An Act Regarding Compensation by Large Transmission and Distribution Utilities
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1729
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology
Sponsors: KEIM, BERRY
Amends: 35-A MRSA §316

Legislative Document
No. 1729
S.P. 628
In Senate, December 22, 2017
An Act Regarding Compensation by Large Transmission and 
Distribution Utilities
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203.
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on December 19, 2017.  Referred to the Committee 
on Energy, Utilities and Technology pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator KEIM of Oxford.
Cosponsored by Representative BERRY of Bowdoinham.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  35-A MRSA §316 is enacted to read:
§316.  Customer-constructed service drops
1.  Definitions.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings.
A.  
"Large transmission and distribution utility" means a transmission and 
distribution utility serving more than 500,000 retail customers.
B.  "Service drop" means the service cable or other conductor providing secondary 
voltage to a customer's service entrance equipment from a transformer or from a 
secondary conductor, as defined by the commission by rule.
2.  Service drop reimbursements.  The construction and reimbursement of costs of 
the construction of a service drop by a customer of a large transmission and distribution 
utility is governed by the following:
A.  At the request of the customer, the large transmission and distribution utility shall 
reimburse a customer for a customer-constructed service drop as long as:
(1)  The service drop is no more than 150 feet in length if the service drop is 
located on the same side of the street as the large transmission and distribution 
utility's distribution facilities or no more than 200 feet if the service drop is 
located on the opposite side of the street from the large transmission and 
distribution utility's distribution facilities; and
(2)  The service drop meets the National Electrical Safety Code and the large 
transmission and distribution utility's standards; and
B.  The price paid by the large transmission and distribution utility to reimburse the 
customer for a customer-constructed service drop, regardless of whether the service 
drop was constructed underground or aboveground, may not exceed the amount the 
large transmission and distribution utility would have expended if that utility had 
constructed an aboveground service drop to serve that customer.
3.  Rules.  The commission shall adopt rules to carry out the provisions of this 
section.  Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined 
in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes requirements relating to so-called electric service drops 
constructed by customers of large electric transmission and distribution utilities.  The bill 
requires a utility to reimburse a customer for an aboveground or underground customer-
constructed service drop at the customer's request, but limits the price to be paid to the 
cost the utility would have expended to construct an aboveground service drop.