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Read. Follow. Verify.North Carolina directs Public Utilities Commission to study energy market reforms and allocates $350,000
Last action · April 3, 2025: Re-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House (House action)Sponsors: Ben Moss and 6 others
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What This Bill Would Do
The North Carolina Public Utilities Commission must conduct a comprehensive study assessing the state's energy market, potential reforms to the , and the feasibility of a or within 90 days of enactment. The measure appropriates $350,000 in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 and requires a written report to the Joint Legislative Energy Policy Commission within one year.
The measure triggers a state-level examination of electricity market structures that could alter how transmission, generation, and distribution services operate across North Carolina and neighboring states, potentially impacting customer utility rates and regional energy grid rules.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
North Carolina Public Utilities Commission
The Commission is required to initiate, conduct, and report on the energy market study and may contract for professional or consultant services.
Utilities and independent power producers
Their current operations, cost-recovery practices, and system structures will be analyzed in comparison to potential alternative energy markets.
Customers of all classes
The study evaluates customer service, rates, and the broader economic impacts of energy market structural reforms.
Disadvantaged or vulnerable populations or communities
The study specifically examines potential costs, benefits, and impacts of market reforms on vulnerable communities.
Key Facts
- The North Carolina Public Utilities Commission must initiate a study on energy market improvements and reform within 90 days after the act becomes law.
- The Commission must submit a written report on the study results to the Joint Legislative Energy Policy Commission within one year of enactment.
- The sum of $350,000 in nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the General Fund to the North Carolina Utilities Commission for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to conduct the study.
- The study must evaluate establishing an open access energy imbalance market and a Southeastern Regional Transmission Organization.
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- The study must assess possible inefficiencies in the Southeastern Energy Exchange Market and examine costs, benefits, and risks for state and local government, utilities, independent power producers, businesses, and customers.
- The analysis must examine potential impacts on disadvantaged or vulnerable populations or communities regarding electricity generation, customer service and rates, environmental quality, and economic opportunity.
- The Commission is authorized to contract for professional, clerical, or consultant services and must seek additional federal funding for the study to the extent available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main goal of the study mandated by this bill?
How much funding is allocated for this study?
When is the study report due?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
5 actions- Apr 3, 2025HouseRe-ref Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Apr 3, 2025HouseWithdrawn From Com
- Apr 3, 2025HouseRef to the Com on Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
- Apr 3, 2025HousePassed 1st Reading
- Apr 2, 2025HouseIntroducedFiled
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Exploration of Regional Energy Markets
The bill signals a legislative interest in moving beyond traditional vertically integrated providers by evaluating energy imbalance markets and regional transmission organizations.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.ncleg.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance60How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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