An Act To Establish the Northern Maine Power Agency
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1248
Committee: Utilities and Energy
Sponsors: SHERMAN, WESTON, CLEARY, CURTIS, GIFFORD, JOY, THERIAULT

Legislative Document 
No. 1248 
S.P.434 
March 8, 2007 
An Act To Establish the Northern Maine Power Agency 
Reference to the Committee on Utilities and Energy suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Senator SHERMAN of Aroostook. 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Cosponsored by Senator: WESTON of Waldo, Representatives: CLEARY of Houlton, 
CURTIS of Madison, GIFFORD of Lincoln, JOY of Crystal, McLEOD of Lee, THERIAULT 
of Madawaska. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 10 MRSA c. 1005 is enacted to read: 
CHAPTER 1005 
NORTHERN MAINE POWER AGENCY 
§9251. Northern Maine Power Agency established 
1. Establishment; purpose. The Northern Maine Power Agency, referred to in this 
chapter as "the agency," is established as a body corporate and politic and a public 
instrumentality of the State. The corporation is a special purpose corporation. The 
exercise by the agency of the powers conferred by this chapter is considered the 
performance of essential public functions. The purposes of the agency are to: 
A. 
Purchase and supply electric capacity and energy to serve the standard offer 
requirements of the transmission and distribution utilities participating in the northern 
Maine independent system administrator; and 
B. Construct, lease and operate transmission facilities projects as defined in section 
963-A, subsection 49-H. 
2. Approvals. This chapter may not be interpreted to exempt the construction, 
ownership, leasing or operation of a project or facility by the agency from an approval 
required by law or rule or to alter the service territories or rights of a transmission and 
distribution utility. 
3. Boards. The powers of the agency are exercised by a board of directors, referred 
to in this chapter as "the board," that consists of 6 members, appointed by the boards of 
directors of the transmission and distribution utilities that are participating in the northern 
Maine independent system administrator: 
A. The chief executive officer of the agency, elected by the other members of the 
board. The vote of the chief executive officer is only an advisory vote and may not 
be counted if that vote causes a tie on the board; 
B. The chief executive officer or the chief executive officer's designee representing 
each of the 4 affected transmission and distribution utilities; and 
C. The Public Advocate or the Public Advocate's designee. 
4. 
Standard offer. To ensure that a sufficient electric load is supplied, every 
customer of a transmission and distribution utility participating in the northern Maine 
independent system administrator is required to take standard offer service from the 
transmission and distribution utility to which the customer is connected. 
A. A customer taking service other than standard offer service under contract on the 
effective date of this section may continue to purchase the contractual service for as 
long as the customer does so continuously from that supplier and is exempt from this 
section. 
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B. A customer having an average calendar year electric load calculated by monthly 
peaks of at least 15 megawatts is exempt from this section. 
The agency may obtain standard offer power supply under the same conditions as 
prescribed in statute for consumer-owned utilities. Each transmission and distribution 
utility participating in the northern Maine independent system administrator shall obtain 
standard offer supply as othenvise provided under Title 35-A and mav obtain the standard 
offer supply from the agency or another authorized entity. 
5. 
Powers. The agency has all the powers necessary to cany out this chapter 
including, without limitation, those general powers provided to a nonprofit corporation by 
the Maine Nonprofit Corporation Act. 
A. The agency is authorized to recover from customers its operating costs, subject to 
approval of the Public Utilities Commission, as an energy surcharge on power supply 
charges. 
The agency shall recover from customers on a uniform and 
nondiscriminatory basis the actual cost of power supply obtained pursuant to this 
chapter. 
B. The agency shall recover all costs relating to transmission service as prescribed in 
the Federal Power Act, 16 United States Code, Section 791 a. 
SUMMARY 
This bill establishes the Northern Maine Power Agency in order to obtain power 
supply for standard offer service to construct or lease and operate transmission facilities 
to the 4 utilities participating in the northern Maine independent system administrator.