HB 3989: Retail Electric Supplier Certified Territory Act; exclusive rights; services; fees; effective date. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to remove a specific penalty date of August 26, 2026, replacing it with a reference to the act's effective date. Additionally, the requirement for a new retail electric supplier to provide notice and engineering certification to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission before serving a large load was added. These changes clarify when penalties for failing to meet load thresholds apply and introduce a formal process for large-load service requests.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding penalty enforcement timelines was adjusted to align with the act's effective date rather than a fixed future date, and new procedural requirements were added for large-load service expansions.

TIMELINE

The penalty trigger date was changed from a fixed date of August 26, 2026, to 'the effective date of this act,' making the penalty timeline dependent on when the law becomes active.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements were added mandating that retail electric suppliers provide written notice to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and include certification from a licensed professional engineer when planning to serve a new facility with a load of 1,000 kW or larger.

ENFORCEMENT

New enforcement provisions were added stating that if a large load fails to reach 1,000 kW within 24 months, the supplier must pay a 1% penalty on sales to the incumbent supplier, paid from profits rather than ratepayers.

HB3989 (4-29-26) (GREEN) FA1.PDF → Floor (House) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a Senate draft to a House Floor version, adding the official title and detailed legislative text. The core policy establishes exclusive service territories for retail electric suppliers, with specific exceptions for large industrial customers (1,000 kW or larger) and new facilities in unincorporated areas. It also sets a future effective date of November 1, 2026.

Scope change

The bill's scope is now explicitly defined to regulate exclusive rights within certified territories, preventing suppliers from serving customers in another supplier's territory except under specific conditions.

SCOPE

Added the official Act title and detailed description of the bill's purpose regarding exclusive rights and service extensions.

REQUIREMENT

Established that retail electric suppliers must have exclusive rights within their certified territories and cannot serve customers in other suppliers' territories.

ELIGIBILITY

Created exceptions allowing service to new facilities in unincorporated areas based on proximity to existing lines and for large industrial loads of 1,000 kW or more.

TIMELINE

Set the effective date of the act to November 1, 2026.

ENFORCEMENT

Defined penalties for violating service territory rules, including a 1% annual payment on sales to the offended supplier.

House Committee Substitute → HB3989 (4-29-26) (GREEN) FA1.PDF · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to add a new Section 2, which sets a specific effective date of November 1, 2026, replacing the previous lack of a defined start date. This change clarifies when the new rules regarding retail electric service and fees will officially begin to apply.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding its effective date was clarified by adding a specific start date, while the substantive rules on service territory and fees remain unchanged.

TIMELINE

Added Section 2 to establish that the act becomes effective on November 1, 2026.

Removed the previous text that mentioned a penalty effective date of August 26, 2026, as the new effective date supersedes it.

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 → House Committee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to replace the original 'Proposed Committee Substitute' text with a new 'Committee Substitute' version. This revision updates the bill's title, reorganizes the legislative sections, and modifies specific legal citations and formatting while retaining the core policy regarding retail electric supplier territories.

Scope change

The bill's substantive scope regarding exclusive rights for retail electric suppliers remains largely the same, but the text has been restructured and updated with new page numbers and citation references.

TECHNICAL

The document title changed from 'Proposed Committee Substitute' to 'Committee Substitute', indicating a procedural update in the bill's status.

Page numbers and request numbers (Req. No.) were updated from 16297 to 16987, reflecting new pagination in the legislative record.

The header text was reorganized to remove redundant committee amendment markers and streamline the presentation of the bill text.

Minor formatting adjustments were made to the section headers and line numbering throughout the document.

Engrossed → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was converted from an 'Engrossed' version to a 'Proposed Committee Substitute' by the House Energy Committee. The substantive legal text regarding electric service rules, penalties, and effective dates remains identical, but the formatting and page numbering were updated to reflect the committee's review process.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's legal requirements has not changed; only the document version and formatting have been updated.

TECHNICAL

The document title was changed from 'Engrossed House Bill' to 'Proposed Committee Substitute,' indicating the bill is now in a revised state after committee review.

The header information was updated to include the committee chair, the date of amendment (2/11/2026), and the specific committee amendment motion text.

Page numbers and line references were renumbered to match the new committee substitute format, though the actual content of the law remains the same.

Introduced → Engrossed · 6 edits · Mar 25, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was significantly rewritten from a general energy modernization act into a specific law regulating Retail Electric Suppliers in Oklahoma. The new version establishes strict rules about which suppliers can serve customers, prioritizing existing providers and requiring new suppliers to prove high demand (1,000 kW) before expanding into other territories. It also introduces a penalty system for suppliers who fail to meet these load requirements.

Scope change

The bill's scope narrowed from a broad energy modernization framework to a specific regulatory regime for retail electric service territories and expansion rights.

SCOPE

The bill title and purpose changed from 'Energy Modernization Act' to 'Retail Electric Supplier Certified Territory Act', shifting focus to supplier boundaries and service rights.

ELIGIBILITY

New rules were added requiring new electric facilities in unincorporated areas to be served by the supplier with the nearest existing distribution line.

A new threshold was established: suppliers can only extend service into another supplier's territory if the new facility expects a load of at least 1,000 kW.

ENFORCEMENT

A penalty mechanism was created where suppliers must pay 1% of annual sales to the incumbent supplier if they fail to reach the 1,000 kW load within 24 months.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements mandate that suppliers seeking to serve large loads outside their territory must file a notice and provide certification from a licensed engineer.

New rules require suppliers to create specific rate tariffs for customers served under the 1,000 kW exception to avoid subsidizing other rate classes.

Retail Electric Supplier Certified Territory Act; exclusive rights; services; fees; effective date.

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