§ 45:1229 — Storm recovery property

A. All storm recovery property that is specified in a financing order shall constitute an existing, present contract right constituting an individualized, separate incorporeal movable susceptible of ownership, sale, assignment, transfer, and security interest, including without limitation for purposes of contracts concerning the sale of property and security interests in property, notwithstanding that the value of the property and the imposition and collection of storm recovery charges depends on future acts such as the electric utility to which the order is issued performing its servicing functions relating to the collection of storm recovery charges and on future electricity consumption. Such property shall exist whether or not the revenues or proceeds arising from the property have been billed, have accrued, or have been collected and notwithstanding the fact that the value or amount of the property is or may be dependent on the future provision of service to customers by the electric utility or its successors or assignees and the future consumption by customers of electricity.
B. Storm recovery property specified in a financing order shall continue to exist until the storm recovery bonds issued pursuant to the financing order are paid in full and all financing costs of the bonds have been recovered in full.
C. All or any portion of storm recovery property specified in a financing order issued to an electric utility may be sold, assigned, or transferred to a successor or an assignee, including an affiliate or affiliates of the electric utility created for the limited purpose of acquiring, owning, or administering storm recovery property or issuing storm recovery bonds under the financing order. All or any portion of storm recovery property may be encumbered by a security interest to secure storm recovery bonds issued pursuant to the order and other financing costs. Each such sale, assignment, transfer, or security interest granted by an electric utility or affiliate of an electric utility or assignee is considered to be a transaction in the ordinary course of business.
D. The description of storm recovery property being sold, assigned, or transferred to an assignee in any sale agreement, purchase agreement, or other transfer agreement, being encumbered to a secured party in any security agreement, pledge agreement, or other security document, or indicated in any financing statement is only sufficient if such description or indication refers to the specific financing order that created the storm recovery property and states that such agreement or financing statement covers all or part of such storm recovery property described in such financing order. A description of storm recovery property in a financing statement shall be sufficient if it refers to the financing order creating the storm recovery property. This Subsection applies to all purported sales, assignments, or transfers of, and all purported liens or security interests in, storm recovery property, regardless of whether the related sale agreement, purchase agreement, other transfer agreement, security agreement, pledge agreement, or other security document was entered into, or any financing statement was filed, before or after the effective date of this Part.
E.(1) Storm recovery property shall be an individualized, separate incorporeal movable susceptible of ownership, sale, assignment, transfer, and security interest encumbrance notwithstanding that:
(a) The storm recovery charges may be authorized by the commission and included as part of the electric utility's base rate and are not shown as a separate line item on individual electric bills.
(b) Notice is not given to customers that the storm recovery property has been transferred to an assignee and that such assignee is the owner of the rights to the storm recovery charges.
(c) Notice is not given to customers that the electric utility or another entity, if applicable, is acting as a collection agent or servicer or in a similar capacity for an assignee.
(2) A description of storm recovery property, and a sale, assignment, or transfer thereof or grant of security interest therein, shall not be denied legal effect or enforceability because the foregoing factors apply in whole or in part to such storm recovery property.
F. If an electric utility defaults on any required payment of charges arising from storm recovery property specified in a financing order, the court specified in R.S. 45:1231(I), upon application by an interested party, and without limiting any other remedies available to the applying party, shall order the sequestration and payment of the revenues arising from the storm recovery property to the financing parties or their representatives. Any such order shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding any reorganization, bankruptcy, or other insolvency proceedings with respect to the electric utility or its successors or assignees.
G. To the extent provided in a financing order, the interest of an assignee or secured party in storm recovery property specified in a financing order is not subject to setoff, counterclaim, surcharge, or defense by the electric utility or any other person or in connection with the reorganization, bankruptcy, or other insolvency of the electric utility or any other entity.
H. To the extent provided in a financing order, any successor to an electric utility, whether pursuant to any reorganization, bankruptcy, or other insolvency proceeding or whether pursuant to any merger or acquisition, sale, or other business combination, or transfer by operation of law, as a result of electric utility restructuring or otherwise, shall perform and satisfy all obligations of, and have the same rights under a financing order as the electric utility under the financing order in the same manner and to the same extent as the electric utility, including collecting and paying to the person entitled to receive them, the revenues, collections, payments, or proceeds of the storm recovery property. Nothing in this Section is intended to limit or impair any authority of the commission concerning the transfer or succession of interests of electric utilities.

Legislative History

Acts 2006, No. 64, §2, eff. May 22, 2006.