NET METERING AND EASY CONNECTION ACT (Section 386.890) - This act modifies provisions of the Net Metering and Easy Connection Act.

Currently, retail electric suppliers are required to offer a customer-generator a contract identical in electric rates that would be assigned if the customer were not a customer-generator. This act allows retail electric suppliers to charge new customer-generators a recurring monthly grid usage fee. Further, this act exempts retail electric suppliers that have a governing body elected by its customers, that has completed a cost of service study, and that charges its customer-generators no more in non-energy fees than its fixed costs from provisions requiring such supplier to offer customer-generators an electric rate identical to customers that are not customer-generators.

Currently, any excess energy generated by a customer-generator shall be credited to the customer's following billing period. This act instead requires such credit be applied to the customer-generator's own monthly grid usage fee with any remainder applied to the following billing period.

Currently, any electric energy generation unit installed by a customer-generator is required to meet all safety standards. This act also requires that such system be installed, maintained, and repaired consistent with such standards. Further, this act requires that a disconnection switch be installed on the customer-generator's system that emergency response personnel, in addition to utility workers, could use to disconnect the unit from the utility's distribution system. This act also allows electric suppliers to require adequate surge protection, with such costs paid for by either the customer or the utility depending upon when the system was installed.

Currently, any person who believes that a seller of electric energy generation systems is misrepresenting the safety or performance standards of such systems may make a report to the Attorney General. This act also allows such report to be made for misrepresenting cost savings and the associated payback period for such systems.

STATE ENERGY PLAN (Section 620.3150) - This act requires that the comprehensive state energy plan implemented by the Division of Energy be reviewed by the Division by January 1, 2019, and biennially thereafter, and updated if necessary. This act requires the Division of Energy, either directly or through contracting with a Missouri-based nonprofit organization, to use a diverse stakeholder system to conduct the review. Further, this act requires the Division of Energy to issue a report, along with the review, suggesting policy changes as set forth in this act.

This provision is identical to HCS/HB 661 (2017), and is similar to SB 278 (2017), provisions contained in SS/SCS/HCS/HB 1804 (2016), and the perfected HCS/HB 2689 (2016).

KAYLA HAHN