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HB 1813

Waters and water rights; authorizing the Oklahoma Water Resources Board to enter into memorandums of understanding or contracts with certain entities; effective date.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Darcy Jech and 1 co-sponsor

Arkansas would join the Fair and Efficient Transmission Compact to coordinate multi-state planning and open bidding for high-voltage transmission, deploying grid-enhancing tech.

Authored by Senator Jech (principal Senate author)
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Bill Summary · HB 1813

Summary — HB 1813 (as provided)

Note on source material: The document supplied contains multiple, inconsistent texts under the label “HB 1813.” The primary legislative text in the document is an Arkansas bill to adopt the “Fair and Efficient Transmission Compact.” The file also includes amendment language (H1 and H2) to that compact and, separately, an unrelated Illinois HB1813 concerning accessory dwelling units (ADUs). This summary focuses on the Arkansas compact text and its amendments and flags the unrelated ADU text at the end.

Purpose and intent

The bill would authorize Arkansas to join an interstate agreement — the Fair and Efficient Transmission Compact — among mid‑South states (identified as Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas). The compact’s stated purpose is to lower costs and accelerate construction and expansion of high‑voltage electric transmission through coordinated multi‑state planning, competitive project bidding, and use of grid‑enhancing technologies (GETs).

Key provisions

  • Enacts the “Fair and Efficient Transmission Compact” into Arkansas law and sets out its text.
  • Establishes a Fair and Efficient Transmission Council (the Council) as the compact’s administering agency:
    • Council membership: delegations from each party state (one representative each to represent the Governor, state Senate, and state House).
    • Each member has one vote; Council actions require a quorum of party states and a majority of votes.
    • Council to appoint an Executive Director and staff.
  • Definitions provided for key terms: Electric Transmission, Grid‑Enhancing Technologies (GETs — e.g., dynamic flow sensors, power flow control devices, advanced conductors), Long Range Transmission Planning, MISO (and MISO South), Open Bidding Process, RTO, State Regulatory Entities, SPP.
  • Policy directives: encourage competitive, open bidding for transmission construction; coordinated long‑range, multi‑state transmission planning to meet reliability, economic, resiliency and interconnection needs; promote GETs and streamlining for their deployment.
  • Reporting: the Council will prepare an annual report for governors, state utility commissions and legislatures summarizing activities and recommending changes to siting, permitting, certification, and construction rules.

Notable amendments (Amendment H2 highlights)

  • Multiple mandatory terms (“shall”) were softened to permissive language (“should,” “may,” “intends to promote”), reducing prescriptive requirements and giving states/actors more discretion.
  • Clarified/modified definitions (e.g., “Load,” “Long Range Transmission,” and wording about MISO’s operations).
  • Adjusted Council reporting language to explicitly state the report will “cover the activities” and “recommend” changes to state regulatory frameworks.
  • Emphasized recognition of GET benefits and encouraged streamlining permitting for GETs.
  • Amendment H1 simply added a cosponsor.

Who would be affected

  • State governments and public utility/utility commissions in signatory states (policy, siting, permitting authority interfaces).
  • Transmission developers and construction firms (open bidding/competitive opportunities).
  • Regional transmission organizations (MISO South, potentially SPP) and market participants.
  • Electric utilities and retail ratepayers (costs and allocation of new transmission investments).
  • Local jurisdictions to the extent state or multi‑state policies influence siting and permitting.

Procedural / timeline aspects

  • The Council “shall commence operations upon adoption of the Compact by at least three of the party states” — compact becomes operative only after multi‑state adoption.
  • Status (per metadata supplied): Died in Committee (bill did not advance to enactment in the legislative session indicated).
  • Introduced January 10, 2025 (per top metadata). Amendment H2 was read/adopted on April 10, 2025 in the engrossed version.

Potential impacts and considerations

  • If enacted by multiple states, the compact could accelerate multi‑state transmission projects, encourage competitive procurement, and incentivize GET deployment — potentially lowering build costs and improving grid utilization.
  • Effects on regulatory authority, cost allocation among states/consumers, and local permitting processes would depend on implementing rules and how state commissions incorporate Council recommendations.
  • The amendments move the compact language toward guidance and encouragement rather than binding mandates, which could limit immediate prescriptive effects.

Additional note — unrelated content

The document also includes text from an Illinois bill labeled HB1813 (Accessory Dwelling Unit Permissibility Act) which would prohibit municipalities from banning accessory dwelling units and limit local regulation. That text appears unrelated to the Arkansas compact and likely reflects conflated materials.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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