House Energy committee schedules joint hearing on Affordable Heat Act after PUC report

Representative Kathleen James, chair of the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee, told members Tuesday that the committee will hold a joint hearing with the Senate Natural Resources Committee on Thursday to review the Public Utility Commission—s (PUC) final work on the Affordable Heat Act and the Clean Heat Standard.

The hearing is intended to give all lawmakers the same baseline information before questions and public testimony, James said, and will feature legislative counsel and the PUC chair. "The Public Utility Commission has been working for 18 months to develop proposed rules to prepare an economic analysis," James said, adding that the PUC—s materials are due to the legislature "tomorrow."

Why it matters: the committee is responsible for review of PUC rules and any statutory actions that follow. The chair said legislative counsel will first walk members through what the statute requires and does not require, then the PUC—s chair (identified in the meeting as Chair McNamara) will present the PUC—s analysis and take questions. James said she and Senate leadership intentionally scheduled a joint hearing so "everybody [can] hear the same information and be able to all ask our questions at once and have everybody hear the answer."

Planned format and immediate steps: committee leadership said legislative counsel will open the hearing with a statutory walkthrough of Act 18 (the Affordable Heat Act) so members can ask clarifying questions about the law. The committee then plans a break and a presentation by the PUC chair on the proposed rules and economic analysis. Committee staff will distribute the PUC materials to members by email and post them to the committee page when they arrive.

Committee members were told to expect a potentially large public turnout and media presence. James said the room size was increased in anticipation of interest and that the hearing is intended to be transparent. One member, speaking from the room, noted concerns about capacity and air quality as attendance rises; another displayed a carbon dioxide monitor on the clerk—s table as an informal check of ventilation during the meeting.

Other scheduled briefings this week tied to the hearing include an introductory presentation by the Climate Action Office and a session in which legislative counsel will walk the committee through the Global Warming Solutions Act. The committee also plans an executive session for a security briefing related to an unplanned building evacuation referenced during the meeting.

What the meeting did not decide: no formal votes or directives to adopt or change statutes were made at the organizational meeting. Members discussed process and scheduling for the hearing and related briefings but did not take legislative action.

Next steps: members were told to watch for the PUC materials in their legislative email and on the committee page once the documents are posted. James said the committee will use the Thursday joint hearing to ask clarifying questions and that follow-up work will depend on what the PUC and legislative counsel present.