(a) When the commission, after an investigation and hearing, finds that a rate demanded, observed, charged, or collected by a public utility for a service subject to the jurisdiction of the commission, or that a classification, rule, regulation, practice, or contract affecting the rate, is unjust, unreasonable, unduly discriminatory or preferential, the commission shall determine a just and reasonable rate, classification, rule, regulation, practice, or contract to be observed or allowed and shall establish it by order. A municipality may covenant with bond purchasers regarding rates of a municipally owned utility, and the covenant is valid and enforceable and is considered to be a contract with the holders from time to time of the bonds. The financial covenants contained in mortgages and other debt instruments of cooperative utilities organized under AS 10.25 are also valid and enforceable, and rates set by the commission must be adequate to meet those covenants. However, a cooperative utility that is negotiating to enter a mortgage or other debt instrument that provides for a times-interest-earned ratio (TIER) greater than the ratio the commission most recently approved for that cooperative shall submit the mortgage or debt instrument to the commission before the instrument takes effect. The commission may disapprove the instrument within 60 days after its submission. If the commission has not acted within 60 days, the instrument is considered to be approved.

(b) A wholesale power agreement between public utilities is subject to advance approval of the commission. After a wholesale power agreement is in effect, the commission may not invalidate any purchase or sale obligation under the agreement. However, if the commission finds that rates set in accordance with the agreement are not just and reasonable, the commission may order the parties to negotiate an amendment to the agreement and if the parties fail to agree, to use the dispute resolution procedures contained in the contract.

(c) Notwithstanding (b) of this section,

(1) a wholesale agreement for the sale of power from a project licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on or before January 1, 1987, and related contracts for the wheeling, storage, regeneration, or wholesale repurchase of power purchased under the agreement, entered into between the Alaska Energy Authority and one or more other public utilities or among the utilities after October 31, 1987, and before January 1, 1988, and amendments to the wholesale agreement or related contract, and the wholesale agreement or related contract assigned by the Alaska Energy Authority to a joint action agency formed under AS 42.45.310 that purchases the project from the Alaska Energy Authority, are not subject to review or approval by the commission until all long-term debt incurred for the project is retired, or, for a wholesale agreement or related contract assigned to a joint action agency formed under AS 42.45.310, until all long-term debt incurred to pay the purchase price to the Alaska Energy Authority is retired; and

(2) a wholesale agreement or related contract described in (1) of this subsection may contain a covenant for the public utility to establish, charge, and collect rates sufficient to meet its obligations under the contract; the rate covenant is valid and enforceable.

(d) Meetings between the Alaska Energy Authority and public utilities concerning a wholesale agreement for the sale of power or other matter exempted from review of the commission under (c) of this section must comply with AS 44.62.310.

(e) Validated costs incurred by a utility in connection with the related contracts described in (c)(1) of this section must be allowed in the rates charged by the utility. In this subsection, “validated costs” are the actual costs that a utility uses, under the formula set out in related contracts described in (c) of this section, to establish rates, charges for services and rights, and the payment of charges for services and rights. This subsection does not grant the commission jurisdiction to alter or amend the formula set out in those related contracts.

(f) In the establishment of rates of a utility furnishing solid waste material collection and disposal service, the commission shall permit recovery of reasonable, net capital and operating costs relating to solid waste recovery and recycling services after considering the utility's recovery of revenue associated with the service.

(g) In the establishment of rates under this chapter, the commission shall promote cost-effective solid waste recovery and recycling services.

(h) When setting or reviewing rates for a public utility that sends or receives power over the power transmission interties between Fairbanks and Healy or between Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula, the commission shall consider those costs that have not been directly assigned to other individual generating utilities by the utility responsible for the construction of the intertie to have been incurred for the system existing on August 11, 1993.