SF 4364

as introduced - 92nd Legislature (2021 - 2022) Posted on 03/30/2022 09:48am

A bill for an act
relating to energy; allowing a public utility to file a program with the public utilities
commission to promote the deployment of electric school buses; proposing coding
for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 216B.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

new text begin [216B.1616] ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUS DEPLOYMENT PROGRAM.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Definitions. new text end

new text begin (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have
the meanings given.
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new text begin (b) "Battery exchange station" means a physical location where equipment is deployed
that enables a used electric vehicle battery to be exchanged for a fully charged battery.
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new text begin (c) "Electric school bus" means an electric vehicle that is a school bus.
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new text begin (d) "Electric vehicle" has the meaning given in section 169.011, subdivision 26a.
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new text begin (e) "Electric vehicle charging station" means a physical location deploying equipment
that provides electricity to charge a battery in an electric vehicle.
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new text begin (f) "Electric vehicle infrastructure" means electric vehicle charging stations and battery
exchange stations, and includes any infrastructure necessary to make electricity from a
public utility's electric distribution system available to electric vehicle charging stations or
battery exchange stations.
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new text begin (g) "Poor air quality" means: (1) ambient air levels that air monitoring data reveals
approach or exceed state or federal air quality standards or chronic health inhalation risk
benchmarks for total suspended particulates, particulate matter less than ten microns wide
(PM-10), particulate matter less than 2.5 microns wide (PM-2.5), sulfur dioxide, or nitrogen
dioxide; or (2) levels of asthma among children that significantly exceed the statewide
average.
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new text begin (h) "School bus" has the meaning given in section 169.011, subdivision 71.
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new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Program. new text end

new text begin (a) A public utility may file with the commission a program to
promote deployment of electric school buses.
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new text begin (b) The program may include but is not limited to the following elements:
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new text begin (1) a school district may purchase one or more electric school buses;
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new text begin (2) the public utility may provide a rebate to the school district for the incremental cost
the school district incurs to purchase one or more electric school buses when compared with
fossil-fuel-powered school buses;
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new text begin (3) at the request of a school district, the public utility may deploy on the school district's
real property electric vehicle infrastructure required to charge electric school buses;
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new text begin (4) for any electric school bus purchased by a school district with a rebate provided by
the public utility, the school district must enter into a contract with the public utility under
which the school district:
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new text begin (i) accepts any and all liability for operating the electric school bus;
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new text begin (ii) accepts responsibility to maintain and repair the electric school bus; and
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new text begin (iii) must allow the public utility an option to own the electric school bus's battery at the
time the battery is retired from the electric school bus; and
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new text begin (5) in collaboration with a school district, prioritize the deployment of electric school
buses in areas of the school district that suffer from poor air quality.
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new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Program review and implementation. new text end

new text begin The commission must approve, modify,
or reject a proposal for a program filed under this section within 180 days of the date the
proposal is received, based on the proposal's likelihood to, through prudent and reasonable
utility investments:
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new text begin (1) accelerate deployment of electric school buses in the public utility's service territory,
particularly in areas with poor air quality; and
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new text begin (2) reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and particulates compared to
fossil-fuel-powered school buses.
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new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Cost recovery. new text end

new text begin (a) Any prudent and reasonable investment made by a public
utility on electric vehicle infrastructure installed on a school district's real property may be
placed in the public utility's rate base and earn a rate of return, as determined by the
commission.
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new text begin (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the commission may approve
a tariff mechanism to automatically adjust annual charges for prudent and reasonable
investments made by a public utility to implement and administer a program approved by
the commission under subdivision 3.
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new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective the day following final enactment.
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