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bills
All energy bills
SB 360 proposes expanding the Public Service Commission to include representatives from congressional districts and revises commissioner term lengths, with changes phased in by the 2029 election. The bill also establishes the Secretary of Energy as a cabinet-level position and updates how electric utility rates are calculated. Additionally, it protects unclassified employees currently appointed by commissioners from losing their jobs, requiring the Secretary of Energy to work with the State Personnel Board to transition them into classified service. These changes aim to restructure state energy and utility oversight while protecting existing staff employment conditions.
SB 270 requires Alabama's Public Service Commission to evaluate contracts between utilities and large data centers (defined as facilities using at least 150 megawatts) to ensure they recover the utility's additional "incremental costs" tied to serving these centers. The bill mandates that contracts must also promote "positive benefits" for other utility customers, such as potentially lowering costs, improving grid efficiency, or boosting local economic growth. This applies specifically to contracts with data centers meeting the 150-megawatt threshold and affects utilities, large data center operators, and all other electricity customers in Alabama. The law, effective October 1, 2026, adds new review criteria to the Commission's existing authority under Section 37-4-22.
HB 475 requires Alabama's Public Service Commission to hold annual public meetings with utility representatives to discuss rates, infrastructure, and regulatory issues, with notice complying with open meetings laws. It prohibits electric utilities from including costs for grants, lobbying, or advertising in rate calculations for customer charges. Utilities must affirm in filings that they excluded these costs, and failure to do so voids the proposed rate change. The bill directly affects electric utilities and the Public Service Commission, aiming to increase transparency in rate-setting and prevent customers from paying for non-regulatory expenses.
