(A) It is the policy of this state to, throughout this state:
(1) Promote the availability to consumers of adequate, reliable, and reasonably priced natural gas services and goods;
(2) Promote the availability of unbundled and comparable natural gas services and goods that provide wholesale and retail consumers with the supplier, price, terms, conditions, and quality options they elect to meet their respective needs;
(3) Promote diversity of natural gas supplies and suppliers, by giving consumers effective choices over the selection of those supplies and suppliers;
(4) Encourage innovation and market access for cost-effective supply- and demand-side natural gas services and goods;
(5) Encourage cost-effective and efficient access to information regarding the operation of the distribution systems of natural gas companies in order to promote effective customer choice of natural gas services and goods;
(6) Recognize the continuing emergence of competitive natural gas markets through the development and implementation of flexible regulatory treatment;
(7) Promote an expeditious transition to the provision of natural gas services and goods in a manner that achieves effective competition and transactions between willing buyers and willing sellers to reduce or eliminate the need for regulation of natural gas services and goods under Chapters 4905. and 4909. of the Revised Code;
(8) Promote effective competition in the provision of natural gas services and goods by avoiding subsidies flowing to or from regulated natural gas services and goods;
(9) Ensure that the risks and rewards of a natural gas company's offering of nonjurisdictional and exempt services and goods do not affect the rates, prices, terms, or conditions of nonexempt, regulated services and goods of a natural gas company and do not affect the financial capability of a natural gas company to comply with the policy of this state specified in this section;
(10) Facilitate the state's competitiveness in the global economy;
(11) Facilitate additional choices for the supply of natural gas for residential consumers, including aggregation;
(12) Promote an alignment of natural gas company interests with consumer interest in energy efficiency and energy conservation.
(B) The public utilities commission and the office of the consumers' counsel shall follow the policy specified in this section in exercising their respective authorities relative to sections 4929.03 to 4929.30 of the Revised Code.
(C) Nothing in Chapter 4929. of the Revised Code shall be construed to alter the public utilities commission's construction or application of division (E) of section 4905.03 of the Revised Code.
Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.127, HB 487, §101.01, eff. 6/11/2012.
Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.43, SB 162, §1, eff. 9/13/2010.
Effective Date: 06-26-2001; 2008 SB221 07-31-2008
Section: 4929.01 4929.02 4929.03 4929.04 4929.041 4929.042 4929.05 4929.051 4929.06 4929.07 4929.08 4929.09 4929.10 4929.11 4929.111 NextLast modified: October 10, 2016