[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6285331,"mediaKeyId","2573521-0ca565cca1141f7eb83bee73049404d4","parentId",2573521,"title","Bill to publish Delaware utilities’ PJM stakeholder votes draws split over transparency and federal jurisdiction","audioSeconds",2209,"startMs",3983000,"endMs",6192000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2573521-0ca565cca1141f7eb83bee73049404d4&start=3983&end=6192","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2573521-0ca565cca1141f7eb83bee73049404d4/thumbnail_3983000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6285331/Delaware/Bill-to-publish-Delaware-utilities-PJM-stakeholder-votes-draws-split-over-transparency-and-federal-jurisdiction","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6285331-4f79658244e2011265be515aabf371d7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770810545&Signature=Ruga3U~V70KHiGK~NI4SypiS9tmlAFr~4ZuHFib6Y4VwFJeFMPLRuO832ccw5wTwrdThvuNszNvolRdKX-pD-ul3ht3qfp7lK~WaeCgVoZljPlVyLRQG4l0BjH9PsWIYC0D2CRsvCK49MFi2aD8QjsXRsf102r1~wmDibvgGbOj7316sZKJrZkI5Pgbtup7QlAHFammBk~XCdBGButAv8RHIRhUowtAWrdutR2DBskmtQl63N8xgf51tZ-5lISN6Gtd2kae-kyohNmfaFF85~zkXCTPO6B-Vbf7-LZMHuKDTU7-6Tdl~0no1XR1Qyp27j84Le6mFie-GAN2zkq6A1w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Delaware Legislature","date","2025-03-12T00:00:00Z","article","Senator Stephanie Hanson described Senate Bill 61 as a transparency measure that would require entities representing Delaware ratepayers to publish votes cast in PJM stakeholder groups and to annually report how those votes served the public interest. Hanson said several other states in the PJM footprint have pursued similar bills.

Supporters told the committee that PJM decisions shape what generation can interconnect, how quickly projects move, and the resource mix available to Delaware. Peggy Schultz of the League of Women Voters of Delaware said ‘‘sunlight is a great disinfectant’’ and urged the committee to move the bill. Dustin Thompson of the Sierra Club Delaware Chapter said the bill is ‘‘one of the most important steps’’ the state can take to understand why regional decisions are made and how they affect Delaware customers.

Opponents argued the bill is duplicative and risks running into federal jurisdiction issues. Marcus Beal of Delmarva Power told the committee that PJM is federally regulated and that final votes and materials are already publicly available through PJM; he said SB 61 ‘‘seeks to control federally regulated transmission activities that Delaware cannot regulate.’’ Jamie Nutter, representing Delaware Electric Cooperative, said DEC is not a PJM member and asked that the bill remove DEC from the reporting entities. Kimberly Schlichting, president and CEO of the Delaware Municipal Electric Corporation (DMEC), requested the same exemption Maryland adopted for municipals, saying an obligation to report every vote from hundreds of meetings annually would impose disproportionate administrative costs on small municipal systems.

Committee members questioned how PJM stakeholder meetings are organized, how many meetings occur and whether votes or agendas are set in advance; witnesses said there are hundreds of meetings per year and that municipal and cooperative utilities often use coalitions and proxies to cover meetings they cannot attend. The witnesses and senators discussed trade-offs between transparency about how votes are cast and the burden of preparing public explanations after each stakeholder vote.

No committee action to enact the bill was recorded in the transcript; the hearing closed following additional public comment.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Environment, Energy & Transportation Committee Meeting Mar 12, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 61 would require utilities and related entities representing Delaware ratepayers to publish votes they cast in PJM stakeholder groups and report annually on how each vote served the public interest.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature DE Collection, Legislative, Delaware","taxId",77708,"location","Delaware","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6285336,"Senate committee weighs $125 million three‑year cap and limits on recoverable utility expenses in SB 60",2577,1433000,4010000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2573521-0ca565cca1141f7eb83bee73049404d4&start=1433&end=4010","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2573521-0ca565cca1141f7eb83bee73049404d4/thumbnail_1433000.jpg","/articles/6285336/Delaware/Senate-committee-weighs-125-million-threeyear-cap-and-limits-on-recoverable-utility-expenses-in-SB-60","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6285336-788cc7b8598bfaf6d9006cde57a9e3b0/orig.mp4?Expires=1770810545&Signature=FeNl6xlpjpcYajblgmaTO7Eb5yn1jtTuBvbsygEw8vF9MGw3Q-N5JLwLJYYDdJlaJu5JOb~GgOG8~7-tDKUvW~Enm0BSz4bmX4-ZZo7X9sI3WWydEwMjNpNG-1J-jyZbg-QPlmENPcC1p97u2s3gHyVMtEWUS3ytkLopIDemxsyopz1uE1yMYkXe8Anr6t5P5Ceasi-~WRzKRt4PHQM~JRmYPUEHifWME~VSoqRmiFCc-dQSYoXcKpk4VdEsRBzFbAyx6YurspVPyqVwES0XJiNOCeSoWVBYiLDWP6UCRqsjxY4~udED5gVOLsVWZ~fXheIzA5crBbQCcFereaW9Cg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Stephanie Hanson described Senate Bill 60 as a companion to SB 59. The bill would specify categories of utility spending that are not recoverable in rate cases and, in an amendment discussed at the hearing, set a three‑year capital spending cap for Delmarva Power of $125,000,000 unless ‘‘emergency or extraordinary circumstances’’ apply.

Matt Hartigan, executive director of the Public Service Commission, explained the PSC retains a consultant to review each utility’s annual Infrastructure Safety and Reliability (ISR) plan. That consultant had recommended a cap of $115,000,000 in its most recent review; the amendment raises that figure to $125,000,000 to account for inflation and other factors, Hartigan said. He confirmed the draft language would allow utilities to exceed the cap for declared emergencies.

