Latest news with #ArkansasPublicServiceCommission
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Legislative committee advances energy bill to Arkansas House
Rep. Les Eaves, R-Searcy, presents SB 307 to a House committee on March 17, 2025. (Screenshot from livestream) A House panel on Monday approved a bill that will change the process for constructing power plants in an effort to mitigate expected rate increases for Arkansans. Searcy Republican Rep. Lance Eaves told the House Committee on Insurance and Commerce utility rates are going up with or without Senate Bill 307 because Arkansas will need to generate or buy more power to provide the energy needed 'to maintain the status quo' when coal plants in Independence and Jefferson counties go offline in a few years. 'I don't want my bill to go up, I don't know that any of us want our bills to go up,' Eaves said. 'But the fact is they're going up whether we run this bill or not because we have to produce power to replace what we're losing and we have to produce more power to try to attract those businesses here that are going to supply jobs.' The process outlined in the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act of 2025 will be cheaper in the long-term, Eaves said, because it will allow utilities to begin recouping their costs during construction instead of after a power plant is built, as is the case now. The 63-page bill would also give the Arkansas Public Service Commission more oversight of such projects by requiring reviews throughout construction, he said. Stalled energy bill advances out of Arkansas Senate Committee members shared concerns about shifting costs onto ratepayers and exactly how much constituents' energy bills would increase. Based on estimates, Eaves said the average utility customer will see a $5 increase on their monthly bill during the first year. He also said that if a company comes to Arkansas and uses 90% of the power generated by a new plant, that company would pay for what they use — the cost would not be shifted onto other ratepayers. Attracting new industry to the state is another goal of SB 307. Supporters of the bill have said Arkansas is losing out to its neighbors in attracting large data centers, which can bring more jobs to the state, but Eaves said it's about more than data centers. 'The number one export in Arkansas is aerospace-related parts and components, we have a lithium play that's getting ready to happen in south Arkansas, we are likely very possibly going to be the steel capital of the world,' Eaves said. 'All of those use energy, and we don't have enough.' Allison Thompson, president and CEO of the Economic Development Alliance for Jefferson County, echoed those sentiments in speaking in favor of the bill. Jefferson County is home to the White Bluff Power Plant that's scheduled for closure. As an economic developer, Thompson said she works with new projects coming to the state and one of the first questions she's asked is about power. 'Is it reliable, is it redundant, is there enough of it, and is it available,' she said. 'And when those projects come in, they're not coming in for down the road, they're coming in right now. They're looking right now. Those businesses are making decisions about today.' Some members of the public who spoke in opposition to the bill voiced concerns about how the rate hikes will impact low-income Arkansans. Others had recommendations for amending specific provisions within the bill. Southern Renewable Energy Association Executive Director Simon Mahan, for example, said it was 'problematic' that SB 307 explicitly excludes Arkansas-based wind energy from eligibility for cost recovery under the bill's proposed rider system. 'Generally wind energy resources are some of the lowest cost resources,' Mahan said. 'Arkansas, we do believe needs more power, and we shouldn't be restricting the types of power that we can develop sooner rather than later.' A 135-megawatt project that's under construction in Cross County is expected to become the state's first operational wind farm this summer. Mahan recommended lawmakers amend the bill to remove this restriction to allow Arkansas-based wind energy to compete 'on an equal footing' with other energy resources, including out-of-state wind, which he said is eligible under the current legislation. The House committee approved SB 307 on a unanimous voice vote without making amendments. The bill will next be considered by the Arkansas House. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill filed in Arkansas legislature to protect power plants from closure
