The House Consumer Affairs Committee held an informational meeting Tuesday on the legislative and other priorities of the Public Utility Commission this session.

Robert F. Powelson, Chair of the Commission, said their number one legislative priority is updating the budget cap imposed on the Commission.

“PUC operating expenses have increased, due to contractual salary increases, the rising cost of healthcare benefits and pension costs, and the Commission's taking on of duties not related to the regulation of traditional utilities,” said Powelson.  “The combined result of these forces is a squeeze on the Commission's budget that requires a further legislative amendment and modernization of the budget cap in Section 510 of the Code.”

Other legislative priorities include transfer of the PA One Call authority to the PUC, legislation to regulate new transportation services like Uber and Lyft and expand PUC authority to order a takeover of troubled utilities.

Powelson also listed a number of “Issues of Primary Importance” to the PUC.  Among them were--

--  Adopting new customer protections in the retail electricity market;

--  Doing more to encourage competition in the natural gas retail market;

--  Replacement of aging utility infrastructure; and

--  Implementation of EPA’s Clean Power Rule to reduce climate emissions.

Also providing comments at the hearing were Tanya McClosky, Acting Consumer Advocate, and John Evans, Small Business Advocate.

The House Consumer Affairs Committee has a similar informational meeting set for March 31 to hear presentations from the electric and natural gas industries on priorities.

The Committee also meets on February 25 to consider House Bill 57 (Payne-R-Dauphin) relating to improving natural gas retail competition by providing a more frequent mechanism for truing up natural gas costs (sponsor summary) in Room 39 East Wing Capitol Building starting at 9:00 a.m.

Rep. Robert Godshall (R-Montgomery) serves as Majority Chair and Rep. Peter Daley (D-Washington) serves as Minority Chair.

2/16/2015