00 HOUSE BILL NO. 20                                                                                                       
01 "An Act relating to the electrical service extension fund."                                                             
02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
03    * Section 1.  AS 44.83.370(b) is amended to read:                                                                    
04  (b)  The directors of the authority, on the advice of the executive director,                                     
05 may make grants from the electrical service extension fund to certificated electric                                     
06 utilities and to electric utilities exempt from certification under AS 42.05.711, as a first                            
07 priority, to pay for costs of site preparation and construction for the extension of                                    
08 electrical service to private residences and small businesses not currently served by an                                
09 electric utility and, as a second priority, for making improvements to existing utilities.                              
10 The authority shall, by regulation, establish application periods for grants.  In                                      
11 awarding grants, the authority may not consider an application received before                                          
12 the beginning of an application period or after the conclusion of the period.  The                                      
13 executive director shall rank the applications for grants on the basis of cost per                                      
14 customer to whom service is extended.  In making grant awards, the directors of                                         
01 the authority shall give priority to the projects that will extend service to existing                                  
02 residences or small businesses at the lowest cost per new customer.  The directors                                      
03 shall state in writing the reason for their decision concerning each grant                                              
04 application.  The amount of a grant made under this section may not exceed 60                                          
05 percent of the total cost of construction of the project. The costs considered in making                                
06 a grant may not include costs of planning, feasibility studies, or design.