2026 Regular Session
SB 461
Requiring any PSC rate increase to have legislative approval
In Committee
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Sign in to take action- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House of Delegates
- To Governor
- Became Law
Bill overview
This bill requires any rate increase proposed by the Public Service Commission (PSC) in West Virginia to be approved by the state legislature. The PSC would need to forward all rate adjustment recommendations to the Legislature, and any rate increase would require specific legislative approval before it could be implemented. This change aims to increase public and legislative oversight of utility rates.
Key provisions
- All rate adjustment recommendations from the PSC must be sent to the Legislature for approval.
- The Legislature has the authority to veto rate increases approved by the PSC.
- The PSC’s jurisdiction over utilities is limited to hearing rate adjustment requests and making recommendations to the legislature.
- The bill establishes a requirement for water and sewer utilities to maintain a working capital reserve.
- The bill addresses the regulation of water and sewer utilities, limiting the PSC's jurisdiction to those with at least 4,500 customers and $3 million in annual revenue.
- The bill aims to prevent utilities from engaging in practices that artificially inflate prices, particularly concerning natural gas purchases.
- The bill requires the PSC to study and report on transactions between utilities and affiliates to ensure proper rate of return calculations.
- The bill directs the PSC to cooperate with the Joint Committee on Government and Finance in reviewing utility operations.
Who is affected
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