69-3-1401. Short title
69-3-1401. Short title. This part may be cited as the “Natural Gas Utility Restructuring and Customer Choice Act”. History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 506, L. 1997.
69-3-1402. Definitions
69-3-1402. Definitions. As used in this part, the following definitions apply: (1) ”Customer” means a natural gas customer or consumer of natural gas supply or natural gas transmission facilities, storage facilities, or distribution facilities. (2) ”Distribution facilities” means those facilities that are not transmission facilities: (a) by and through which natural gas is received from a transmission services provider […]
69-3-1403. Customer choice
69-3-1403. Customer choice. (1) A natural gas utility may voluntarily offer its customers choice of natural gas supplier and provide open access to its transmission facilities, storage facilities, or distribution facilities. (2) If a customer choice offering results in transition costs, the commission may allow those transition costs to be recovered in separate identifiable charges to customers. […]
69-3-1404. Functional separation — code of conduct — emergency services — customer protection
69-3-1404. Functional separation — code of conduct — emergency services — customer protection. (1) Except as provided in 69-3-1413 through 69-3-1416, a natural gas utility that provides customer choice and open access on its system shall: (a) functionally separate its natural gas production and gathering resources from its natural gas transmission, storage, and distribution services and remove […]
69-3-1405. Licensing — procedures — commission rulemaking
69-3-1405. Licensing — procedures — commission rulemaking. (1) The commission shall license natural gas suppliers and enforce licensing provisions pursuant to this section. (2) A natural gas supplier shall file an application with and obtain a license from the commission to sell natural gas to customers in the state of Montana. (3) A licensee shall: (a) provide copies of […]
69-3-1406. Reciprocity
69-3-1406. Reciprocity. (1) All natural gas suppliers are afforded the comparable opportunity to compete. (2) A natural gas distribution services provider or its affiliates may not use another natural gas distribution services provider’s facilities in the state of Montana to sell natural gas to customers in the state of Montana unless the natural gas distribution services provider […]
69-3-1407. Optional performance-based ratemaking for natural gas utilities — commission rulemaking
69-3-1407. Optional performance-based ratemaking for natural gas utilities — commission rulemaking. (1) The commission may, upon application and after giving notice and conducting a hearing as provided in 69-3-303, authorize any natural gas utility to implement an optional form of rate regulation using a performance-based ratemaking methodology. (2) The commission may approve a performance-based ratemaking methodology if […]
69-3-1408. Universal system benefits programs — establishing nonbypassable rate — exemption
69-3-1408. Universal system benefits programs — establishing nonbypassable rate — exemption. (1) Except as provided in subsection (4), a natural gas utility shall implement, upon commission approval and subject to ongoing commission oversight and direction, a universal system benefits program. (2) Except as provided in subsection (4), the commission shall establish a universal system benefits charge that […]
69-3-1409. Repealed
69-3-1409. Repealed. Sec. 1, Ch. 107, L. 2005. History: En. Sec. 9, Ch. 506, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 43, Ch. 19, L. 1999.
69-3-1410. through 69-3-1412 reserved
69-3-1410 through 69-3-1412 reserved.
69-3-1413. Statement of purpose
69-3-1413. Statement of purpose. The purpose of 69-3-1413 through 69-3-1416 is to establish procedures for a natural gas utility that has restructured pursuant to this part to acquire rate-based facilities. History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 127, L. 2009.
69-3-1414. Acquisition of rate-based facilities
69-3-1414. Acquisition of rate-based facilities. A natural gas utility that provides its customers with a choice of natural gas suppliers pursuant to 69-3-1403 and that does not own natural gas production and gathering resources on April 1, 2009, may acquire those facilities and place them in the rate base as provided in 69-3-1413 through 69-3-1416. History: En. […]
69-3-1415. Application and approval of natural gas production and gathering resources
69-3-1415. Application and approval of natural gas production and gathering resources. (1) A natural gas utility may apply to the commission for approval of a natural gas production and gathering resource that is not yet procured. (2) (a) Within 45 days of the natural gas utility’s submission of an application under subsection (1), the commission shall determine whether […]
69-3-1416. Use of natural gas production and gathering resources
69-3-1416. Use of natural gas production and gathering resources. (1) Natural gas production and gathering resources acquired by a natural gas utility pursuant to this part: (a) must be used by the natural gas utility to serve and benefit customers that have not made a choice of natural gas suppliers within the natural gas utility’s Montana service […]