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HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD 21-013ORDINANCE NO. 21-013 ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF BEAUMONT, TEXAS SUSPENDING THE RATES PROPOSED BY CENTERPOINT ENERGY RESOURCES CORP., d/b/a CENTERPOINT ENERGY ENTEX AND CENTERPOINT ENERGY TEXAS GAS ("CENTERPOINT" OR "COMPANY") COMPANY'S GAS RELIABILITY INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM ("GRIP") FILING MADE WITH THE CITY ON MARCH 4, 2021; FINDING THAT THE MEETING COMPLIES WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT; MAKING OTHER FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT, AND DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, on or about March 4, 2021, CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp., d/b/a CenterPoint Energy Entex and CenterPoint Energy Texas Gas ("CenterPoint" or "Company") filed an Annual GRIP adjustment for the Beaumont/East Texas Division with the City of Beaumont ("City") to increase gas rates in the Beaumont/East Texas Division Service Area pursuant to Gas Utility Regulatory Act, TEX. UTIL. CODE ("Gas Utility Regulatory Act") § 104.301, and, WHEREAS, the Company proposed an effective date for the proposed increase of May 3, 2021, unless the City suspends the date for a period no longer than forty-five (45) days, and, WHEREAS, City has exclusive original jurisdiction over the rates, operations and services of a gas utility in areas in the municipality pursuant to Gas Utility Regulatory Act § 103.001, and, WHEREAS, Gas Utility Regulatory Act § 104.301 requires a streamlined process for the recovery of the costs of incremental investment by a gas utility; and, WHEREAS, the City's review of CenterPoint's GRIP filing is limited to a ministerial review of the filing for compliance with the statute, and, WHEREAS, the City finds the need to suspend the effective date of CenterPoint's proposed rate increase for 45 days beyond the Company's proposed effective date until June 17, 2021 in order to review the Company's filing for compliance with Gas Utility Regulatory Act § 104.301, and, WHEREAS, the reasonableness of the Company's investment will be reviewed in CenterPoint's future base rate case where all costs included in CenterPoint's GRIP filing will be subject to refund; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BEAUMONT: Section 1. That the statement and findings set out in the preamble to this ordinance are hereby in all things approved and adopted. Section 2. The effective date of the Company's proposed GRIP rate increase, and the proposed tariffs related thereto, is hereby suspended until June 17, 2021. Section 3. To the extent the City finds that the rates proposed by CenterPoint's filing comply with Gas Utility Regulatory Act § 104.301, then the rates will become effective by operation of law on June 17, 2021. Section 4. The meeting at which the ordinance was approved was in all things conducted in strict compliance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter 551. Section 5. This Ordinance shall become effective from and after its passage. PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL of the City of Beaumont this the 23rd day of March, 2021. - Ma r Becky Ames -