HB 551 -- Electrical Suppliers

Sponsor:  Schlottach

Currently, territorial agreements between rural electric
cooperatives, electrical corporations, and municipally owned
utilities designate the boundaries of the electric service area
of each supplier.  When the parties cannot agree, they may, by
mutual consent, petition the Missouri Public Service Commission
to determine the boundaries of the electric service areas.  The
commission also has jurisdiction to hear complaints involving any
commission-approved territorial agreement.  This bill allows a
city, town, or village that has a pending annexation to petition
the commission to determine the boundaries of the electric
service areas to be served by either the municipal utility,
electrical corporation, or electric cooperative.  The commission
will rule on the application within 90 days of the filing by the
municipality.  Additionally, the commission will hold an
evidentiary hearing regarding any commission-approved territorial
agreement complaints.

Prior to any annexation, every city, town, or village must ensure
that there is an adequate supply of electric service to the area
to be annexed.  Any grant of authority to an electric cooperative
to serve all or part of the annexed area will not affect, amend,
modify, or diminish in any way the rights of any other electric
supplier to provide service in the annexed area.  However, no
city, town, or village will demand that a municipal utility,
electrical corporation, or an electric cooperative transfer any
of its electric facilities or customers to another electric
provider.

The bill contains an emergency clause.

Missouri House of Representatives
93rd General Assembly, 1st Regular Session
Last Updated August 25, 2005 at 1:19 pm