The Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) has called for additional research on Wisconsin dairy farms to determine what impact electromagnetic fields (EMF), direct current, and ground currents may have on dairy cattle. According to the PSC, Wisconsin farmers have been noticing behavioral changes in their milking herds for some years now (em changes that affect milk production.
Utility regulators in Minnesota and Nevada have opened dockets on electric utility restructuring, citing (Minnesota) the Energy Policy Act of 1992 as having lifted barriers to wholesale competition, and seeking (Nevada) recommendations on alternative ratemaking.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) said it would view open competition as "one part of a continuum of possible change," from traditional vertical integration to full deregulation.
Texas Gov. George Bush on May 26 signed into law a comprehensive bill, H.B. 2128, that makes sweeping changes in the way the state regulates telecommunications. The bill allows competitors to provide local exchange services by obtaining a certificate of operating authority (COA) or to resell local services through a service-provider certificate of operating authority. The COA is designed for facilities-based local exchange, and requires competitors to serve customers within a 27-square-mile area within 30 days of customer request.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has decided to phase-out existing demand-side management (DSM) incentives for the state's natural gas local distribution companies (LDCs). It said that any claims by LDCs for future recovery of lost margins and incentives will be examined in light of changes in the gas industry and the DSM marketplace. It added that the LDCs should propose a phase-out of their lost margin and DSM incentive programs in conjunction with proposals for incentive-based ratemaking or in their future DSM cases. Re Boston Gas Co., D.P.U. 94-15, Apr.
The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) plans to acquire the Long Island Lighting Co. (LILCO), to help reduce LILCO's high electric rates and improve Long Island's economy. To that end, LIPA has formed a public/private partnership with a private utility company that will provide extensive management services for LILCO. The utility partner has agreed to invest $100 million in the acquisition, contingent upon Gov. Pataki's approval. LIPA would create a subsidiary to acquire LILCO using tax-exempt bonds.
PSI Energy has filed a proposed tariff with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (URC) that would allow new and expanding businesses in its service territory to choose their power supplier if their electric use increases to two megawatts or more. PSI said the tariff would give qualifying businesses access to the national electric market. It expects the URC to decide by the spring of 1996.
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) has initiated a rulemaking to introduce an alternative method of calculating the tax equivalent for municipal utilities. The tax equivalent is calculated annually and represents the amount of money a municipal utility pays directly into the municipality's general fund. The rulemaking responds to concerns that the tax equivalent was excessive when compared to the gross receipts taxes paid by investor-owned utilities.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has granted preliminary approval to a water utility's proposal to "project finance" the cost of a new treatment facility required to comply with federal and state laws. The utility, Massachusetts-American Water Co., had proposed forming a special purpose corporation solely to finance the plant. The new corporation would lease the facility to the utility, using the payments to repay tax-exempt bonds issued under the financing plan.