A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT providing that the utilities commission shall not authorize cost recovery for transporting natural gas unless the natural gas local distribution company proves that the transportation costS ARE the lowest cost available option to meet the needs of its retail customers.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 62‑133.4 reads as rewritten:
"§ 62‑133.4.  Gas cost adjustment for natural gas local distribution companies; cost recovery for transporting natural gas.
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(f)	The Commission shall not authorize a rate change under G.S. 62‑133 or this section to allow for the recovery of the cost of transporting natural gas unless the natural gas local distribution company can prove by a preponderance of evidence that the transportation costs it seeks to recover are the lowest cost available option to meet the needs of its retail customers. In making its determination under this section, the Commission shall consider the utility's information and data for an historical 12‑month period concerning the utility's actual cost of transporting natural gas and transportation volumes."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to rates fixed on or after that date.