476.25 - ASSIGNED SERVICE AREAS -- ELECTRIC UTILITIES -- LEGISLATIVE POLICY. - Iowa Statutes

476.25 ASSIGNED SERVICE AREAS -- ELECTRIC UTILITIES -- LEGISLATIVE POLICY. It is declared to be in the public interest to encourage the development of co-ordinated statewide electric service at retail, to eliminate or avoid unnecessary duplication of electric utility facilities, and to promote economical, efficient, and adequate electric service to the public. In order to effect that public interest, the board may establish service areas within which specified electric utilities shall provide electric service to customers on an exclusive basis. Except for good cause expressed through formal public statement, the board shall establish these exclusive service areas on or before July 1, 1979. These exclusive service area boundaries shall be established by the board upon the following basis: 1. The service area boundaries shall be in a line approximately equidistant between the electric distribution lines of adjacent electric utilities as they existed on January 1, 1976, and as shown by the maps filed in accordance with this division. However, those boundaries may be modified by the board to promote the public interest, to preserve existing service areas and electric utilities' rights to serve existing customers, and to prevent unnecessary duplication of facilities, to take account of natural and physical barriers which would make electric service beyond these barriers uneconomic and impractical and those boundaries shall be modified by the board to take account of the contracts between electric utilities which have been approved by the board pursuant to subsection 2 of this section. When an electric utility's exclusive service area is established by the board to include existing customers presently served by the facilities of another electric utility, unless a voluntary exchange of facilities is agreed upon by the electric utilities involved and approved by the board, the board after notice and opportunity for hearing, shall require the purchase of those facilities presently serving these customers at a reasonable price to be determined by the board. The board, on its own motion or at the request of an electric utility or municipal corporation, after notice and opportunity for hearing, may modify the boundaries of an electric utility exclusive service area which it has previously established if this modification, including consideration of the factors noted in this subsection, is found to be in the public interest. 2. Contracts between electric utilities to designate service areas and customers to be served by the electric utilities or for the exchange of customers between electric utilities, when approved by the board, shall be valid and enforceable and shall be incorporated into the appropriate exclusive service areas established pursuant to subsection 1 of this section. The board shall approve a contract if it finds that the contract will eliminate or avoid unnecessary duplication of facilities, will provide adequate electric service to all areas and customers affected, will promote the efficient and economical use and development of the electric systems of the contracting electric utilities, and is in the public interest. 3. An electric utility shall not serve or offer to serve electric customers in an exclusive service area assigned to another electric utility, nor shall an electric utility construct facilities to serve electric customers in an exclusive service area assigned to another electric utility. The state, an electric utility, or any other person who is injured or threatened with injury by conduct prohibited by this section may initiate a contested case proceeding with the board under chapter 17A. Upon finding a violation of this section the board shall order appropriate corrective action including discontinuance of the unlawful service to electric customers, removal of the unlawful facility, or other disposition the board deems just and reasonable.          Section History: Early Form [C77, 79, 81, § 476.25]          Section History: Recent Form 84 Acts, ch 1101, § 1 Referred to in § 476.1B, 476.22