Title 57, Utility Regulation

The Public Utility Commission of Oregon may allow a rate or rate schedule of a public utility to reflect amounts for small scale programs that enable the utility to gain experience with tree planting on underproducing forestland, as defined by the State Forestry Department, as an…

(1) When establishing schedules and rates under ORS 757.210 for an electricity or natural gas utility, the Public Utility Commission shall act to balance the interests of the customers of the utility and the utility’s investors by setting fair, just and reasonable rates that incl…

As used in ORS 757.270 to 757.290, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) “Attachment” means any wire or cable for the transmission of intelligence by telegraph, telephone or television (including cable television), light waves, or other phenomena, or for the transmission of …

(1) Subject to applicable regulations of the Public Utility Commission, a person shall not establish an attachment to a pole or other facility of a public utility, telecommunications utility or consumer-owned utility unless the person has executed a contract with and has authoriz…

(1) A licensee shall notify a public utility, telecommunications utility or consumer-owned utility of all attachments to the utility’s poles according to the terms of any agreement between the licensee and the utility. (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, the publi…

The Public Utility Commission of Oregon shall have the authority to regulate in the public interest the rates, terms and conditions for attachments by licensees to poles or other facilities of public utilities and telecommunications utilities. All rates, terms and conditions made…

The Public Utility Commission of Oregon shall have the authority to regulate the rates, terms and conditions for attachments by licensees to poles or other facilities of consumer-owned utilities. All rates, terms and conditions made, demanded or received by any consumer-owned uti…

(1) Whenever the Public Utility Commission of Oregon finds, after hearing had upon complaint by a licensee, a public utility, a telecommunications utility or a consumer-owned utility that the rates, terms or conditions demanded, exacted, charged or collected in connection with at…

(1) A just and reasonable rate shall ensure the public utility, telecommunications utility or consumer-owned utility the recovery from the licensee of not less than all the additional costs of providing and maintaining pole attachment space for the licensee nor more than the actu…

Agreements regarding rates, terms and conditions of attachments shall be deemed to be just, fair and reasonable, unless the Public Utility Commission finds upon complaint by a public utility, telecommunications utility, consumer-owned utility or licensee party to such agreement a…

Nothing in ORS 757.270 to 757.290 shall be deemed to apply to any attachment by one or more electrical utilities on the facilities of one or more other electrical utilities. [1979 c.356 §8]

The procedures of the Public Utility Commission for petition, regulation and enforcement relative to attachments, including any rights of appeal from any decision thereof, shall be the same as those otherwise generally applicable to the commission. [1979 c.356 §9; 1987 c.414 §167…

(1) As used in this section and ORS 757.295: (a) “Costs of serving” includes, as applicable, the costs incurred by an electric company in providing transmission, distribution, energy, capacity or ancillary electricity services, and any related costs or associated risks with servi…

(1)(a) The Public Utility Commission shall require an electric company that is providing electricity service to a retail electricity consumer that is a large energy use facility to enter into a contract with the retail electricity consumer that covers the provision of the electri…

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Customer-generator” means a user of a net metering facility. (b) “Electric utility” means a public utility, a people’s utility district operating under ORS chapter 261, a municipal utility operating under ORS chapter 225 or an electric cooperativ…

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Community-based organization” means an organization with demonstrated efficacy that is representative of a community or specific segments of a community and serves to meet the community’s needs. (b) “Community microgrid” means a microgrid that is…

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Community microgrid” means a microgrid that is located within a geographical area that a local government, as defined in ORS 197.015, designates as a microgrid zone. (b) “Microgrid” means a group of interconnected loads and distributed energy res…

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Apprentice” and “apprenticeable occupation” have the meanings given those terms in ORS 660.010. (b) “Apprenticeship training program” means the total system of apprenticeship that a particular local joint committee, as defined in ORS 660.010, ope…

(1) A request for proposals submitted by an electric company, as defined in ORS 757.600, for resource procurement that is subject to competitive bidding requirements adopted by the Public Utility Commission by rule and that may result in the procurement of a covered project must:…

(1) A public utility may not charge a customer a rate or an amount for a service that is different from the rate or amount prescribed in the schedules or tariffs for the public utility. (2) A public utility may not charge a customer a rate or an amount for a service that is diffe…

(1) ORS 757.310 does not prevent any public utility from giving free service, or reduced rates therefor, to: (a) Its officers, directors, employees and members of their families; (b) Former employees of such public utilities or members of their families where such former employee…

(1) No public utility shall demand, charge, collect or receive from any person less compensation for any service rendered or to be rendered by the public utility in consideration of the furnishing by such person of any part of the facilities incident thereto. (2) This section doe…

(1) No public utility shall make or give undue or unreasonable preference or advantage to any particular person or locality, or shall subject any particular person or locality to any undue or unreasonable prejudice or disadvantage in any respect. (2) Any public utility violating …

