Missouri § 394.315 - Definitions — rural electric cooperative exclusive right to serve structures, exception — change of suppliers, procedure — new structure built, effect of.

§ 394.315. Definitions — rural electric cooperative exclusive right to serve structures, exception — change of suppliers, procedure — new structure built, effect of.

1.  As used in this section, the following terms mean:

(1)  "Permanent service", electrical service provided through facilities which have been permanently installed on a structure and which are designed to provide electric service for the structure's anticipated needs for the indefinite future, as contrasted with facilities installed temporarily to provide electrical service during construction.  Service provided temporarily shall be at the risk of the electrical supplier and shall not be determinative of the rights of the provider or recipient of permanent service;

(2)  "Structure" or "structures", an agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial or other building or a mechanical installation, machinery or apparatus at which retail electric energy is being delivered through a metering device which is located on or adjacent to the structure and connected to the lines of an electrical supplier.  Such terms shall include any contiguous or adjacent additions to or expansions of a particular structure.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to confer any right on an electric supplier to serve new structures on a particular tract of land because it was serving an existing structure on that tract.

2.  Once a rural electric cooperative, or its predecessor in interest, lawfully commences supplying retail electric energy to a structure through permanent service facilities, it shall have the right to continue serving such structure, and other suppliers of electrical energy shall not have the right to provide service to the structure except as might be otherwise permitted in the context of municipal annexation, pursuant to section 386.800 and section 394.080, or pursuant to a territorial agreement approved under section 394.312.  The public service commission, upon application made by an affected party, may order a change of suppliers on the basis that it is in the public interest for a reason other than a rate differential, and the commission is hereby given jurisdiction over rural electric cooperatives to accomplish the purpose of this section.  The commission's jurisdiction under this section is limited to public interest determinations and excludes questions as to the lawfulness of the provision of service, such questions being reserved to courts of competent jurisdiction.  Except as provided herein, nothing in this section shall be construed as otherwise conferring upon the commission jurisdiction over the service, rates, financing, accounting or management of any such cooperative, and except as provided in this section, nothing contained herein shall affect the rights, privileges or duties of existing cooperatives pursuant to this chapter.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to make lawful any provision of service which was unlawful prior to July 11, 1991.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to make unlawful the continued lawful provision of service to any structure which may have had a different supplier in the past, if such a change in supplier was lawful at the time it occurred.  However, those customers who had cancelled service with their previous supplier or had requested cancellation by May 1, 1991, shall be eligible to change suppliers as per previous procedures.  No customer shall be allowed to change electric suppliers by disconnecting service between May 1, 1991, and July 11, 1991.

3.  Notwithstanding the provisions of this section and sections^* 91.025, ^* 393.106, and ^* 394.080 to the contrary, in the event that a retail electric supplier is providing service to a structure located within a city, town, or village that has ceased to be a rural area, and such structure is demolished and replaced by a new structure, such retail electric service supplier may provide permanent service to the new structure upon the request of the owner of the new structure.

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(L. 1982 H.B. 1646 § 2, A.L. 1986 H.B. 1486, A.L. 1991 S.B. 221, A.L. 2021 H.B. 271 merged with H.B. 734 merged with S.B. 44)

*Word "section" appears here in original rolls of H.B. 271 and H.B. 734, 2021.