Bills

Duke Energy Florida earlier this month proposed an electricity rate hike to mitigate the impact of volatile natural gas prices. The “fuel adjustment” would be tacked onto residential, commercial and industrial power bills from March through at least February 2023, the Duke Energy Corp. subsidiary said. The measure would translate to a $6.62 increase in…

California Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed into law a bill aimed at better managing the prevention and response to wildfires, along with 28 other bills addressing fire-related issues, but he acknowledged the complexity and inherent added costs from the legislation.

The Pennsylvania Senate energy committee has reported out two bills that would better protect oil and natural gas royalty interest owners. SB 138 would allow landowners to inspect the records of gas companies to verify proper payments, and SB 139 would prohibit a gas company from “retaliating” in response to landowner questions about the accuracy of those payments. The bills will now be heard by the full Senate. Similar versions failed last year after they stalled in the state House of Representatives. Pennsylvania lawmakers have tried but failed for years to pass legislation that would better protect landowners, who have, among other things, raised concerns about post-production costs being deducted from their royalties.

Amid a chorus of praise from California’s environmental and climate activist groups, California Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday signed into law two precedent-setting bills (SB 32 and AB 197) designed to accelerate the state’s reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by deemphasizing the burning of fossil fuels while increasing reliance on renewable energy, storage and efficiency.

Full-blown reform of California’s principal energy sector regulation will have to wait another year as two bills (SB 512 and AB 2903) aimed at completing the job failed to get out of last Wednesday’s typically frantic end to the state lawmakers’ 2016 session.

Two bills that have the oil and natural gas industry uneasy (SB 32 and AB 197) were passed by California’s legislature on Wednesday, and Gov. Jerry Brown indicated he would sign both.

Retail natural gas utility bills will be up 2-4% this summer in Colorado, according to a filing on Wednesday to state regulators by Xcel Energy Inc.’s Denver-based combination utility, Public Service Company of Colorado. The rise comes despite the fact that gas commodity prices decreased for 3Q2016 compared to the same period last year. The higher monthly bills are caused by increases in other costs that were captured in a general rate case that went into effect early this year. Gas commodity costs for the third quarter are 33 cents/therm for residential customers, compared to 34.2 cents/therm for the same period last year; for small businesses the rate is 32.7 cents/therm in 3Q2016, compared to 33.89 cents/therm for with 3Q2015. Average bills are estimated to be $22.02/month for residential customers and $82.25 monthly for small businesses, compared to $21.18 and $80.60 for residential and small business customers, respectively, last year in the same quarter.

More than 12 million energy utility customers in California pay less than the national average for natural gas and electricity, and the wealthiest residential consumers tend to pay the highest monthly bills on average, according to a study done by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) planning division.

With just days left in West Virginia’s annual legislative session, a suite of oil and natural gas-related bills that would benefit the industry appear headed for defeat.