Bill Text: WV HCR93 | 2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requesting the Joint Committee on Energy study legislation relating to the deregulation of natural gas
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2019-03-09 - Completed legislative action [HCR93 Detail]
Download: West_Virginia-2019-HCR93-Introduced.html
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 93
(By Delegates Foster and Kessinger)
[Introduced March 6, 2019]
Requesting the Joint Committee on Energy study legislation relating to the deregulation of natural gas for certain high-volume natural gas consumers.
Whereas, The abundance of natural gas resources in West Virginia provides the unique opportunity to attract significant downstream manufacturing industries to the state; and
Whereas, The production and use of natural gas in West Virginia provides jobs for West Virginia and generates additional income and property taxes for our governments; and
Whereas, More than twenty states provide some level of natural gas deregulation by removing or simplifying the government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces in the natural gas industry; and
Whereas, The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission frequently approves bypass of local utilities and permits construction of interstate pipeline facilities to directly serve end use customers from an interstate pipeline; and
Whereas, The deregulation of natural gas for certain high-volume ultimate consumers has the possibility of facilitating the further use of West Virginia gas in state; and
Whereas, Ultimate consumers of natural gas who use a significant volume of natural gas annually are sophisticated commercial consumers of natural gas capable of choosing their source of natural gas supply; and
Whereas, The ability of large natural gas users to choose among gas suppliers without regulatory supervision creates the opportunity to save economic resources, foster competition in state, and create additional incentives for new businesses to locate in state and employ West Virginians; and
Whereas, Public Service Commission approval of natural gas service is unnecessary for such high-volume ultimate consumers of natural gas; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Joint Committee on Energy is hereby requested to study legislation relating to the deregulation of natural gas for certain high-volume natural gas consumers; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Energy shall study and report to the regular session of the Legislature, 2020, any additional findings, conclusions, or recommendations with respect to the benefits that deregulation of the natural gas industry could have on West Virginia and its citizens, together with drafts of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this study, prepare a report, and draft necessary legislation be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on Energy.
