama 2025 Regular Session
Alabama House Commerce and Small Business Committee Apr 29th, 2025
Commerce and Small Business
Transcript Highlights:
- Consequences related to water and gas systems could have negative consequences for regional utility systems
Bills:
SB330
Keywords:
water management, regional boards, municipal governance, ethics compliance, public utility, 1136, house, all
AL
Alabama 2025 Regular Session
Alabama Senate County and Municipal Government Committee Apr 22nd, 2025
County and Municipal Government
Bills:
SB330
Keywords:
water management, regional boards, municipal governance, ethics compliance, public utility, 923, senate, all
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Utilities do not profit from the costs.
- These costs vary by utility and include amounts that TDUs... submit to the Public Utility Commission
- Our call is Benjamin Barkley from OPIC, Cody Falk from Texas Water Utility... utilities.
- In Texas, utilities can only... charge customer rates approved by the PUC when a utility seeks a rate
- Utilities have little to no incentive to keep these costs to a minimum since the utility does not foot
Bills:
SB483, SB522, SB783, SB1239, SB1254, SB1255, SB1259, SB1341, SB1664, SB1762, SB1856, SB1877, SB1977
Keywords:
utility, proprietary information, customer data, data protection, electric service, customer information, emergency communication, electric utility, privacy, certification, public accountants, interstate licensing, accounting, regulatory amendment, energy efficiency, construction regulations, building codes, Texas, sustainability, cost-effectiveness
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Housing Finance and Policy Committee 3/24/26
Housing Finance and Policy
Keywords:
HF4234, Minnesota private activity bonds, tax-exempt bonds, bond cap, aggregate bond limitation, residential rental projects, multifamily housing, affordable housing finance, housing bonds, public finance, bond allocation, private activity bond cap, Minnesota Statutes 474A.02, tax committee, natural gas, gas hookups, residential construction, energy policy, local control, state preemption
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- The state of Texas authorized the creation of municipal utility districts, known as MUDs, ...streamline
- In Harris County alone, there are well over 500 municipal utility districts, each with its own taxing
- In fact, Municipal Utility... ...districts are one of the only municipal districts that have never required
- non-substantive changes and House Bill 602 standing at simply makes the requirement for municipal utility
- These smaller homes on smaller home sites have reduced ownership costs, homeowners insurance, utilities
Keywords:
affordable housing, land use, zoning, urban planning, community development, housing crisis, mixed-use development, sustainability, municipal utility district, board of directors, qualifications, land ownership, Texas, taxation, residency, municipal approval, subdivision plans, local governance, plats, local government
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- We've also seen from several special utility significant increases in water and wastewater fees.
- Before we develop the infrastructure, put in the utilities, curb, pipe, and before we even start building
- or an electric co-op, a municipality-owned utility. community to enforce interconnection and service
- Thank you. clarifies that the bill does not limit the authority of an electric utility to implement tariffs
- And that's where the... consumption of valuable time and expense because it's costly then the utilities
Keywords:
affordable housing, land use, zoning, urban planning, community development, housing crisis, mixed-use development, sustainability, municipal utility district, board of directors, qualifications, land ownership, Texas, taxation, residency, municipal approval, subdivision plans, local governance, plats, local government
MS
Mississippi 2025 Regular Session
Metro Area Utility Update Hearing - Room 113, Oct. 23, 2025; 10:00 AM
TX
Keywords:
utility systems, Texas A&M, regents authority, construction, improvement, construction contracts, trust funds, property rights, mechanics lien, contractors, trustee liability, mechanic's lien, liability, attorney's fees, windstorm insurance, Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, insurance regulation, administrative penalties, coastal counties, catastrophe year
TX
Keywords:
utility systems, Texas A&M, regents authority, construction, improvement, construction contracts, trust funds, property rights, mechanics lien, contractors, trustee liability, mechanic's lien, liability, attorney's fees, windstorm insurance, Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, insurance regulation, administrative penalties, coastal counties, catastrophe year
TX
Texas 89th Regular
Senate Committee on Business and Commerce Mar 25th, 2025 at 08:00 am
Business & Commerce
Transcript Highlights:
- These costs vary by utility and include amounts that TDUs submit to the Public Utility Commission for
- Currently, utilities have little to no incentive to keep these costs to a minimum, since the utility
- Utility customers require safe and reliable utility service, which is not possible without investment
- It depends on the utility.
- So for the Class A water utilities, which are the largest, So for the Class A water utilities, which
Bills:
SB483, SB522, SB783, SB1239, SB1254, SB1255, SB1259, SB1341, SB1664, SB1762, SB1856, SB1877, SB1977
Keywords:
utility, proprietary information, customer data, data protection, electric service, customer information, emergency communication, electric utility, privacy, certification, public accountants, interstate licensing, accounting, regulatory amendment, energy efficiency, construction regulations, building codes, Texas, sustainability, cost-effectiveness
Summary:
The Senate Business and Commerce Committee met with a quorum and first took up pending business, voting out several bills. Senate Bills 1697, 1569, 1202 as substituted, 1029, 1364, 1185, 924, 1008 as substituted, 264, 1376, and 1358 as substituted were reported favorably, with some sent to the local and uncontested calendar. The committee also adopted a substitute for SB 1202 and later corrected votes on several measures. SB 924 and SB 1376 drew some opposition, while the rest of the pending bills were reported without dissent or with limited nays.
The committee then heard testimony on SB 1856, which would create an annual capacity-cost recovery rider for Entergy Texas customers in the MISO region. The author and Entergy argued the bill would better match rates to actual capacity costs and improve transparency, while the Texas Association of Manufacturers and the Public Utility Commission raised concerns about the short 10-day review period, rider proliferation, and the preference for full rate cases over piecemeal adjustments. The bill was left pending. The committee also heard and left pending SB 522 on CPA reciprocity, SB 1664 requiring TDUs to provide clearer, standalone rate-change disclosures, SB 1877 expanding OPUC’s access to market data, SB 1254 and SB 1255 as TDLR cleanup bills on professional employer organizations and mold assessors, SB 1341 updating manufactured housing rules, SB 1239 on sovereign debt and Texas governing law, and SB 1259 streamlining the surveyor-in-training licensing process.
Additional bills discussed included SB 1977, which would cap recoverable legal expenses in electric, water, and sewer rate cases; OPUC and some consumer advocates supported the idea as a way to reduce ratepayer costs, while utility representatives warned it could discourage participation and increase rate shock. The committee also heard SB 1762 clarifying that geothermal energy conservation wells are not battery resources, and SB 783 allowing SECO to proceed with future energy-code rulemaking for state-funded buildings. Both drew supportive testimony from industry and environmental groups. All remaining bills heard during the meeting were left pending, and the committee recessed subject to the call of the chair.