PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3177-3178)
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · May 19, 2011
Electric Consumer Right to Know Act or e-KNOW Act - Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to grant an electric consumer the right to access the consumer's retail electric energy information in an electronic form, free of charge, in conformity with nationally recognized open standards developed by a nationally recognized standards organization, and in a manner that is timely and convenient and that provides adequate protections for the security of the information and the privacy of the electric consumer.
Requires such information to be provided by the consumer's retail electricity provider (or such other entity as may be designated by the authority responsible for regulating the retail sale and delivery of electricity to the consumer).
Identifies the type of retail electric energy information which the consumer has the right to access, including: (1) the consumer's electric energy consumption over a defined time period, and (2) the prices or rates applied to the consumer's electricity usage for such time period.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Prohibits such access from interfering with or compromising the integrity, security, or privacy of the operations of a utility and the electric consumer, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Permits a utility providing retail electric energy information to recover in rates the cost of providing the information, if the cost is determined reasonable and prudent by the entity with jurisdiction over metering and retail electric service for the consumer.
Directs FERC to: (1) issue guidelines that establish minimum national standards for implementation of the electric consumer right to access retail electric energy information, and (2) be guided by actions taken by state and local regulatory authorities to ensure electric consumer access to such information.
Empowers the attorney general, official, or agency of the state, as parens patriae, to bring a civil action in federal district court to compel compliance with such standards.
People & committees
Sen. Udall, Mark [D-CO] · D–CO
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3177-3178)
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3176-3177)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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