An Act Regarding Solar Power for Farms and Businesses
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1504
Committee Amendment CA_A-HA_B_H554 (House)

HOUSE AMENDMENT «8 "to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 529, 
L.D. 1504, Bill, "An Act Regarding Solar Power for Farms and Businesses" 
Amend the amendment by striking out all of section 1 (page 1, lines 15 to 22 in 
amendment). 
Amend the amendment in section 2 in §3209-A in subsection 3 in the 3rd line (page 
2, line 20 in amendment) by striking out the following: 
11200
and insetiing the following: 
'100' 
Amend the amendment in section 2 in §3209-A by striking out all of subsection 4 
(page 2, lines 27 to 31 in amendment) and insetiing the following: 
'4. 
Rules. 
The commission shall adopt rules governing net energy billing to 
implement this section. The rules must apply the following percentages to the net energy 
for an eligible customer's transmission and distribution bill: 
A. 
One hundred percent for a customer that applies for a net energy billing 
arrangement by December 31, 2017; 
B. Ninety percent for a customer that applies for a net energy billing anangement 
after December 31, 2017 and by December 31, 2018; and 
C. Eighty percent for a customer that applies for a net energy billing anangement 
after December 31, 2018 and by December 31, 2019. 
After December 31, 2019, the commission, by rule. may reduce by up to 10% in any 
calendar year the percentage of an eligible customer's net energy that applies to that 
customer's transmission and distribution bill as long as any reduction applies only to 
customers that apply for a net energy billing al'l'angement in that calendar year. 
An eligible customer that applies for a net energy billing anangement by December 31, 
2017 may continue with the net energy billing arrangement until December 31, 2032. An 
eligible customer that applies for a net energy billing arrangement after December 31, 
2017 may continue with that net energy billing anangement until the end of the calendar 
year that is 15 years from the year in which the customer applied for the net energy 
billing arrangement. 
HOUSE AMENDMENT 
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HOUSE AMENDMENT "8" to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 529, L.D. 1504 
Rules adopted or amended under this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 
5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.' 
Amend the amendment in section 3 in the 3rd line (page 2, line 34 in amendment) by 
striking out the following: 
112021
and inserting the following: '2019' 
Amend the amendment in section 3 in the 5th line (page 2, line 36 in amendment) by 
striking out the following: "rate designs" and inserting the following: 'alternative options' 
Amend the amendment in section 3 in subsection 1 in the 2nd line (page 2, line 39 in 
amendment) by striking out the following: "and application of cost causation principles in 
rate design" 
Amend the amendment in section 3 in the first indented paragraph in the 2nd line 
(page 3, line 7 in amendment) by inserting after the following: "energy billing" the 
following: 'and alternatives to net energy billing' 
Amend the amendment in section 3 in the first indented paragraph in the 2nd line 
(page 3, line 7 in amendment) by inserting after the following: "proceeding" the 
following: 'that must be concluded by December 31, 2018' 
Amend the amendment in section 3 in the first indented paragraph in the 5th line 
(page 3, line 10 in amendment) by inserting after the following: "section 2" the following: 
', as well as all identifiable costs and benefits for participants and nonparticipants of any 
alternative' 
Amend the amendment in section 3 in the first indented paragraph by striking out all 
of the last 2 sentences (page 3, lines 13 to 19 in amendment) 
Amend the amendment in section 3 in the 2nd indented paragraph in the first line 
(page 3, line 20 in amendment) by inse1ting before the following: "In" the following: 'In 
the same or a separate adjudicat01y proceeding, the commission shall also explore rate 
design options that would be in the best interest of ratepayers and support the long-term, 
sustainable development of distributed generation.' 
Amend the amendment in section 3 in the 2nd indented paragraph in the 2nd and 3rd 
lines (page 3, lines 21 and 22 in amendment) by striking out the following: "and the 
Public Advocate," and insetting the following: ', the Public Advocate and others,' 
Amend the amendment in section 3 by insetting after the 2nd indented paragraph a 
new indented paragraph to read: 
'For any recommendation made in the report, based on the adjudicatory proceeding or 
proceedings, the commission shall quantify or estimate how the recommendation would 
increase or decrease costs to ratepayers over both the short term and the long term and 
how it is likely to affect solar installations. The commission shall address how the 
recommendation compares to the current net energy billing practice in tenns of effects on 
ratepayers and the rate at which customer-sited solar photovoltaic installations are 
occun'ing in the State.' 
Amend the amendment in section 3 in the 3rd indented paragraph in the last line 
(page 3, line 28 in amendment) by striking out the following: "130th" and inserting the 
following: '129th' 
HOUSE AMENDMENT 
HOUSE AMENDMENT '8" to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 529, L.D. 1504 
Amend the amendment by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter 
or section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment to Committee Amendment "A" requires a net energy billing 
customer that applies for a net energy billing arrangement by December 31, 2017 to 
receive 100% of the net energy of an eligible facility for the customer's transmission and 
distribution bill, a customer that applies for a net energy billing atTangement after 
December 31, 2017 and by December 31, 2018 to receive 90% of the net energy of an 
eligible facility for the customer's transmission and distribution bill and a customer that 
applies for a net energy billing atTangement after December 31, 2018 and by December 
31, 2019 to receive 80% of the net energy of an eligible facility for the customer's 
transmission and distribution bill. It allows the Public Utilities Commission by rule to 
reduce by up to 10% in any calendar year after December 31, 2019 the percentage of an 
eligible customer's net energy that applies to that customer's transmission and 
distribution bill as long as any reduction applies only to customers that apply for a net 
energy billing arrangement in that calendar year. It specifies that an eligible customer that 
applies for a net energy billing arrangement by December 31, 2017 may continue with the 
net energy billing arrangement until the end of the calendar year in 2032 and that an 
eligible customer that applies for a net energy billing arrangement after December 31, 
2017 may continue with that net energy billing atTangement until the end of the calendar 
year that is 15 years from the year in which the customer applied for the net energy 
billing arrangement. It reduces from 200 to 100 the number of eligible customers that 
may participate in a shared interest in an eligible facility or the number of meters 
associated with a single shared interest in an eligible facility. It changes the date for a 
repott required to be submitted to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over utilities and energy matters by the Public Utilities Commission from 
January 1, 2021 to January 1, 2019 and it requires that the Public Utilities Commission 
conclude an adjudicatory pr~ceed~~g ?Y December 31, 2018. This amendment also 
removes changes made r:~~; 
/ 
SPONSOREDDY: ~ 
(Representative HARVELL) 
TOWN: Farmington 
HOUSE AMENDMENT