An Act To Allow Consumer-owned Transmission and Distribution Utilities To Apply for Efficiency Maine Grants
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 0825
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology
Sponsors: HOBBINS
Amends: 35-A MRSA §10109

Legislative Document 
No. 825 
H.P. 559 
House of Representatives, March 10, 2015 
An Act To Allow Consumer-owned Transmission and Distribution 
Utilities To Apply for Efficiency Maine Grants 
Reference to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology suggested and ordered 
printed. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative HOBBINS of Saco. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  35-A MRSA §10109, sub-§4, ¶A, as amended by PL 2013, c. 369, Pt. A, 
§15, is further amended to read: 
A.  During fiscal years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16, not less than 50% of the trust 
funds received during those years must be allocated for measures, investments and 
arrangements that reduce electricity consumption or reduce greenhouse gas emissions 
and lower energy costs at commercial or industrial facilities or that meet the 
requirements of paragraph E-1, and 35% of the funds received by the trust fund 
during those years must be used for investment in measures that lower residential 
heating energy demand and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The measures that 
lower residential heating demand must be fuel-neutral and may include, but are not 
limited to, energy efficiency improvements to residential buildings and upgrades to 
efficient heating systems that will reduce residential energy costs and greenhouse gas 
emissions, as determined by the board. The trust shall transfer to the commission 
15% of funds received by the trust fund during fiscal years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 
2015-16, which the commission shall direct transmission and distribution utilities to 
disburse to ratepayers in a manner that provides maximum benefit to the Maine 
economy. Subject to the apportionment pursuant to this subsection, the trust shall 
fund conservation programs that give priority to measures with the highest benefit-to-
cost ratio, as long as cost-effective collateral efficiency opportunities are not lost, and 
that: 
(1)  Reliably reduce greenhouse gas production and heating energy costs by fossil 
fuel combustion in the State at the lowest cost in funds from the trust fund per 
unit of emissions; or 
(2)  Reliably reduce the consumption of electricity in the State at the lowest cost 
in funds from the trust fund per kilowatt-hour saved. 
Sec. 2.  35-A MRSA §10109, sub-§4, ¶E-1 is enacted to read: 
E-1.  A consumer-owned transmission and distribution utility as defined in section 
3201, subsection 6 may apply for funds under this section to support the development 
of a distributed generation facility or combined heat and power facility, as long as: 
(1)  The facility will reduce electricity consumption or reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions and lower energy costs for the ratepayers of the consumer-owned 
transmission and distribution utility; 
(2)  The facility will be owned and operated by an entity other than the 
consumer-owned transmission and distribution utility; 
(3)  The facility will have an electrical efficiency in excess of 40%, as determined 
by the trust; and 
(4)  The owner of the facility provides performance guarantees to insulate 
ratepayers from any risks associated with the construction of the facility. 
SUMMARY 
This bill allows a consumer-owned transmission and distribution utility to apply for 
funding from the Efficiency Maine Trust to support the development of a distributed 
generation facility or combined heat and power facility as long as the facility will reduce 
electricity consumption or reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower energy costs, the 
facility will be owned and operated by an entity other than the consumer-owned 
transmission and distribution utility, the facility will meet certain electrical efficiency 
standards and the owner of the facility provides performance guarantees to insulate 
ratepayers from any risks associated with the construction of the facility.