The Legislative Budget Board (LBB) met on August 31,2022 to hear from the Public Utility Commission. State agencies are required to submit their legislative appropriations requests (LARs) which are then discussed at these budget hearings to assist the legislature in making their appropriations for the next biennium. The archive of the meeting can be found here: https://tlchouse.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=13&clip_id=23479
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This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the discussions on the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions.
Thomas Gleeson, Executive Director of the PUC
- Points out administrator request with 7 exceptional items
- Highlighted items 1 &2, which includes 55 FTEs and $1.2 million each year of biennium to address staff turnover
- The other item he wanted to highlight was item #6 – creating an Office of Public Participation to better help the public engage in proceedings and educate the public on what they do
- Would also like to become self-funded and self-leveling which would require a statutory change; would allow them to reduce assessment rates paid into general revenue (GR)
- Make them fully funded by GR; would equate to an assessment reduction on certain utilities
- Pointed out they are fully staffed at the Commissioner level and discussing a possible amendment to LAR to address energy efficiency
Member Questions:
Q: How has your agency used contingency funding from SB 3?
A: Did two things, amended LAR request for additional FTEs for market oversight, and increase in staff focused on mostly market related issues
Q: Agency conducted 24 rulemakings vs single digit averages, how are you addressing?
A: Looked at all the legislation that passed with statutory deadlines which went to the top of the que, stood up division that focuses on rules and projects
Q: Would like more details on the Office of Public Participation?
A: Vision is educational, and how the average citizen could participate in the process
Q: IIJA funding, how will it impact resources?
A: Taking a supplemental role (TDEM is primary), “it has had some impact but would not say great” and they have been able to allocate staff to assist TDEM
A: They are not direct recipients of fund and don’t have to administer them
Q: Will staffer be put on loan, ongoing or just for initial application?
A: Will be on going to help TDEM
Q: Is that an interagency agreement? Can this be included in cost-matching?
A: If there is a need to share resources as they continue, they can enter into an MOU with them
Public Comments
Cyrus Reed, Lone Star Sierra Club
- They have been given a “dizzying” amount of work in recent years
- They are frequently behind because they lack the staff
- Stakeholders in market and members of public have complained distributed energy resources and their role in the market have not been looked at, but PUC is finally able to look at this
- Another issue is energy efficiency, are there requirements on private utilities reviewed each year, but really not enough staff to work on the program and provide oversight
- Support request for staff and money to maintain the staff
- Support the request for the division of public participation, questions how much rulemaking happens where the public is unaware and have submitted separate testimony to Sunset commission on other ways they could improve public participation
- Language access may be another issue, ability for people who don’t have English as a first language to be able to interact with the agency
- Not in the LAR, but would recommend PUC having right to look at gas supply issues and potential manipulation of market in times of scarcity, an independent market monitor for gas supply