to any electricity produced by the qualified gener-
ating unit. No retail electric supplier shall claim title 
to or ownership of any renewable energy attributes, 
renewable energy credits or greenhouse gas emission 
credits of the customer-generator as a result of 
interconnecting the customer-generator or providing 
or offering the customer-generator net metering. 
‘‘(8) SAFETY
AND
PERFORMANCE
STAND-
ARDS.—(A) A qualified generation unit and net me-
tering system used by a customer-generator shall 
meet all applicable safety and performance and reli-
ability standards established by the national elec-
trical code, the Institute of Electrical and Elec-
tronics Engineers, Underwriters Laboratories, or the 
American National Standards Institute. 
‘‘(B) The Commission shall, after consultation 
with State regulatory authorities and nonregulated 
local distribution systems and after notice and op-
portunity for comment, prohibit by regulation the 
imposition of additional charges by electric suppliers 
and local distribution systems for equipment or serv-
ices for safety or performance that are additional to 
those necessary to meet the standards and require-
ments referred to in subparagraph (A) of this para-
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graph and subsection (e) of this section (relating to 
interconnection). 
‘‘(9) DETERMINATION
OF
COMPLIANCE.—Any 
State regulatory authority (with respect to each elec-
tric utility for which it has ratemaking authority), 
and each nonregulated electric utility may apply to 
the Commission for a determination that any State 
net metering requirement or regulations complies 
with the requirements of this subsection. In the ab-
sence of such a determination, the Commission, on 
its own motion or pursuant to the petition of any in-
terested person, may, after notice and opportunity 
for a hearing on the record, issue an order requiring 
against any retail electric supplier or local distribu-
tion company, or both, to require compliance with 
this subsection. Any person who violates any require-
ment of this subsection or any order of the Commis-
sion under this subsection shall be subject to civil 
penalties in the amount of $10,000 for each day 
that such violation continues. Such penalties may be 
assessed by the Commission, after notice and oppor-
tunity for hearing, in the same manner as penalties 
are assessed under section 31(d) of the Federal 
Power Act. 
‘‘(e) INTERCONNECTION STANDARDS.— 
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‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this sub-
section, the terms defined in subsection (d) shall 
apply. 
‘‘(2) MODEL STANDARDS.—(A) Within one year 
after the enactment of this subsection the Commis-
sion shall publish model standards for the physical 
connection between local distribution systems and 
qualified generation units and electric generation 
units that meet the requirements of subsection 
(d)(1)(C) other than clause (ii) thereof and that do 
not exceed 20,000 kilowatts of capacity. Such model 
standards shall be designed to encourage the use of 
qualified generation units and to ensure the safety 
and reliability of such units and the local distribu-
tion systems interconnected with such units. 
‘‘(B) The model standards shall have two sepa-
rate expedited procedures for interconnecting quali-
fied generation units up to 15 kilowatts and a sepa-
rate standard that expedites interconnection for 
qualified generation units up to 2000 kilowatts. 
Such expedited procedures shall be based on those 
best practices among the States that have adopted 
interconnection standards. In designing such expe-
dited procedures, the Commission shall consider 
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Interstate Renewable Energy Council Model Rule 
MR–I2005. 
‘‘(C) Within 2 years after the enactment of this 
subsection, each State shall adopt the model stand-
ards published under this paragraph, with or with-
out modification, and submit such standards to the 
Commission for approval. The Commission shall ap-
prove a modification of the model standards only if 
the Commission determines that such modification is 
consistent with or superior to the purpose of such 
standards and is required by reason of local condi-
tions. 
‘‘(D) If standards have not been approved 
under this paragraph by the Commission for any 
State within 2 years after the enactment of this sub-
section, the Commission shall, by rule or order, en-
force the Commission’s model standards in such 
State until such time as State standards are ap-
proved by the Commission. 
‘‘(E) Within two years after the enactment of 
this subsection, and after notice and opportunity for 
comment, the Commission shall publish an update of 
such model standards, considering changes in the 
underlying standards and technologies. Such updates 
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shall be made available to State regulatory authori-
ties for their consideration. 
‘‘(3) SAFETY, 
RELIABILITY, 
PERFORMANCE, 
AND COST.—The standards under this section shall 
establish those measures for the safety and reli-
ability of the affected equipment and local distribu-
tion systems as may be appropriate. Such standards 
shall be consistent with all applicable safety and per-
formance standards established by the national elec-
trical code, the Institute of Electrical and Elec-
tronics Engineers, Underwriters Laboratories, or the 
American National Standards Institute yet con-
stitute the minimum cost and technical burdens to 
the interconnecting customer generator as the Com-
mission shall, by rule, prescribe. 
‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL CHARGES.—The model stand-
ards under this subsection prohibit the imposition of 
additional charges by local distribution systems for 
equipment or services for interconnection that are 
additional to those necessary to meet such standards 
and that are in excess of the charges and equipment 
requirements identified in the best practices of 
states with interconnection standards. 
‘‘(5) RELATIONSHIP TO EXISTING LAW REGARD-
ING INTERCONNECTION.—Nothing in this subsection 
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