Politics & Government
Effort To Redefine PUC's Role Stalls In The House
The tabling motion sets the bill aside; the chamber could later vote to revive it or let it die by not taking it up again.
The House tabled a bill Thursday that seeks to redefine the role of the Public Utilities Commission, a three-member state body with jurisdiction over utilities.
Rep. Thomas Cormen, a Lebanon Democrat sponsoring House Bill 535, described the PUC and the Department of Energy as “at war with each other.” He said the legislation that created the DOE in 2021 “did not cleanly separate the responsibilities and duties of these two agencies, and that this bill would move us toward clarifying the roles.”
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But, in a 194-153 vote, the House approved the tabling motion brought by Salem Republican Rep. Joe Sweeney. The tabling motion sets the bill aside; the chamber could later vote to revive it or let it die by not taking it up again before the end of the session.
A narrow majority, 9-8, of the House Science, Technology, and Energy Committee had recommended the chamber shoot down the measure.
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Rep. JD Bernardy, a South Hampton Republican, argued in favor of tabling the bill, saying it “removes authority from the PUC to conduct inspections and investigations that they need to do their job.” He also said it “requires the PUC to just grant approval to any agreement that the Department of Energy makes with the utilities without an adjudicatory hearing, which is probably contrary to law.”
Cormen urged fellow lawmakers to vote down the tabling motion, so that they could approve a floor amendment that would address the concern about the PUC having to approve such agreements.
It’s not the only bill this session that looks to reshape who does what when it comes to energy issues in the state. Another bill, House Bill 610, would move the role of the consumer advocate under the DOE. That legislation has been retained in committee.
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