Delaware House Bill 247 (Prior Session Legislation)

---

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Republican 13-1)
Status: Introduced on January 19 2012 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2012-01-19 - Introduced and Assigned to Energy Committee in House
Pending: House Energy Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Draft #1) [HTML]

This bill freezes the minimum percentage of renewable energy (Renewable Portfolio Standard - RPS) a retail-electricity supplier or municipal electric company must provide to customers at the proportion achieved as of January 1, 2012. The intent of the freeze is to give policy-makers a chance to reassess the state’s energy strategy in light of the many changes that have occurred over the last several years including the failure of the Bluewater Wind off-shore wind farm project; the decrease in natural gas prices; and actions that have made Delaware power plants significantly cleaner. The freeze will also allow for an examination of the high cost of electricity in The First State. According to the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA), Delaware has the 13th highest residential and commercial electricity rates in the nation and the seventh highest residential average monthly bill. The RPS mandate is scheduled to increase annually, from 7 percent in compliance year 2011-2012 to 25 percent in 2025, which will export jobs out of Delaware and potentially increase electricity rates as the standard rises. Additionally, while the RPS is frozen and the state’s energy strategy is being reassessed, the bill encourages the use of renewable energy by requiring utilities to notify their customers as to how they can increase their purchase of renewable electricity on a voluntary basis.

An Act To Amend Title 26 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards.

Sen. Joseph Booth [R]	Rep. Ruth Briggs King [R]	Rep. Ruth Briggs King [R]	Sen. Gerald Hocker [R]
Rep. Deborah Hudson [R]	Sen. Gregory Lavelle [R]	Rep. Clifford Lee [R]	Rep. William Outten [R]
Rep. Harold Peterman [R]	Rep. Daniel Short [R]	Sen. Gary Simpson [R]	Sen. Robert Venables [D]
Rep. Lincoln Willis [R]	Sen. David Wilson [R]

Date	Chamber	Action
2012-01-19		Introduced and Assigned to Energy Committee in House

Type	Source
Summary	http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/lis146.nsf/2bede841c6272c888025698400433a04/8693bf75fea885c9852579510057f8c5?OpenDocument
Text	http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/lis146.nsf/vwLegislation/HB+247/$file/legis.html?open