The General Assembly Raised Bill No. 246 mandates the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection to conduct a study on natural gas rates specifically for commercial and agricultural customers with intermittent peak monthly demand. The study aims to assess whether these customers are being charged unfair rates due to demand charges that do not accurately reflect their usage. If the commissioner finds that these demand charges are indeed leading to unfair rate increases, they are required to provide detailed recommendations on how these charges could be recalculated or applied differently.

The bill is set to take effect on October 1, 2026, and requires the commissioner to submit a report with their findings and recommendations to the relevant joint standing committee by January 15, 2027. The language of the bill includes new provisions for the study and reporting requirements, while it also indicates that proposed deletions from current law are not applicable in this context, as the entire text of the bill is new.