E Modifying the public utilities energy conservation improvement program; requiring the public utilities commission (PUC) after a certain date to exclude investments and expenses for energy conservation improvements from the determination of just and reasonable rates for retail electric and gas service provided to certain large electric customer facilities exempted from certain investment and expenditure requirements, authorizing public utilities to recover energy conservation improvement investments made before that date from customers; authorizing the application of rate schedules to one or more classes of retail customers as necessary to reflect certain differing minimum spending requirements, authorizing rate reductions for large electric customer facilities to reflect the elimination of energy conservation improvement investments or expenditures; defining customer facility and large electric customer facility and expanding the definition of energy conservation improvement for investment purposes; authorizing owners of large electric customer facilities to petition the commissioner of public services to exempt electric and gas utilities serving the facility from investment and expenditure requirements relating to retail revenues, specifying certain supporting evidence requirements, authorizing appeal of commissioner decisions; authorizing public utilities, cooperative associations or municipalities to propose to the commissioner to designate funds contributed to the energy and conservation account in the general fund to research and development projects, authorizing expenditure of a certain percentage required to be invested in energy conservation improvements for the projects; clarifying certain energy conservation expenditure and investment requirements of cooperative associations and municipalities; prohibiting expenditures for improvements directly benefiting exempt large electric customer facilities; requiring the commissioner to consult with representatives from public utilities, cooperative and municipal utilities, environmental and energy conservation groups, the office of the attorney general and state agencies to evaluate possible changes in the conservation improvement program and report to the legislature by a certain date (ra, ja)