Several utilities and business groups opposed the cap as written. Marcus Beal of Delmarva Power called the cap ‘‘a threat’’ to timely replacement of aging infrastructure and asked for amendments—indexing to the Consumer Price Index, clarifications on emergency spending and clearer allowed-expenditure language. Tyler Michik and representatives of county and state chambers of commerce said an annual cap could harm the state’s ability to attract energy‑intensive businesses. Delmarva told the committee it serves more than 340,000 electric and 140,000 gas customers in Delaware.

Chesapeake Utilities supported an amendment (Senate Amendment 1) that would bar recovery of lobbying costs but allow utilities to recover the portion of trade‑association dues that is not used for lobbying; the company’s witness said trade groups provide training and other services that benefit ratepayers. Former Public Advocate Drew Slater recounted an earlier cap tied to the PHI/Exelon merger — $225,000,000 over five years — and said that cap produced significant reliability improvements.

Committee members asked detailed questions about what constitutes ‘‘mandatory’’ or ‘‘nonmandatory’’ capital spending, what is included in a utility’s ISR budget, and whether the cap would affect new large customers such as data centers; Hartigan said new-business connections would fall under mandatory spending and would not be constrained by the cap. Witnesses also discussed that Delmarva’s recent annual capital expenditures averaged about $175,000,000, per Hartigan’s testimony, and that Exelon’s corporate objectives to grow rate base have played a role in recent spending patterns.

No committee vote on SB 60 was recorded in the transcript; the committee later moved to a separate bill on PJM transparency.","Senate Bill 60 would bar recovery in rate cases of certain indirect costs and set a three‑year capital spending cap of $125 million for Delmarva Power’s distribution investments unless emergency exceptions apply.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6285340,"Delaware senators consider replacing 'business judgment' rule with 'prudence' for utility rate reviews",1276,234000,1510000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2573521-0ca565cca1141f7eb83bee73049404d4&start=234&end=1510","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2573521-0ca565cca1141f7eb83bee73049404d4/thumbnail_234000.jpg","/articles/6285340/Delaware/Delaware-senators-consider-replacing-business-judgment-rule-with-prudence-for-utility-rate-reviews","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6285340-0f83024c24516b47e59d8ed16e61a789/orig.mp4?Expires=1770810545&Signature=cU7HF~bLv6PipCcjdDu6RJeyrK2lOrT8CeD4PtCS5KsSOOpHQ~Go5EFi65r2aCJCBDCeBBznS1Vc5zmzv~HfD--gojCFyP8k8HKWaR5ObLVPVrpBWMUhOE4vzfxgxtYT92l~m~kIj1ar-kW-~EQ3IPATHaani4Cluvt8QDZSNfI5tVbFI5nhT2mLYLon8-ZFzdD~X9PipebrkAJrmErdQmGLsHNzagHsXN7R4F-AbuRs4hhiXU8uwrxlVO2a81y2fYlZmAASFoBUs9Ic5n8C1-RT2Fdd7BlQoBH32VViaWJQsUDpsB10ee-bvud2SQdlBPBr9Mktp1HxLcy2h-mDyw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Stephanie Hanson, chair of the Senate Environment, Energy, and Transportation Committee, opened discussion of Senate Bill 59, saying the bill would change Delaware’s standard of judicial review in utility rate cases from the business judgment rule to the prudent standard. Hanson said the change responds to public concern about fast-rising utility bills and would allow the Delaware Public Service Commission to take a more critical look at costs utilities seek to recover from customers.

Hanson said Delaware is an outlier and that the business judgment rule ‘‘binds [the PSC] to approve [rate increases] unless they can see that it was the result of waste, fraud, or an abuse of discretion.’’ She added that a memo and a state-by-state review showed most other states use some form of prudence review.

Matt Hartigan, executive director of the Delaware Public Service Commission, told the committee that the PSC’s research supports the sponsor’s characterization: almost every other state uses a prudence-based standard for cost recovery. Testimony from public and stakeholder witnesses divided along predictable lines. Marcus Beal, regional vice president of Delmarva Power, said he opposed SB 59 and argued the change ‘‘undermines the necessary separation between the legislature and the Public Service Commission’’ and could harm reliability or jobs. Beal described existing PSC reviews as transparent and said Delmarva had proposed an alternative performance-based plan in 2024.

Consumer and public-interest witnesses voiced the opposite view. Peggy Schultz of the League of Women Voters of Delaware said the organization supports SB 59 and that a prudence standard would better protect ratepayers. Dustin Thompson, chapter director for the Sierra Club Delaware Chapter, and Drew Slater, former public advocate, also testified in support, saying prudence encourages examination of lower-cost alternatives and nonwire options.

The record includes specific examples offered during testimony. Hartigan cited an instance where customers were paying for an annual Delmarva incentive program and said other items routinely proposed in rate cases (charitable contributions, social-club dues) would be less likely to pass a prudence review. Beal and business groups warned that changing the standard could impair utilities’ ability to plan and finance investments needed for reliability.

No committee vote on SB 59 was recorded in the transcript. After hearing testimony and questions, senators moved on to discuss related legislation dealing with recoverable costs and capital spending limits.","Sen. Stephanie Hanson introduced Senate Bill 59 to change the Public Service Commission's standard of review from the business judgment rule to a prudent standard, prompting testimony from utilities, consumer advocates and the public about the potential effects on rates, reliability and oversight.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Bill to publish Delaware utilities’ PJM stakeholder votes draws split over transparency and federal jurisdiction

Senate committee weighs $125 million three‑year cap and limits on recoverable utility expenses in SB 60

Delaware senators consider replacing 'business judgment' rule with 'prudence' for utility rate reviews