An Act To Reform Regulation of Consumer-owned Water Utilities
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1784
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology
Amends: 35-A MRSA §6114

Legislative Document 
No. 1784 
S.P. 710 
In Senate, February 18, 2014 
An Act To Reform Regulation of Consumer-owned Water Utilities 
Reported by Senator CLEVELAND of Androscoggin for the Joint Standing Committee on 
Energy, Utilities and Technology pursuant to Resolve 2013, chapter 47, section 1. 
Reference to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology suggested and ordered 
printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218. 
DAREK M. GRANT 
Secretary of the Senate 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  35-A MRSA §6114 is enacted to read: 
§6114.  Waiver of requirements 
The commission may grant exemptions from all or specified portions of this Title to 
individual consumer-owned water utilities or a class of consumer-owned water utilities, 
as defined in section 6101, subsection 1-A.  An exemption granted under this section 
must be granted pursuant to standards and procedures adopted by the commission by rule 
and must be accompanied by specific findings that the exemption is in the public interest 
and will not result in unjust or unreasonable rates or have a negative impact on the 
provision of safe, adequate and reliable service.  In waiving any function or requirement, 
the commission shall make specific findings that the consumer-owned water utility has 
adequate technical, financial and administrative capacity to perform the waived function 
or requirement.  The commission may limit an exemption to specific geographic areas.  A 
consumer-owned water utility granted an exemption under this section remains subject to 
section 301, subsections 1 to 3 and section 6109. 
For good cause, as defined by the commission by rule, the commission may revoke 
any exemption granted under this section.  A revocation may be in whole or in part and 
may be specific to individual entities or services. 
Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
SUMMARY 
This bill is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and 
Technology pursuant to Resolve 2013, chapter 47, section 1.  As required by the resolve, 
the Public Utilities Commission submitted to the committee its plan to reform the 
regulation of consumer-owned water utilities on January 30, 2014, including the 
necessary changes to law to implement its plan.  This bill incorporates the changes to law 
that the commission has indicated are necessary to implement its plan. 
The committee has not taken a position on the substance of the plan or this bill and by 
reporting this bill out the committee is not suggesting and does not intend to suggest that 
it agrees or disagrees with any aspect of the commission's plan or this bill.   The 
committee is reporting the bill out for the sole purpose of turning the commission's 
proposal into a printed bill that can be referred to the committee for an appropriate public 
hearing and subsequent processing in the normal course.  The committee is taking this 
action to ensure clarity and transparency in the legislative review of the commission's 
proposal.