No person shall knowingly solicit, accept or receive any rebate, concession or discrimination in respect to any service whereby any such service shall, by any device, be rendered free or at a lesser rate than that named in the published schedules and tariffs in force, or whereby …

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a public utility may not, directly or indirectly, by any device, charge, demand, collect or receive from any customer rates that include the costs of construction, building, installation or real or personal property not pr…

(1) As used in this section: (a) “Electric company” has the meaning given that term in ORS 757.600. (b)(A) “Infrastructure measures” includes, but is not limited to, investments in, expenses related to or rebates for: (i) Distribution system infrastructure that supports transport…

(1) As used in this section, “natural gas utility” means a natural gas utility regulated by the Public Utility Commission under this chapter. (2) The commission may allow a natural gas utility to recover costs from all retail natural gas customers for prudent investments in or ex…

As used in ORS 757.360 to 757.380: (1) “Electric company” has the meaning given that term in ORS 757.600. (2) “Nameplate capacity” means the maximum rated output of a generator or other electric power production equipment under specific conditions designated by the manufacturer. …

(1) The Public Utility Commission shall establish a pilot program for each electric company to demonstrate the use and effectiveness of volumetric incentive rates and payments for electricity or for the nonenergy attributes of electricity, or both, from solar photovoltaic energy …

(1) Any electricity produced from a solar photovoltaic energy system that is physically located in this state may be used by an electric company to comply with the renewable portfolio standard established under ORS 469A.005 to 469A.210. (2) For each kilowatt-hour of electricity p…

ORS 757.360 to 757.380 apply only to qualifying systems that are solar photovoltaic energy systems. [2009 c.748 §5] Note: See note under 757.360.

Nothing in ORS 276.910 and 757.360 to 757.380 affects the authority of the Public Utility Commission to set fair and reasonable rates as authorized under ORS 756.040 (1). [2009 c.748 §8] Note: See note under 757.360.

(1) For purposes of this section: (a) “Community solar project” means one or more solar photovoltaic energy systems that provide owners and subscribers the opportunity to share the costs and benefits associated with the generation of electricity by the solar photovoltaic energy s…

(1) The Legislative Assembly finds and declares that: (a) Renewable natural gas provides benefits to natural gas utility customers and to the public; and (b) The development of renewable natural gas resources should be encouraged to support a smooth transition to a low carbon ene…

As used in ORS 757.390 to 757.398: (1) “Biogas” means a mixture of carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons, primarily methane gas, released from the biological decomposition of organic materials. (2) “Biomass” has the meaning given that term in ORS 315.141. (3) “Large natural gas utility…

(1) The Public Utility Commission shall adopt by rule a large renewable natural gas program for large natural gas utilities pursuant to the provisions of ORS 757.396. (2) The commission shall adopt by rule a small renewable natural gas program for small natural gas utilities purs…

(1) A large natural gas utility that participates in the large renewable natural gas program adopted by rule by the Public Utility Commission under ORS 757.394 (1) may make qualified investments and procure renewable natural gas from third parties to meet the following portfolio …

(1) Upon a filing by a small natural gas utility to participate in the small renewable natural gas program adopted by rule by the Public Utility Commission under ORS 757.394 (2), the commission shall establish a rate cap limiting the small natural gas utility’s costs of procuring…

(1) As used in this section, “natural gas utility” or “utility” means a public utility providing natural gas service to customers. (2) A natural gas utility shall provide notice under subsection (3) of this section if: (a) The utility plans to increase the amount of hydrogen that…

As used in ORS 757.400 to 757.463, “stocks” means stocks, stock certificates or other evidence of interest or ownership.

The power of public utilities to issue stocks and bonds, notes and other evidences of indebtedness and to create liens on their property situated within this state is a special privilege, the right of supervision, regulation, restriction and control of which is and shall continue…

All stocks and bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness, and any security of a public utility shall be void when issued: (1) Without an order of the Public Utility Commission authorizing the same then in effect except as provided in ORS 757.412 or 757.415 (3). (2) With the…

Subject to such terms and conditions as the Public Utility Commission may prescribe, the commission, by rule or order, may exempt the following from any or all of the provisions of ORS 757.400 to 757.480, if the commission finds that application of the law is not required by the …

(1) Except as otherwise permitted by subsection (4) of this section, a public utility may issue stocks and bonds, notes and other evidences of indebtedness, certificates of beneficial interests in a trust and securities for the following purposes and no others: (a) The acquisitio…

ORS 757.415 does not apply to the issuance, renewal or assumption of liability on any evidence of indebtedness when such issuance, renewal or assumption is for the purpose of acquiring specific real or personal property, if the aggregate principal amount thereof, together with al…

ORS 757.480 does not apply to any mortgage or other encumbrance upon any real or personal property given to secure payment of any evidence of indebtedness issued under ORS 757.415. [1971 c.655 §89]