An Act To Improve Regional Transmission Organization Responsiveness
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §3218 is enacted to read:
§ 3218. Regional transmission organizations
1. Investor-owned transmission and distribution utilities. Beginning January 1, 2013, an investor-owned transmission and distribution utility must be a member of a regional transmission organization under subsection 2.
2. Regional transmission organization. For purposes of this section, a regional transmission organization must:
A. Conduct itself in compliance with Title 1, chapter 13, publish an agenda for each meeting prior to the meeting and keep and publish minutes of each meeting;
B. Be governed by a board of at least 3 members elected by a public nomination and election process;
C. Guarantee representation of residential, commercial and industrial consumers on the board in paragraph B; and
D. Certify that the rates and actions of its member investor-owned transmission and distribution utilities are just and reasonable to their customers.
3. Conformance. An investor-owned transmission and distribution utility that is not a member of a regional transmission organization or is a member of a regional transmission organization that does not conform to the requirements of subsection 2 must:
A. Join a conforming regional transmission organization;
B. Reform the nonconforming regional transmission organization to conform to the requirements of subsection 2; or
C. Form a new regional transmission organization that conforms to the requirements of subsection 2.
summary
This bill requires that, beginning January 1, 2013, investor-owned transmission and distribution utilities be members of a regional transmission organization meeting specific organizational requirements, including compliance with laws governing public records and proceedings, using a public nomination process in selecting board members, guaranteeing consumer representation on its governing board and certifying that its rates and actions are just and reasonable to consumers.