The bill amends Section 42-98-1.1 of the Energy Facility Siting Act to establish a "Capital City Underground Utility Initiative" aimed at facilitating the undergrounding of portions of the E-183 electric transmission line in the cities of Providence and East Providence. It includes legislative findings regarding previous efforts to construct an underground alignment, noting that as of 2025, no portion of the E-183 transmission line has been constructed underground, and no customer credits owed to electric customers in these cities have been returned.

The bill authorizes the cities to seek funding mechanisms for the incremental costs associated with burying the transmission line, which has not yet been constructed underground despite previous agreements and credits owed to electric customers in these cities. Key provisions include allowing the public utilities commission to permit the cities to apply their pro rata share of customer refunds toward the project costs. It also allows the Narragansett Electric Company to charge regional network service customers for capital costs associated with the undergrounding.

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that any incremental costs exceeding available funding can be included in electric rates for customers in Providence and East Providence, with a reconciliation process for final costs. The cities are required to acquire necessary property rights for the project, and any property and easements no longer used by the company for utility purposes after the completion of the Bridge Alignment South - Hybrid will be transferred to the respective city. The act will take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
981: 42-98-1.1
981  SUB A: 42-98-1.1
981  SUB A as amended: 42-98-1.1