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Power plants in the state would not be able to be shut down without state approval if a bill filed in the Arkansas legislature on Friday becomes law. Senate Bill 463 mandates that the Arkansas Public Service Commission approve any power plant targeted for shutdown. In the bill's language, the plant could not be shut down without PSC approval, even if ordered by 'the United States Government, an agency of the United States, or any other third party if the purpose of all or part of the settlement agreement is the closure, deactivation, or decommissioning of an electric generation unit or a transmission asset located in this state.' Arkansas electric utility bill passes Senate, heads for House The legislature has discussed plant shutdowns as Senate Bill 307 moves through the legislature to change how utilities can construct new power plants. In presenting the bill, Sen. Jonathan Dismang (R-Searcy) has pointed out that Arkansas will lose two of its five coal-fired power plants in 2030, forcing either new construction or purchasing power from out-of-state sources. The two plants in Redfield and Newark were slated for shutdown as part of a 2021 settlement between Entergy Arkansas and the Sierra Club after a 2018 suit for violating provisions of the federal Clean Air Act. Entergy maintained that it had complied with the act. Arkansas bill tightening requirements for gas well operators passes House committee Sen. Matt McKee (R-Pearcy) is the lead sponsor of SB463. He is also a cosponsor of SB307. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Stalled energy bill advances out of Arkansas Senate
Republican Sens. Jimmy Hickey and Missy Irvin listen at their colleagues cast their vote for Senate Bill 307 on March 12, 2025. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) Arkansas lawmakers on Wednesday approved an amended bill to streamline the process for building electricity-generating plants in the state, one week after rejecting the original proposal. Lead sponsor Sen. Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, said Senate Bill 307 aims to mitigate the spike in rates expected as a result of purchasing or generating new energy that will be needed for the state's growing population and the closure of at least two coal-fired plants in the next five years. After the Arkansas Senate rejected SB 307 last Wednesday, senators on Thursday approved a motion by Sen. Jimmy Hickey, R-Texarkana, to request recommendations on the bill from the Arkansas Public Service Commission. Hickey told the Advocate the utility commission's analysis 'mostly definitely helped' and resulted in 12 pages of amendments for the 63-page bill. 'It's a very complicated subject, as we keep saying,' he said. 'I know that I put the PSC probably in an untenable position because you've got legislators wanting certain things and the other ones the other way, but again, they're our regulatory agency who's been doing it. So I just felt that they had to weigh in.' Arkansas lawmakers request energy bill recommendations from utility commission Hickey helped craft one 'important' amendment that states if at any time during the construction process the commission finds any costs were not 'prudently incurred,' the PSC shall order those costs to be refunded to customers through bill credits. 'Just thought that was going to be an extra good guardrail or another good tool for them to keep everybody on the up and up,' he said. The process outlined in SB 307 is already being implemented in surrounding states, though Dismang said he's not sure they have 'this extensive amount of parameters in place.' Dismang explained last week that under the current model, interest is accrued during construction and then capitalized, creating 'a significant jump in rates' once the power plant is operational. SB 307 recommends another option that would allow utilities to begin recovering costs incrementally during construction by enabling 'a strategic investment' that he said would result in a 'lower, long-term recovery rate for consumers.' Arkansas could 'pretend like we don't have to do something,' but inaction would leave the state 'at the mercy' of neighboring states that have decided to create new power, Dismang said. 'I want Arkansas to be a leader in every possible way, and this sets us up to be a leader,' he said. 'Rates are going to go up because we have to create new power or we're going to have to buy new power from someone else. I want to be in control of that.' Sen. Mark Johnson, R-Ferndale, who noted he supports developing new sources of generation, said Dismang's amended bill was 'better, but it still ain't good' because it doesn't adequately protect ratepayers. Johnson also said he's not opposed to economic development and it's 'insulting' to imply otherwise about people who question the bill's proposed financing method. 'I believe the economic development aspect of this legislation is effectively a Trojan horse, a vehicle to disguise the weakening of the Public Service Commission's ability to protect consumers and to determine a fair rate of concern,' he said. Proponents of the bill have said it will create jobs by making Arkansas more competitive in attracting industry to the state, such as data centers that may require a lot of energy to operate. Speaking in favor of SB 307, Sen. Dave Wallace, R-Leachville, said the state will soon lose power from coal-powered plants that helped Arkansas weather an ice storm a few years ago, while residents in neighboring states struggled with long-term outages. 