OH HB319

Natural gas companies may apply to the Public Utilities Commission for an infrastructure development rider to recover costs of constructing transmission or distribution facility extensions for approved economic development projects.

Two types of projects qualify: general economic development projects (with automatic approval within 30 days unless suspended) and SiteOhio-certified projects (with automatic approval within 90 days unless suspended).

Projects must meet approval criteria including a projected return on investment less than the company's most recently authorized rate of return and annual cost limits of $2 per customer (general projects) or $1 per customer (SiteOhio projects).

Recovery amounts under the rider are capped at $2 per customer annually for all general projects and $1 per customer annually for all SiteOhio-certified projects, with equal charges applied to all customers.

Natural gas companies must file annual reports detailing infrastructure development costs and rider rates, and the commission may conduct financial audits to ensure compliance with its orders.