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| SPONSOR: | Cisneros | DATE TYPED: | 02/17/99 | HB | |||
| SHORT TITLE: | Natural Gas Feasibility Study | SB | 329 | ||||
| ANALYST: | Gonzales | ||||||
| Recurring
or Non-Rec |
Fund
Affected | ||||
| FY99 | FY2000 | FY99 | FY2000 | ||
| $ 400.0 | Non-Recurring | GF | |||
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Duplicates/Conflicts with/Companion to/Relates to HB170
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Public Regulation Commission
Local Government Division (LGD), Department of Finance and Administration
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 329 provides a general fund appropriation of $400.0 to LGD for conducting a feasibility study of introducing natural gas into the unserved northern New Mexico communities from Cordova to Vadito.
Significant Issues
This bill contains an emergency clause.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The bill makes a general fund appropriation of $400.0 to LGD for the purpose stated above. The appropriation is for expenditure in FY99 and FY2000. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY2000 reverts to the general fund.
DUPLICATION
Senate Bill 329 is a near duplicate of House Bill 170; however, House Bill 170 appropriates $300.0 less in general fund for the same purpose and does not contain an emergency clause.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
The Public Regulation Commission notes the following issue:
This bill provides no directive for the funded study to determine least cost alternative, best alternative recommendation, necessity for follow-up studies, etc. It merely provides for determining the feasibility of introducing natural gas to the referenced communities. If provision of natural gas service to these communities is the desired result, the bill should include directives for the study to consider available alternatives and produce a recommendation of the best alternative based on available information.
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