HomeMy WebLinkAboutORD 22-020 ORDINANCE NO. 22-020
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 3, 2022; 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 3, 2022, 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 2, 2022, 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 16, 2022 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 16, 2022.
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 16, 2022.
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 29th day of
March, 2022.
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