HB 368-ELECTRICAL ENERGY & ENERGY PORTFOLIO STDS  10:16:43 AM CHAIR RAUSCHER announced that the first only order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 368 "An Act relating to clean energy standards and a clean energy transferable tax credit; and providing for an effective date." 10:17:22 AM CHAIR RAUSCHER announced that Robert Doyle from the Regulatory Commission of Alaska would respond to questions pertaining to HB 368. 10:18:33 AM ROBERT DOYLE, Chair, Regulatory Commission of Alaska, , in response to Chair Rauscher, outlined the requirements of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA). He stated that there are several pieces of HB 368 that would require the RCA to adopt or amend regulations surrounding energy and billing. At the request of the chair, he gave an overview of how the RCA works to ensure that the interests of all Alaskans are met by reasonable and just means. He moved on to discuss fiscal notes, saying that most of the concerns presented by the fiscal notes are due to staffing issues. He said it could be a 600-plus day process to create a regulatory document from draft to finish. 10:26:49 AM REPRESENTATIVE SCHRAGE asked what effect the bill would have on the power cost equalization (PCE) calculation. MR. DOYLE indicated there would be no noticeable effect on how the PCE is calculated. He said the intent is to bring the statute in line with how business is conducted at the RCA. 10:29:13 AM REPRESENTATIVE MCKAY asked if the RCA regulates Fire Island and a solar farm in Houston, Alaska. MR. DOYLE responded that all of the costs associated with independent power projects are negotiated with the utilities companies. In response to a follow-up question, he noted that information regarding the amount of electricity generated by Fire Island and Chugach Electric is public. To further questioning, he said the RCA has a neutral stance toward the bill, and he offered his understanding that green energy credits given through the regulation docket process. 10:37:03 AM CHAIR RAUSCHER asked Robert Doyle to explain the difference between "net billing" and "net metering." MR. DOYLE explained that net metering is the process of selling power and energy back to the energy company, whereas net billing is how one would account for the cost of someone who is generating more power than is needed, like a monthly settlement to break the difference between cost and energy sold back to the company. 10:40:15 AM CHAIR RAUSCHER thanked Robert Doyle for responding to questions from the committee.