Montana § 69-3-1408 Universal System Benefits Programs -- Establishing Nonbypassable Rate -- Exemption

Montana Statutes

§ 69-3-1408 — Universal System Benefits Programs -- Establishing Nonbypassable Rate -- Exemption

Montana § 69-3-1408

Title 69PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS

Ch. 3REGULATION OF UTILITIES

Part 14Natural Gas Utility Restructuring and Customer Choice Act

This text of Montana § 69-3-1408 (Universal System Benefits Programs -- Establishing Nonbypassable Rate -- Exemption) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Mont. Code Ann. § 69-3-1408 (2026).

Text

69-3-1408 . Universal system benefits programs -- establishing nonbypassable rate -- exemption.

(1)Except as provided in subsection (4), a natural gas utility shall implement, upon commission approval and subject to ongoing commission oversight and direction, a universal system benefits program.

(2)Except as provided in subsection (4), the commission shall establish a universal system benefits charge that natural gas transmission services providers or distribution services providers, or both, in the state of Montana shall charge to all end-use customers, taking into consideration the current level of expenditure by the natural gas utility, cost-effectiveness, and similar costs imposed in other states. The charge may be established and revised through a universal system benefits charge tr

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69-3-1408 . Universal system benefits programs -- establishing nonbypassable rate -- exemption. (1) Except as provided in subsection (4), a natural gas utility shall implement, upon commission approval and subject to ongoing commission oversight and direction, a universal system benefits program.
(2) Except as provided in subsection (4), the commission shall establish a universal system benefits charge that natural gas transmission services providers or distribution services providers, or both, in the state of Montana shall charge to all end-use customers, taking into consideration the current level of expenditure by the natural gas utility, cost-effectiveness, and similar costs imposed in other states. The charge may be established and revised through a universal system benefits charge tracking procedure. The method of assessing the charge may not disproportionately burden a large transmission services provider's customers. Within the universal system benefits charge, beginning January 1, 2007, a natural gas utility's minimum annual funding requirement for low-income weatherization and low-income energy bill assistance is established at 0.42% of a natural gas utility's annual revenue for the previous year. A natural gas utility must receive credit for its internal programs or activities that qualify as universal system benefits programs.
(3) Except as provided in subsection (4), a natural gas utility shall file an annual report of its universal system benefits charges, programs, and program funding levels with the commission in a manner prescribed by the commission.
(4) A natural gas utility that serves 200 or fewer customers is exempt from the requirements of subsections (1) through (3).