House Study Bill 540 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE BILL BY CHAIRPERSON CARLSON) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the construction, ownership, and maintenance 1 of electric transmission lines. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5709YC (1) 88 ja/rn

H.F. _____ Section 1. NEW SECTION . 476.26A Right to construct, own, 1 and maintain electric transmission lines. 2 1. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise 3 requires: 4 a. “Electric transmission line” means a high-voltage 5 electric transmission line with a capacity of one hundred 6 kilovolts or more and any associated electric transmission 7 facilities. 8 b. “Electric transmission owner” means an individual or 9 entity who, as of the effective date of this Act, owns and 10 maintains an electric transmission facility including electric 11 transmission lines, wires, or cables that are capable of 12 operating at an electric voltage of one hundred kilovolts or 13 more that are required for rate-regulated electric utilities, 14 municipal electric utilities, and rural electric cooperatives 15 in this state to provide electric service to the public for 16 compensation. 17 c. “Incumbent electric transmission owner” means any of the 18 following: 19 (1) A public utility or a municipally owned utility that 20 owns, operates, and maintains an electric transmission line in 21 this state. 22 (2) An electric cooperative corporation or association or 23 municipally owned utility that owns an electric transmission 24 facility in this state and has turned over the functional 25 control of such facility to a federally approved authority. 26 (3) An “electric transmission owner” as defined in paragraph 27 “b” . 28 d. “Municipally owned utility” means a “city utility” as 29 defined in section 362.2, or an “electric power agency” as 30 defined in section 390.9 which is comprised solely of cities or 31 solely of cities and other political subdivisions. 32 2. An incumbent electric transmission owner may construct, 33 own, and maintain an electric transmission line that has 34 been approved for construction in a federally registered 35 -1- LSB 5709YC (1) 88 ja/rn 1/ 3

H.F. _____ planning authority transmission plan and which connects to an 1 electric transmission facility owned by the incumbent electric 2 transmission owner. Where an electric transmission line 3 connects to electric transmission facilities owned by two or 4 more incumbent electric transmission owners, each incumbent 5 electric transmission owner whose facilities connect to the 6 electric transmission line may construct, own, and maintain the 7 electric transmission line individually and equally. If an 8 incumbent electric transmission owner declines to construct, 9 own, and maintain its portion of an electric transmission line 10 that connects to electric transmission facilities owned by 11 two or more incumbent electric transmission owners, then the 12 other incumbent electric transmission owner or owners that own 13 the electric transmission facilities to which the electric 14 transmission line connects may construct, own, and maintain the 15 electric transmission line individually and equally. 16 3. This section shall not modify the authority of the board 17 under chapter 478 or the requirements, rights, and obligations 18 relating to the construction, maintenance, and operation of 19 electric transmission lines pursuant to chapter 478. 20 EXPLANATION 21 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 22 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 23 This bill relates to the construction, ownership, and 24 maintenance of electric transmission lines. 25 The bill allows an incumbent electric transmission owner, 26 as defined in the bill, to construct, own, and maintain an 27 electric transmission line, as defined in the bill, that has 28 been approved for construction in a federally registered 29 planning authority transmission plan and which connects 30 to the owner’s electric transmission facility. Where an 31 electric transmission line connects to electric transmission 32 facilities owned by two or more incumbent electric transmission 33 owners, each owner whose facilities connect to the electric 34 transmission line may construct, own, and maintain the electric 35 -2- LSB 5709YC (1) 88 ja/rn 2/ 3

H.F. _____ transmission line individually and equally. If an incumbent 1 electric transmission owner declines to construct, own, and 2 maintain its portion of an electric transmission line that 3 connects to electric transmission facilities owned by two 4 or more owners, then the other owners to which the electric 5 transmission line connects may construct, own, and maintain 6 the electric transmission line individually and equally. The 7 bill provides that the bill does not modify the authority of 8 the board or the requirements, rights, and obligations related 9 to the construction, maintenance, and operation of electric 10 transmission lines under Code chapter 478. 11 -3- LSB 5709YC (1) 88 ja/rn 3/ 3