Section 369-B:1 - Declaration of Purpose and Findings The general court finds that:
I. The restructuring of electric utilities to allow retail electric competition and less costly regulation is in the public interest. New Hampshire is implementing such restructuring to create retail customer choice, which will provide retail electric service at lower costs.II. The divestiture of electric generation by New Hampshire electric utilities will facilitate the competitive market in generation service. Further, the proceeds of generation divestitures may decrease rates for the customers of transmission and distribution utilities.III. The establishment of structured financing options for electric utilities will facilitate reductions in transmission and distribution rates for all customer classes, thereby advancing the near term rate relief principle of RSA 374-F:3, XI, without creating any debt or financial obligation of the state or other adverse impacts upon the state's finances or credit rating.IV. The state agrees that its pledge, contract, and agreement and the pledge of the commission not to impair the rights or remedies of holders of rate reduction bonds creates a secure expectation of repayment on the part of such holders.V. Pursuant to 1999, 289:3, I, the commission has held hearings regarding the original proposed settlement to restructure the Public Service Company of New Hampshire (PSNH) and has issued its April 19 order, accepting the original proposed settlement as being in the public interest and consistent with New Hampshire law, and as a final resolution of the dockets listed therein, subject to the conditions listed in the April 19 order.VI. Pursuant to 1999, 289:3, I, the commission has held hearings with respect to the securitization proposal contained in the original proposed settlement and has found that implementation of that securitization proposal, subject to the conditions listed in the April 19 order, will result in benefits to customers that are substantially consistent with the principles contained in RSA 374-F:3 and RSA 369-A:1, X and with RSA 369-A:1, XI.VII. Implementation of that securitization proposal, subject to the conditions listed in the April 19 order, and as further modified in this chapter, will result in benefits to customers that are substantially consistent with the principles contained in RSA 374-F:3 and RSA 369-A:1, X and with RSA 369-A:1, XI.VIII. Implementation of securitization to achieve the purposes of this chapter requires enactment of further enabling legislation by the general court, and it is in the public interest to pass such further enabling legislation in the form of this chapter.IX. Approval by the commission of a finance order for PSNH that is consistent with the April 19 order, with subsequent modifications, and subject to the conditions and requirements of this chapter, that is consistent with the conditions of RSA 369-B:3, IV(b), and that is otherwise substantially consistent with RSA 374-F:3, RSA 369-A:1 and RSA 369-B:1 is in the public interest.X. The differences among rate classes in the amount of the stranded cost recovery charge in the April 19 order are in the public interest. When these differences are combined with the differences in the delivery service charge among rate classes, and with the differences in the likely market price of energy among rate classes, the overall total rate reduction is likely to be very close to an equal percentage for all rate classes, which is consistent with the benefits for all customers principle of RSA 374-F:3, VI. However, it is also in the public interest that any further adjustments to charges between the estimated amounts in the April 19 order and 24 months after competition day be applied equally in cents per kilowatt-hour for all rate classes to which they apply.XI. The renegotiation of the power purchase obligations requiring PSNH to purchase power from the 6 wood-to-energy facilities and the one trash-to-energy facility is in the public interest in order to reduce the total cost to ratepayers of these obligations, and the sharing of the benefits among ratepayers and all of the parties involved in the renegotiations is in the public interest.XII. It is in the public interest in the event that the price of transition service during the period that transition service is provided by PSNH exceeds PSNH's actual, prudent and reasonable costs of providing such power so as to create a credit to customers that must be reconciled, that the allocation of this credit between a reduction of the stranded cost recovery charge and a reduction of the duration of stranded cost recovery be made by the commission in a manner that it finds to be in the public interest.XIII. The commission should design low income programs in a manner that targets assistance and has high operating efficiency, so as to maximize the benefits that go to the intended beneficiaries of the low income program.XIV. The general court requests that the supreme court and any other courts asked to rule on any matters pertaining to the subject matter of this chapter act as expeditiously as possible. Time is of the essence.XV. The effect of the stranded cost recovery charge contained in the back-up Delivery Service Rate B tariff as filed by PSNH with its original proposed settlement is just and reasonable, and does not create a charge similar to or have the same effect as an exit fee; provided that not later than 33 months after competition day, the commission shall initiate a rate case on transmission and distribution or delivery services, and this rate case shall establish a back-up charge that is just and reasonable and based on the cost of providing such back-up services, including all applicable stranded cost recovery charges, RRB charges, system benefits charges, and taxes, and retrospectively take effect immediately after 33 months after competition day.XVI. It is in the public interest for the commission to issue a finance order that is subject to the requirements of this chapter and that securitizes any stranded costs resulting from the divestiture of all or some of PSNH's generation assets, if the commission approves the 2015 settlement proposal or otherwise orders divestiture of all or some of PSNH's generation assets.Amended by 2015 , 221: 1, eff. 7/9/2015.2000, 249:2, eff. June 12, 2000. 2015, 221 : 1 , eff. July 9, 2015.