HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD 15-005ORDINANCE NO.15-005
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 31, 2015; 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 31, 2015, 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 Service Area
with the City of Beaumont ("City") to increase gas rates in the Beaumont/East Texas
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 of May 30, 2015, for the rate
increase; 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
July 15, 2015 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 subsequent 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. 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, are hereby suspended until July 15, 2015.
Section 3. To the extent the City finds that the rates proposed by CenterPoint's
filing complywith Gas Utility RegulatoryAct § 104.301, then the rates will become effective
by operation of law on July 15, 2015.
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.
2015.
Section 5. This Ordinance shall become effective from and after its passage.
PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL of the City of Beaumont this 21st day of April,
-M rBeckyA s-