Section 45:1227 - DefinitionsAs used in this Part:
(1) "Ancillary agreement" means any bond, insurance policy, letter of credit, reserve account, surety bond, swap arrangement, hedging arrangement, liquidity or credit support arrangement, or other financial arrangement entered into in connection with the issuance of storm recovery bonds.(2) "Assignee" means any legal or commercial entity, including but not limited to a corporation, limited liability company, partnership, limited partnership, or other legally recognized entity to which an electric utility sells, assigns, or transfers, other than as security, all or a portion of its interest in or right to storm recovery property. The term also includes any legal or commercial entity to which an assignee sells, assigns, or transfers, other than as security, all or a portion of its interest in or right to storm recovery property.(3) "Commission" means the Public Service Commission or, solely with respect to an electric utility furnishing electric service within the city of New Orleans, the council of the city of New Orleans. Each such commission will issue orders under this Part pertaining to those electric utilities subject to that commission's powers of regulation and supervision.(4) "Electric utility" or "utility" has the same meaning as that provided in R.S. 45:121 and in addition includes any person furnishing electric service within the city of New Orleans.(5) "Financing costs" means: (a) Interest and acquisition, defeasance, or redemption premiums that are payable on storm recovery bonds;(b) Any payment required under an ancillary agreement and any amount required to fund or replenish reserve or other accounts established under the terms of any indenture, ancillary agreement, or other financing documents pertaining to storm recovery bonds;(c) Any other cost related to issuing, supporting, repaying, and servicing storm recovery bonds, including but not limited to servicing fees, accounting and auditing fees, trustee fees, legal fees, consulting fees, administrative fees, placement and underwriting fees, capitalized interest, rating agency fees, stock exchange listing and compliance fees, and filing fees, including costs related to obtaining the financing order;(d) Any income taxes and license fees imposed on the revenues generated from the collection of storm recovery charges or otherwise resulting from the collection of storm recovery charges, in any such case whether paid, payable, or accrued; or(e) Any state and local taxes, franchise, gross receipts, and other taxes or similar charges including but not limited to regulatory assessment fees, in any such case whether paid, payable, or accrued.(6) "Financing order" means an order of the commission, if granted by the commission in its sole discretion, which allows for: (a) The issuance of storm recovery bonds.(b) The imposition, collection, and periodic adjustments of storm recovery charges.(c) The creation of storm recovery property.(d) The sale, assignment, or transfer of storm recovery property to an assignee.(7) "Financing party" means any holder of storm recovery bonds and any trustee, collateral agent, or other person acting for the benefit of holders of storm recovery bonds.(8) "Financing statement" has the same meaning as that provided in the Uniform Commercial Code - Secured Transactions (Chapter 9 of Title 10 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950). All financing statements referenced in this Part shall be filed in accordance with Part 5 of Chapter 9 of Title 10 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950 and shall be filed in this state.(9) "Lien creditor" has the same meaning as that provided in the Uniform Commercial Code - Secured Transactions (Chapter 9 of Title 10 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950).(10) "Secured party" means a financing party in favor of which an electric utility or its successors or assignees creates a security interest in all or any portion of its interest in or right to storm recovery property. A secured party may be granted a security interest in storm recovery property under this Part and a security interest in other collateral subject to the Uniform Commercial Code - Secured Transactions in one security agreement.(11) "Security interest" means a pledge, hypothecation, or other encumbrance of or other right over any portion of storm recovery property created by contract to secure the payment or performance of an obligation.(12) "Storm" means a named tropical storm or hurricane, ice or snow storm, flood, or other significant weather or natural disaster that occurred during calendar year 2005 or that occurs thereafter.(13) "Storm recovery activity" means any activity or activities by or on behalf of an electric utility in connection with the restoration of service associated with electric power outages affecting customers of an electric utility as the result of a storm or storms, including but not limited to mobilization, staging, and construction, reconstruction, replacement, or repair of electric generation, transmission, or distribution facilities.(14) "Storm recovery bonds" means bonds, debentures, notes, certificates of participation, certificates of ownership, or other evidences of indebtedness or ownership that are issued pursuant to an indenture, contract, or other agreement of an electric utility or an assignee pursuant to a financing order, the proceeds of which are used directly or indirectly to provide, recover, finance, or refinance commission-approved storm recovery costs, financing costs, and costs to replenish or fund a storm recovery reserve to such level as the commission may authorize in a financing order, and which are secured by or payable from storm recovery property. If certificates of participation or ownership are issued, references in this Part to principal, interest, or premium shall be construed to refer to comparable amounts under those certificates. Storm recovery bonds shall be nonrecourse to the credit or any assets of the electric utility other than the storm recovery property as specified in the financing order and any rights under any ancillary agreement. Storm recovery bonds shall be legal investments for all governmental units, financial institutions, insurance companies, fiduciaries, and other persons that require statutory authority regarding legal investment.(15) "Storm recovery charge" means the amounts authorized by the commission to recover, finance, or refinance storm recovery costs, financing costs, and costs to replenish or fund a storm recovery reserve to such level as the commission may authorize in a financing order. If determined appropriate by the commission and provided for in a financing order, such amounts are to be imposed on customer bills and collected by an electric utility or its successors or assignees, or a collection agent, in full through a charge, which may be collected as part of the electric utility's base rates or in any other manner deemed appropriate by the commission, for the time period specified in the financing order, paid by existing and future customers receiving transmission or distribution service, or both, from the electric utility or its successors or assignees under rate schedules or special contracts approved by the commission. The commission may provide for payment of such charges even if the customer elects to purchase electricity from an alternative electricity supplier including as the result of a fundamental change in the manner of regulation of public utilities in this state.(16) "Storm recovery costs" means, if requested by the electric utility, and as may be approved by the commission, costs incurred or to be incurred by an electric utility in undertaking a storm recovery activity. Such costs, as may be approved by the commission, may be net of applicable insurance proceeds, tax benefits, and any other amounts intended to reimburse the electric utility for storm recovery activities such as governmental grants or aid of any kind and, where determined appropriate by the commission, may include adjustments for normal capital replacement and operating costs, or other potential offsetting adjustments. If the commission deems appropriate, storm recovery costs may include the costs to fund and finance any storm recovery reserves and costs of repurchasing equity or retiring any existing indebtedness relating to storm recovery activities.(17) "Storm recovery property" means the contract right constituting incorporeal movable property newly created pursuant to this Part which may consist of any of the following: (a) All rights and interests of an electric utility or successor or assignee of the electric utility under a financing order, including the right to impose, bill, charge, collect, and receive storm recovery charges authorized in the financing order and to obtain periodic adjustments to such charges as may be provided in the financing order.(b) All revenues, collections, claims, rights to payments, payments, money, or proceeds arising from the rights and interests specified in Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph, regardless of whether such revenues, collections, claims, rights to payment, payments, money, or proceeds are imposed, billed, received, collected, or maintained together with or commingled with other revenues, collections, rights to payment, payments, money, or proceeds.(18) "Storm recovery reserve" means an electric utility's storm reserve or such other similar reserve established pursuant to order or rule of the commission.(19) "Uniform Commercial Code - Secured Transactions" means Chapter 9 of Title 10 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.Acts 2006, No. 64, §2, eff. May 22, 2006.Acts 2006, No. 64, §2, eff. 5/22/2006.