Resolve, To Require a O Study of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions from the Proposed Central Maine Power Company Transmission Corridor
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 0640
Committee Amendment CA_A_S82 (Senate)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" ft "to S.P. 202, L.D. 640, "Resolve, To Require a 
O 
Study of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions from the Proposed Central Maine Power 
Company Transmission Corridor" 
Amend the resolve by striking out everything after the emergency preamble and 
before the emergency clause and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. Greenhouse gas emissions reductions study of NECEC project. 
Resolved: 
That, except as otherwise provided in this section, the Department of 
Environmental Protection, referred to in this section as "the department," shall 
commission a study in accordance with this section regarding the potential effect of the 
New England Clean Energy Connect project, as proposed by Central Maine Power 
Company and referred to in this section as "the NECEC project," on total greenhouse gas 
emissions across all jurisdictions interconnected with electricity generation and 
distribution systems operated by the Hydro-Quebec company. The study must be based 
on a modeling analysis over the proposed NECEC project contract period 2023 to 2042, 
with and without construction of the NECEC project, that incorporates appropriate 
assumptions on factors such as load growth, fuel costs, variation in dispatch of electricity 
among electricity markets, rainfall, electricity transmission constraints, addition and 
retirement of electric generation facilities and technology development. The fmdings of 
the study must be in a form that allows for comparison of greenhouse gas emissions 
effects, with and without construction of the NECEC project, to a benchmark ofreducing 
greenhouse gas emissions in New England by 3.6 million metric tons per year. 
1. Except as provided in subsection 3, the department shall enter into an agreement 
with an independent, nongovernmental organization with expertise in energy and 
environmental policy and analysis, referred to in this section as "the consultant," to 
conduct the study described in this section. The consultant shall submit to the department 
a final report regarding its findings no later than July 31, 2019. 
The selection of the 
consultant and the agreement to produce the study as required by this section are not 
subject to the competitive bid requirements of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, 
chapter 155. The agreement must specify that, as necessary, the consultant is required to 
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enter into agreements with other entities to conduct modeling or other analyses required 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" ft" to S.P. 202, L.D. 640 
( S -zj'Z) 
for the study. The agreement must also require the consultant, with input from any 
entities that have been secured by the consultant to assist with modeling and analyses, to 
develop a scope of work and modeling assumptions to guide the study and to submit that 
scope of work and those modeling assumptions to the department to be submitted to the 
Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and to be posted on the 
department's publicly accessible website for a period of no less than 10 days. Within that 
period of time, a person may submit to the department written comments regarding the 
scope of work and modeling assumptions. The department shall submit all comments 
received to the consultant. 
2. The department may accept funds from any source, public or private, to fund the 
costs of the study and report described in subsection 1, including, but not limited to, costs 
of the consultant in entering into agreements with other entities to conduct modeling or 
other analyses required for the study, and may only fund the costs of the study and report 
using outside funding received under this subsection. The department must deposit all 
funds received for these purposes into the Maine Environmental Protection Fund 
established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 38, section 351, and those funds must be 
segregated from other funds in that account and may be used only for these purposes. 
3. 
On or before August 15, 2019, the department shall submit the final report 
prepared by the consultant under subsection 1 to the Joint Standing Committee on 
Environment and Natural Resources, except that, if the department, by August 15, 2019, 
fails to receive sufficient outside funding under subsection 2 to fund all costs necessary 
for completion of the study and report described in subsection 1, the department is not 
required to enter into an agreement with a consultant pursuant to subsection 1 or to 
submit a final report under this subsection and the 45-day prohibition on issuance of a 
permit, license or other approval relating to the NECEC project under subsection 4 does 
not apply. At least 7 days before submitting the report to the committee, the department 
shall post the report on the department's publicly accessible website. Within that period 
of time, a person may submit to the department written comments regarding the report. 
The department shall submit all comments received to the committee with the report. 
4. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the department may 
not issue a permit, license or other approval relating to the NECEC project until at least 
days after the department submits the final report prepared by the consultant in 
accordance with subsection 3, except that this subsection does not apply if the 
department, by August 15, 2019, fails to receive sufficient outside funding under 
subsection 2 to fund all costs necessary for completion of the study and report described 
in subsection 1 or, by August 15, 2019, fails to submit the final report to the Joint 
Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources in accordance with 
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subsection 3. 
For the purposes of this section, "greenhouse gas" has the same meaning as in the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 38, section 574, subsection 1.' 
Amend the resolve by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to S.P. 202, L.D. 640 ( s~ 'is-2..J 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, replaces the resolve 
and directs the Department of Environmental Protection to commission a study regarding 
the potential effect of the New England Clean Energy Connect, or NECEC, project, as 
proposed by Central Maine Power Company, on total greenhouse gas emissions across all 
jurisdictions interconnected with electricity generation and distribution systems operated 
by the Hydro-Quebec company. The findings of the study regarding greenhouse gas 
emissions effects, with and without construction of the NECEC project, must be 
presented in relation to a benchmark of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in New 
England by 3.6 million metric tons per year. The study, which is to be prepared by a 
consultant that is an independent, nongovernmental organization with expertise in energy 
and environmental policy and analysis, must be based on a modeling analysis that 
incorporates appropriate assumptions regarding load growth, fuel costs, variation in 
dispatch of electricity among electricity markets, rainfall, electricity transmission 
constraints, addition and retirement of electric generation facilities and technology 
development. 
On or before August 15, 2019, the department is required to submit the final report 
prepared by the consultant to the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural 
Resources. The department may not issue a permit, license or other approval relating to 
the NECEC project until at least 45 days after it submits to the committee the final report 
prepared by the consultant, except that this 45-day prohibition does not apply if the 
department fails to submit the final report to the committee on or before August 15, 2019. 
2~ 
The department may accept funds from any source, public or private, to fund the 
costs of the study and report and may only fund the costs of the study and report using 
outside funding received for those purposes. If the department, by August 15, 2019, fails 
to receive sufficient outside funding for the study, the department is not required to enter 
into an agreement with the consultant to complete the study or to submit a final report to 
the committee and the 45-day prohibition does not apply. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 04/29/19 feac. 
LD 640 
LR 2042(02) 
Resolve, To Require a Study of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions from the Proposed Central 
Maine Power Company Transmission Corridor 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 'A-" (S~t~) 
Committee: Environment and Natural Resources 
.· 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Cunent biennium cost increase - Other Special Revenue Funds 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
This resolve requires the Depaiiment of Environmental Protection (DEP) to hire a consultant to complete a study 
regarding the potential impact of the New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) project. The cost of the study 
must be funded with unspecified outside funding. The DEP is required to report the findings of the study by August 
15, 2019 and may not issue a pe1111it, license or other approval relating to the NECEC until 45 days after reporting the 
findings. If sufficient funding is not received by August I 5, 2019 the DEP is not required to hire a consultant, or to 
complete the study or to delay the issuance of any pennit, license or other approval relating to the NECEC. 
LR2042(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1