'We're here to protect the people of Arkansas. Sometimes we have to make hard choices,' Wallace said. 'If we don't have those power plants, if we don't do something now, two years from now is going to be too late.' SB 307 passed by a vote of 23-9. Republican Sens. Hickey of Texarkana and Ricky Hill of Cabot voted for the bill Wednesday after voting against it last week. Sens. Steve Crowell of Magnolia, Jim Dotson of Bentonville and Reginald Murdock of Marianna also supported SB 307 after not voting last week. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Jonesboro, switched his present vote to one of support. The bill's emergency clause, which would allow the law to go into effect immediately, failed to garner enough support on the first try before reaching the 24-vote threshold on a second vote. SB 307 will next be debated by a House committee. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas legislature bills filed Tuesday include changes to the Arkansas Constitution, water bonds, human trafficking, more
LITTLE ROCK, Ark – The Arkansas legislature filed multiple bills on Tuesday. Bills filed include the Arkansas Constitution, water bonds and human trafficking. CONSTITUTION The 'Protect Our Constitution Act' at the center of Senate Bill 434 would allow a constitutional amendment to become law when the majority of all registered voters approve it. Once approved, the amendment would go into effect in 30 days, according to the bill's language. Back and forth among legislators about Arkansas ACCESS higher education legislation IN GOD WE TRUST School and government buildings would display an 11 by 14-inch poster with 'In God We Trust' on it, followed by the 10 commandments if Senate Bill 433 becomes law. WATER SERVICE BONDS Senate Bill 421 would empower the Arkansas Natural Resource Commission to issue bonds for developing water, waste disposal and pollution abatement projects as the 'Arkansas Water, Waste Disposal, and Pollution Abatement Facilities Financing Act of 2025.' HUMAN TRAFFICKING Sen. Joshua Bryant (R-Rogers) filed a cluster of bills to address human trafficking. Senate bills 427 through 431 would eliminate the statute of limitations, set mandatory restitution amounts, expand record sealing for victims, change court procedures and increase prostitution penalties. Arkansas Public Service Commission submits proposed changes to Arkansas utilities legislation CDL CITIZENSHIP House Bill 1745 would mandate that anyone with a commercial driver's license (CDL) have a U.S. work authorization. SB434 Bill Information – Arkansas State Legislature This site is maintained by the Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research, Information Systems Dept., and is the official website of the Arkansas General Assembly. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arkansas legislature Monday bills filed include ending electric vehicle support and campus affirmative action, more
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Arkansas legislature filed multiple bills on Monday. Bills filed include electric vehicles, campus affirmative action, online safety and child labor. Arkansas Public Service Commission submits proposed changes to Arkansas utilities legislation ONLINE SAFETY House Bill 1726 intends to create the 'Arkansas Online Kids Safety Act.' If it becomes law, it would mandate that online platforms that market to minors have a structure and controls in place to protect children from mental harm or encourage harmful behavior. The website would also limit how other people could contact a minor and allow their parents to place restrictions on an online account. ELECTRIC VEHICLES Senate Bill 416 would end the state-maintained Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund, which was formed to allow the Energy Secretary to issue grants to build charging stations. HIGHER EDUCATION Senate Bill 417 would strike many laws for state-supported higher education institutions. It would end affirmative action, a school's need to participate in the annual state energy use report, and the differentiation between classified and non-classified employees for benefits. CHILD LABOR If House Bill 1731 becomes law, anyone under 16 who wants to take a job would need an employment certificate that includes proof of age, a description of the job and work schedule, and written parental permission. TEACHER TAXES House Bill 1732 would double the amount teachers could deduct for classroom supplies from $500 to $1,000. Married teachers filing jointly would be able to deduct $2,000. Back and forth among legislators about Arkansas ACCESS higher education legislation GREYHOUND RACING House Bill 1721 would prevent licensed casinos from conducting or simulcasting greyhound racing. License holders would also not be allowed to take bets on greyhound racing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
