IAMU Informer
Follow IAMU!
  • Informer News Feed
  • IAMU Website

IUB order addresses COVID-19 impacts to utilities; authorizes regulatory tracking accounts

5/4/2020

0 Comments

 
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a statewide disaster proclamation of public health emergency on March 9, 2020, due to the global novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In response to the March 9, 2020 proclamation, the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) issued an order on March 13, 2020, extending the winter moratorium for eligible electric and natural gas customers from April 1, 2020, to May 1, 2020. This extension prevented disconnection of eligible customers until after May 1, 2020. The IUB issued an additional order on March 27, 2020, extending the moratorium until such a time as Gov. Reynolds disaster proclamation is lifted.

Today’s IUB order is another step in a series of actions by the IUB to provide assistance to customers and utilities and to aid in Iowa’s recovery. Through its prior orders, the IUB has restricted the disconnection of utility customers. As such restrictions on disconnection come to an end, coordination is needed among the IUB, utilities, and partner agencies to minimize ramifications while assuring both safe, reliable service to customers and just and reasonable compensation to the utilities. 

The order finds the use of regulatory accounts by rate-regulated utilities is appropriate for the tracking of financial impacts arising after March 1, 2020, from the COVID-19 pandemic. The order requires the following:
  • Opening of separate dockets for each rate-regulated utility to file information regarding these accounts.
  • Require each rate-regulated utility to file a proposal for the use of regulatory accounts to be submitted for review by the IUB.

The IUB also finds in light of the expansion of the current disconnection moratorium and the additional economic impacts noted above, additional information is needed from Iowa utilities. The IUB has directed the utilities to file updates in regard to specific disconnection and payment plan information for residential, commercial, and industrial customers starting May 15, 2020, through April 15, 2021, as follows:
  • All reporting categories separated by residential, commercial, and industrial customer classes in addition to the totals reported for all classes.
  • The number of customers disconnected by customer class.
  • The number of customers involuntarily disconnected that were eligible for energy assistance.
  • The number of customers that entered into initial payment agreements, the average duration of the payment agreement, and the average monthly payment.
  • The number of customers that entered into second payment agreements, the average duration of the second payment agreements, and the average monthly payment.
  • The number of customers who entered into payment agreements not required by Board rules, the average duration of those payment agreements, and the average monthly payment.
  • Revenue owed by class that are 30, 60, 90 or more than 90 days in arrears.

The IUB also requests through September 4, 2020, that all municipal electric, natural gas and water utilities, rural electric cooperatives and rural water association provide the following information to the IUB every two weeks:
  • The number of utility customer accounts which are currently in arrears and the total amount in arrears for each class type.
  • Whether those accounts are 30, 60, 90, or more than 90 days in arrears, specifying the number of such accounts and dollar amount of arrears for each of the customer classes of residential, commercial, and industrial.
  • Include revenue loss, expenses, and other financial impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dependent upon the rate-regulated utilities evolving workforce availability and access to homes and offices, parties may need to seek waivers from the IUB to delay required regulatory actions. The IUB continues to monitor conditions to determine when such extensions or waivers may be appropriate.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe to The Informer!

    * indicates required

    Archives

    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014

    RSS Feed

Picture

Copyright 2023 Iowa Association of Municipal Utilities