Source: http://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/bills_129th/billtexts/HP100402.asp
Timestamp: 2020-02-29 08:03:06
Document Index: 203570074

Matched Legal Cases: ['§4352', '§4', '§1', '§3131', '§4', '§3']

HP1004, LD 1383, item 2, ‘An Act To Amend Maine's Municipal Land Use and Eminent Domain Laws Regarding High-impact Electric Transmission Lines’
C "A", Filing Number H-435, Sponsored by
‘An Act To Amend Maine's Municipal Land Use and Eminent Domain Laws Regarding High-impact Electric Transmission Lines’
‘Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §4352, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2009, c. 615, Pt. G, §1, is further amended to read:
4. Exemptions. Real estate used or to be used by a public utility , as defined in Title 35-A, section 102, subsection 13 , by a person who is issued a certificate by the Public Utilities Commission under Title 35-A, section 122 or by a renewable ocean energy project as defined in Title 12, section 1862, subsection 1, paragraph F-1 is wholly or partially exempt from an a zoning ordinance only when on petition, notice and public hearing the Public Utilities Commission determines that the exemption is reasonably necessary for public welfare and convenience and, if the real estate is used or to be used by a public utility for a high-impact electric transmission line, only if the municipal officers by affirmative vote approve the exemption determined by the commission. The Public Utilities Commission shall adopt by rule procedures to implement this subsection. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. For the purposes of this subsection, "high-impact electric transmission line" has the same meaning as in Title 35-A, section 3131, subsection 4-A and "municipal officers" has the same meaning as in section 2001, subsection 10.
Sec. 2. 35-A MRSA §3131, sub-§4-A, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 655, Pt. A, §3, is amended to read:
4. Commission approval required; certificate of public convenience and necessity; environmental factors. A location to be taken by eminent domain for such transmission or distribution lines must be approved by the commission before a transmission and distribution utility can exercise the right of eminent domain granted in subsection 1 or subsection 3. A location to be taken by eminent domain for a high-impact electric transmission line must also be approved by affirmative vote of the municipal officers in the location in which the eminent domain will be exercised before a transmission and distribution utility can exercise the right of eminent domain granted in subsection 1. The commission may not approve a location to be taken by eminent domain for the construction, rebuilding or relocation of a transmission line that requires a certificate of public convenience and necessity under section 3132, unless the commission has issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity for that transmission line. Environmental factors to be considered for proper location of a transmission line are not subject to review by the commission under this section when the location of the transmission line has received site location of development approval under Title 38, section 484. For the purposes of this subsection, "municipal officers" has the same meaning as in Title 30-A, section 2001, subsection 10, except that if the location is in the unorganized or deorganized territory, municipal officers means the county commissioners.’