476.1A  Applicability of authority — certain electric utilities.
  1.  Electric public utilities having fewer than ten thousand customers and electric cooperative corporations and associations are not subject to the rate regulation authority of the board. Such utilities are subject to all other regulation and enforcement activities of the board, including:
  a.  Assessment of fees for the support of the division.
  b.  Safety and engineering standards for equipment, operations, and procedures.
  c.  Assigned area of service.
  d.  Pilot projects of the board.
  e.  Assessment of fees for the support of the Iowa energy center created in section 266.39C and the center for global and regional environmental research established by the state board of regents.
  f.  Filing alternate energy purchase program plans with the board, and offering such programs to customers, pursuant to section 476.47.
  g.  Filing energy efficiency plans and energy efficiency results with the board. The energy efficiency plans as a whole shall be cost-effective. The board may permit these utilities to file joint plans. The board shall periodically report the energy efficiency results including energy savings of each of these utilities to the general assembly. The board may waive all or part of the energy efficiency filing and review requirements for electric cooperative corporations and associations and electric public utilities which demonstrate superior results with existing energy efficiency efforts.
  2.  However, sections 476.20, 476.21, 476.41 through 476.44, 476.51, 476.56, 476.62, and 476.66 and chapters 476A and 478, to the extent applicable, apply to such electric utilities.
  3.  Electric cooperative corporations and associations and electric public utilities exempt from rate regulation under this section shall not make or grant any unreasonable preferences or advantages as to rates or services to any person or subject any person to any unreasonable prejudice or disadvantage.
  4.  The board of directors or the membership of an electric cooperative corporation or association otherwise exempt from rate regulation may elect to have the cooperative’s rates regulated by the board. The board shall adopt rules prescribing the manner in which the board of directors or the membership of an electric cooperative may so elect. If the board of directors or the membership of an electric cooperative has elected to have the cooperative’s rates regulated by the board, after two years have elapsed from the effective date of such election the membership of the electric cooperative may elect to exempt the cooperative from the rate regulation authority of the board.
86 Acts, ch 1039, §1; 88 Acts, ch 1174, §1; 88 Acts, ch 1175, §1; 89 Acts, ch 297, §9; 90 Acts, ch 1252, §19; 96 Acts, ch 1196, §2, 3; 2001 Acts, 1st Ex, ch 4, §8, 36; 2008 Acts, ch 1133, §2, 9