NewsWhore
07-26-2007, 02:20 PM
After two consecutive readings yesterday, the Senate approved the energy criminalization bill as received from the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday. The bill now passes to President Leonel Fernandez for signing into law.
Hoy writes that a majority block of the ruling PLD voted in favor of the bill while the three PRD members who were present voted against it, and the PRSC senators were absent. PRSC Senator Adriano Sanchez Roa justified the PRSC block's absence by saying that the bill would negatively affect the country's poorest citizens. PRD Senator Mario Torres says that the bill is abusive.
Senate president Reinaldo Pared Perez (PLD-National District) disputed claims that the legislation only affects the poor. He pointed to Article 125-2 that establishes smaller fines for smaller-scale electricity theft. The law establishes three to five days in prison, fines equivalent to three to five times the minimum wage, or both when the energy stolen is less than 1,000 kWh. The maximum penalty will be three years in jail and fines of 320 to 5,000 minimum public sector salaries when the energy stolen is beyond 100 kilowatt of connected load if metering is at high tension.
The senators didn't change the aspects that affect the energy system regulators, marginal costs and concessions. Articles 3 through 20 were rejected by the Senate, as was done by the Chamber, as well as articles 24 through 27.
Part of the law also establishes a penalty of between 3 and 10 years in prison and fines of between 50 and 200 minimum salaries for anyone accused of intentionally destroying electric lines, networks, substations or energy equipment. The legislation also determined that power service could be disconnected if a client is behind with their bill by only a month. In the past, clients had two months before the service would be suspended.
The modifications also affect large businesses. The new law decided to set the level of demand for a single user to purchase directly from generators to 1.4 MW. The law had established a level of 200 kilowatts, but the Superintendence of Electricity made a ruling in favor of power distributors that feared losing revenue from large companies. The new ruling establishes that the level of demand will be reduced to a new base level of 1 MW over a four-year period in order to buy directly.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)
Hoy writes that a majority block of the ruling PLD voted in favor of the bill while the three PRD members who were present voted against it, and the PRSC senators were absent. PRSC Senator Adriano Sanchez Roa justified the PRSC block's absence by saying that the bill would negatively affect the country's poorest citizens. PRD Senator Mario Torres says that the bill is abusive.
Senate president Reinaldo Pared Perez (PLD-National District) disputed claims that the legislation only affects the poor. He pointed to Article 125-2 that establishes smaller fines for smaller-scale electricity theft. The law establishes three to five days in prison, fines equivalent to three to five times the minimum wage, or both when the energy stolen is less than 1,000 kWh. The maximum penalty will be three years in jail and fines of 320 to 5,000 minimum public sector salaries when the energy stolen is beyond 100 kilowatt of connected load if metering is at high tension.
The senators didn't change the aspects that affect the energy system regulators, marginal costs and concessions. Articles 3 through 20 were rejected by the Senate, as was done by the Chamber, as well as articles 24 through 27.
Part of the law also establishes a penalty of between 3 and 10 years in prison and fines of between 50 and 200 minimum salaries for anyone accused of intentionally destroying electric lines, networks, substations or energy equipment. The legislation also determined that power service could be disconnected if a client is behind with their bill by only a month. In the past, clients had two months before the service would be suspended.
The modifications also affect large businesses. The new law decided to set the level of demand for a single user to purchase directly from generators to 1.4 MW. The law had established a level of 200 kilowatts, but the Superintendence of Electricity made a ruling in favor of power distributors that feared losing revenue from large companies. The new ruling establishes that the level of demand will be reduced to a new base level of 1 MW over a four-year period in order to buy directly.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)