2. a. The provisions of the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C. 52:14B-1 et seq.) to the contrary notwithstanding, within 90 days of the effective date of P.L.2003, c.24 (C. 48:3-93.1 et al.) the Board of Public Utilities shall adopt rules and regulations authorizing an electric public utility or a gas public utility, upon the request of the governing body of a county or municipality, to assist a government aggregator that is a municipality or a county in establishing a government energy aggregation program. The rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall be effective as rules and regulations immediately upon filing with the Office of Administrative Law and shall be effective for a period not to exceed 18 months, and shall, thereafter, be amended, adopted or readopted by the board pursuant to the provisions of the “Administrative Procedure Act.” The rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall set forth a process for the establishment of a government energy aggregation that (1) requires a government aggregator that is a municipality or a county to establish a government energy aggregation program by ordinance or resolution, as appropriate, and to award a contract for the government energy aggregation program to a licensed electric power supplier or licensed gas supplier pursuant to the “Local Public Contracts Law,” P.L.1971, c.198 (C. 40A:11-1 et seq.), provided, however, that such an award may be made on the basis of the most advantageous proposal, price and other factors considered; (2) includes residential customers on an opt-out basis prior to the solicitation of bids from a licensed electric power supplier or licensed gas supplier and non-residential customers on an opt-in basis; (3) requires an electric public utility or gas public utility, as the case may be, to notify utility customers, after the adoption of an ordinance or resolution, of the proposed government energy aggregation program and of the customer’s right to decline to participate in the program; (4) requires an electric public utility or a gas public utility, as the case may be, to provide appropriate customer information to a government aggregator that is a municipality or a county after the government aggregator has awarded a contract for a government energy aggregation program to a licensed electric power supplier or licensed gas supplier, as the case may be; (5) provides that an electric public utility or a gas public utility shall exercise reasonable care in the disclosure of customer information pursuant to this section but shall not be responsible for errors or omissions in the preparation or the content of the customer information; (6) provides that an electric public utility or gas public utility shall not disclose to any governing body, licensed electric power supplier or licensed gas supplier the name, load profile, or any other customer information about a non-residential customer prior to that non-residential customer opting in to the government energy aggregation program; and (7) authorizes electric public utilities and gas public utilities to prioritize requests made by governing bodies pursuant to this section.

b. The rules and regulations adopted by the board pursuant to this section shall provide for the recovery by an electric public utility or a gas public utility of all reasonable costs incurred by the electric public utility or gas public utility in implementing a government energy aggregation and all reasonable costs incurred in assisting a governing body considering a government energy aggregation program. The rules and regulations shall provide that the costs allowed to be recovered pursuant to this subsection shall be recovered on a timely basis from the governing body or government energy aggregator that is a municipality or a county, as the case may be. No electric public utility or gas public utility shall be required to seek recovery of costs for a government energy aggregation program or costs for assisting a governing body considering a government energy aggregation program from the electric public utility’s or gas public utility’s shareholders or ratepayers.

c. As used in this section “government aggregator,” “government energy aggregation program,” “electric power supplier” and” gas supplier” shall have the same meaning as set forth in section 3 of P.L.1999, c.23 (C. 48:3-51).

L.2003,c.24,s.2.