CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to the City Light Department; authorizing the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of City Light to execute the NorthernGrid Funding Agreement; authorizing the execution of supplements, extensions, and amendments to such agreement subject to appropriated budget authority; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.
body
WHEREAS, the City Light Department is a transmission-dependent utility that obtains necessary transmission services from Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and other public and private electric utilities; and
WHEREAS, there is a consensus in the Northwest that a variety of transmission issues must be addressed in order to maintain safe, reliable electric service to customers in the region; and
WHEREAS, the efforts of a group of Northwest utilities have resulted in the creation of NorthernGrid, an unincorporated association, whose members are Bonneville Power Administration; Avista Corporation; Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington; Public Utility District No. 2 of Grant County, Washington; Puget Sound Energy, Inc.; The City of Seattle, through its City Light Department; the City of Tacoma, Department of Public Utilities, Light Division; Public Utility District No. 1 of Snohomish County; Idaho Power Company; MATL LLP; NorthWestern Energy; Portland General Electric Company; and PacifiCorp; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of NorthernGrid is to provide necessary services to its members to assist them in resolving regional transmission issues such as the following: maintaining and improving transmission grid reliability, relieving transmission congestion, and regional planning and expansion of the transmission system; and
WHEREAS, in 2005 Congress amended the Federal Power Act to expand federal jurisdiction over publicly-owned utilities, such as the City Light Department, with respect to certain Regional Transmission Issues; and
WHEREAS, NorthernGrid is intended to provide a means of resolving Regional Transmission Issues without federal intervention that could be more costly and less efficient; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The General Manager and Chief Executive Officer of the City Light Department or designee is authorized to enter into (a) an agreement to fund a portion of the operating costs of NorthernGrid, substantially in the form attached to this ordinance as Attachment 1, as required for the City's participation in NorthernGrid, and (b) any supplements, extensions, and amendments to such agreement that the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer deems to be in the best interest of the Department and its ratepayers. The General Manager and Chief Executive Officer or designee is further authorized to enter into agreements with NorthernGrid for regional transmission planning; provided, that City Light is not authorized to enter into agreements to implement such planning without approval by further ordinance of the City.
Section 2. The authority granted by this ordinance is subject to the existence of appropriation authority, in the applicable Department budget control level or levels of the Adopted City Budget (including supplements to such budget) for the year in which the Department enters into each agreement with NorthernGrid, that, in combination with any appropriations carried forward from prior budget years for the applicable budget control level or levels, is adequate to cover the financial obligations incurred through that agreement.
Section 3. Any act consistent with the authority of this ordinance taken prior to its effective date is ratified and confirmed.
Section 4. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force 30 days after its approval by the Mayor, but if not approved and returned by the Mayor within ten days after presentation, it shall take effect as provided by Seattle Municipal Code Section 1.04.020.
Passed by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2019, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this _____ day of _________________________, 2019.
____________________________________
President ____________ of the City Council
Approved by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2019.
____________________________________
Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2019.
____________________________________
Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)
Attachment:
Attachment 1 - NorthernGrid Funding Agreement For Planning Cycle 2020-2021