ORS 757.649: Certification of electricity service suppliers; safety standards for distribution systems; billing requirements; rules.

(1)(a) A person or other entity shall not act as an electricity service supplier unless the person or entity is certified by the Public Utility Commission. The commission, by rule, shall establish standards for certification of persons or other entities as electricity service suppliers in this state. The rules shall, at a minimum, address: (A) The ability of the person or entity to meet the person’s or entity’s obligation to provide electricity services pursuant to direct access; and (B) The ability of the person or entity to comply with applicable consumer protection laws. (b) The commission may require an electricity service supplier to provide a bond or other security. (c) The commission may establish a fee, not to exceed $500, for initial certification and annual recertification of electricity service suppliers. (d) The commission, at any time, may revoke an electricity service supplier’s certification for failure to comply with applicable statutes and rules. (e) The commission may require an electricity service supplier to provide information necessary to ensure compliance with ORS 757.612. The commission shall ensure the privacy of all information and the protection of any proprietary information provided. (f) The commission shall require an electricity service supplier to publicly disclose a summary of the aggregated energy supply mix and associated emissions of the power sources that serve the direct access retail electricity consumers of the electricity service supplier, or such other aggregated information comparable to information provided by electric companies to retail electricity consumers as the commission may require. (2) Every electric utility shall maintain the integrity of its transmission facilities and distribution system and provide safe, reliable service to all retail electricity consumers. Nothing in ORS 757.600 to 757.667 or 757.669 to 757.687 shall reduce or diminish the statutory or contractual obligations of electric utilities to maintain the safety and reliability of their transmission facilities and distribution system and other infrastructure and equipment used to deliver electricity. (3) The commission for electric companies, or the governing body for other electric utilities, shall adopt rules, ordinances, policies and service quality standards designed to maintain a reliable, safe and efficient distribution system. The commission shall regulate electrical safety regarding generation, transmission, substation and distribution facilities for electric utilities and other electrical system owners and operators as provided under ORS 757.035. (4) Every bill to a direct access retail electricity consumer from an electricity service supplier shall contain at least: (a) The rate and amount due for each service or product that the retail electricity consumer is purchasing and other price information necessary to facilitate direct access, as determined by the commission; (b) The rates and amounts of state and local taxes or fees, if any, imposed on the retail electricity consumer; (c) The amount of any public purpose charge or credit; (d) The amount of any transition charge or transition credit; and (e) Power source and environmental impact information necessary to ensure that all consumers have useful, reliable and necessary information to exercise informed choice, as determined by the commission. (5)(a) A retail electricity consumer of an electric company shall receive, upon request, a separate bill from every individual electricity service supplier that provides products or services to the retail electricity consumer. If a retail electricity consumer of an electric company does not request separate bills, or a consolidated bill from an electricity service supplier as provided in paragraph (c) of this subsection, the electric company shall consolidate the bills for all electricity services into a single statement, and electricity service suppliers shall provide to the electric company the information necessary to prepare a consolidated statement. (b) The requirement for bill consolidation by an electric company shall continue through December 31, 2001, after which time the commission may waive the requirement if the waiver results in effective billing procedures for retail electricity consumers. (c) Upon the request of a retail electricity consumer of an electric company, an electricity service supplier shall consolidate the bills for all electricity services into a single statement, and electric utilities and other electricity service suppliers shall provide to the billing electricity service supplier any information necessary to prepare a consolidated statement. (d) For retail electricity consumers of an electric company, the commission shall adopt by rule provisions relating to the failure of a consumer to make full payment on a consolidated bill. The rules shall address collection of payments, service disconnection and reconnection, and the allocation of costs associated with collection, disconnection and reconnection. A distribution utility shall be solely responsible for actual disconnection and reconnection. [1999 c.865 §14; 2021 c.508 §25]