‘An Act To Address Electricity Costs of Agricultural Fairs’
| HP0860 LD 1186 |
Session - 129th Maine Legislature C "A", Filing Number H-228, Sponsored by
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LR 827 Item 2 |
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| Bill Tracking, Additional Documents | Chamber Status | ||
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘An Act To Address Electricity Costs of Agricultural Fairs’
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the emergency clause and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §10124 is enacted to read:
§ 10124. Agricultural fair assistance program
(1) Identify opportunities to reduce electricity costs, including but not limited to opportunities to reduce peak electricity demand; and
(2) Enroll agricultural fairs in existing programs offered by the trust as appropriate; and
The program may use a definition of cost-effective other than the definition adopted by the trust pursuant to section 10110, subsection 2.
Sec. 2. Rate design; proceeding; report. The Public Utilities Commission shall open a proceeding to examine rate design and related issues for electricity customers that have seasonal, limited-duration, concentrated load profiles, including but not limited to agricultural fairs, seasonal festivals and other similar entities. In this proceeding, the commission shall examine options for alternative rate design, with particular attention to electricity demand charges, and identify other types of electricity customers, in addition to agricultural fairs, that may benefit from a program similar to that established under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 10124. No later than December 1, 2019, the commission shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations under this section to the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology. The committee may report out a bill to the Second Regular Session of the 129th Legislature based on the report.’
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
summary
This amendment replaces the bill. The amendment establishes a program administered by the Efficiency Maine Trust to help agricultural fairs reduce electricity costs through efficiency and conservation. The program includes outreach and technical assistance to agricultural fairs to identify opportunities to lower electricity costs and enroll agricultural fairs in existing programs offered by the trust as appropriate. The program also provides custom financial incentives to agricultural fairs to implement electric efficiency and conservation measures, including but not limited to measures to reduce peak electricity demand. Funds for the program are set at the total amount paid in demand charges by agricultural fairs in the State during the prior year and are collected from electricity customers by transmission and distribution utilities. The trust is required to report to the Legislature on the program in January 2022 and January 2024, and the program has a sunset date of June 30, 2024.
The amendment also directs the Public Utilities Commission to examine rate design and related issues for electricity customers that, like agricultural fairs, have seasonal, limited-duration, concentrated load profiles. It requires the commission to submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology and authorizes the committee to report out a bill to the Second Regular Session of the 129th Legislature based on the report.