Bill Text: VA HJR528 | 2023 | Regular Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: Outage Data Initiative Nationwide; SCC to study the Commonwealth's participation.
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-02-07 - Left in Rules [HJR528 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2023-HJR528-Prefiled.html
WHEREAS, extreme weather events and strains on the electrical grid cause power outages in the Commonwealth and nationwide, especially in underserved communities; and
WHEREAS, comprehensive and transparent data about power outages is required to inform investments in grid resilience and restoration, changes in emergency response systems, and improvements in electricity reliability; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Energy has issued a call to action for electric utilities to share power outage data with the Outage Data Initiative Nationwide (ODIN), housed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and
WHEREAS, ODIN seeks to establish a national reporting standard for power outage data; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of Energy announced in December 2022 that more than 100 electric utilities serving nearly one-quarter of all U.S. customers, including at least one electric cooperative in the Commonwealth, has answered the call to join ODIN; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, that the State Corporation Commission be requested to study the Commonwealth's participation in the Outage Data Initiative Nationwide.
In conducting its study, the State Corporation Commission (the Commission) shall convene a stakeholder work group comprised of, but not limited to, (i) representatives from investor-owned electric utilities that provide electric utility service in the Commonwealth, (ii) representatives from electric cooperatives in the Commonwealth, (iii) representatives from municipal electric utilities in the Commonwealth, (iv) representatives from nonprofit organizations that advocate on behalf of electric utility customers, (v) representatives of the Department of Energy, and (vi) the Chairs or their designees of the House Committee on Commerce and Energy and the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor.
All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Commission for this study, upon request.
The State Corporation Commission shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2023, and shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.
