An Act To Help Maine Residents with High Electricity Costs
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 2010
Committee Amendment CA_A_SA_A_S569 (Senate)

SENATE AMENDMENT" A "to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 723, 
L.D. 2010, "An Act To Help Maine Residents with High Electricity Costs" 
Amend the amendment in section 1 by inserting after subsection 1 the following: 
'2. "Consumer-owned transmission and distribution utility" has the same meaning as 
in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 3201, subsection 6.' 
Amend the amendment in section 1 by inserting after subsection 2 the following: 
'3. "Department" means the Department of Economic and Community Development.' 
Amend the amendment in section 1 by renumbering the subsections to read 
consecutively. 
Amend the amendment by striking out all of sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and inserting 
the following: 
'Sec. 2. Identification of eligible customers. Resolved: That, by September 1, 
2022, each covered utility shall identify which of its customers are eligible customers and 
report to the department the number of eligible customers in each relief payment tier 
specified in section 5, subsections 1 to 3 and the amount of the total payments the covered 
utility will be required to make to eligible customers in accordance with the department's 
determination under section 5. 
Sec. 3. Energy rate relief payments. Resolved: That, by September 15, 2022, 
the commission shall verify the amounts reported by each covered utility under section 2 
and certify the total amount for each covered utility to the department, the Treasurer of 
State and the State Controller. By September 30, 2022, the State Controller shall transfer 
the total amount certified by the commission from the funds designated by the department 
to the fund. Within 15 days after the State Controller has transferred the total amount to the 
fund, the Treasurer of State shall pay from the fund to each covered utility the amount 
attributable to that utility. The covered utility shall deposit funds received into a separate 
account to be used only for the purposes of this section and not for other purposes. 
Sec. 4. Energy rate relief payments by covered utilities. Resolved: That, by 
October 30, 2022, each covered utility shall credit to the account of each eligible customer 
the amount of relief payment to which the eligible customer is entitled under section 5 
unless the eligible customer is no longer a customer of the utility. By November 15, 2022, 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
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SENATEAMENDMENT"A "to COMMITTEEAMENDMENT"A"to S.P. 723, L.D. 2010 ($-'5l.oci\ 
the covered utility shall report to the department the total amount of relief payments applied 
to eligible customer accounts and the total number of eligible customers who received an 
account credit in each relief payment tier specified in section 5, subsections 1 to 3. When 
a covered utility credits the relief payment to the customer's bill, the utility may deduct that 
amount from the separate account set aside for purposes of this section under section 3 and 
treat that amount as if it were a payment by the customer. Any funds that a covered utility 
does not credit to an eligible customer under this section by June 1, 2023 must be returned 
to the Treasurer of State, who, by December 31, 2023, shall transfer the funds to the 
department. 
Sec. 5. 
Energy rate relief payment distribution. Resolved: That the 
department shall determine the amount of relief payments for covered utilities to credit to 
an eligible customer based on the number of kilowatt-hours billed by the covered utility to 
the customer on the February 2022 invoice in accordance with the following relief payment 
tiers: 
1. Tier 1 includes eligible customers that used at least 1,000 but no more than 49,999 
kilowatt-hours; 
2. Tier 2 includes eligible customers that used at least 50,000 but no more than 100,000 
kilowatt-hours; and 
3. Tier 3 includes eligible customers that used more than 100,000 kilowatt-hours. 
Sec. 6. Energy Rate Relief Fund. Resolved: That the Energy Rate Relief Fund 
is established for purposes of facilitating relief payments under this section. The fund 
consists of all resources transferred to the fund by the State Controller under section 3 and 
funds identified by the department to implement this section. The fund must be used to 
provide relief payments to covered utilities or consumer-owned transmission and 
distribution utilities under this section. The department may use the fund to provide energy 
rate relief to eligible customers of a consumer-owned transmission and distribution utility. 
Any amounts remaining in the fund on June 30, 2023 must be transferred by the State 
Controller to the department. 
Sec. 7. Review. Resolved: That, by June 30, 2023, the department shall undertake 
a review of each covered utility to ensure that the relief payment under section 3 has been 
credited to eligible customers or returned to the State in accordance with section 4. If the 
department determines that any of the requirements of this section have not been complied 
with, the department may issue appropriate orders to correct the noncompliance or provide 
a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over energy, 
utilities and technology matters recommending legislation to address the matter. 
Sec. 8. 
Appropriations and allocations. Resolved: That the following 
appropriations and allocations are made. 
ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, DEPARTMENT OF 
Energy Rate Relief Fund N961 
Initiative: Provides a base allocation to authorize expenditure of funds received to provide 
relief payments to covered utilities. 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
All Other 
2021-22 
$0 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
2022-23 
$500 
~os 
( 
SENATE AMENDMENT" A "to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 723, L.D. 2010 (S-51.Q~ 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL 
$0 
$500 
Amend the amendment by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment amends Committee Amendment 11A 11 by requiring the Department of 
Economic and Community Development to administer the energy rate relief fund 
payments, instead of the Public Utilities Commission, using funds designated by the 
department. It authorizes the department to determine the amount of relief payments for 
covered utilities to credit to eligible customers according to tiers based on the number of 
kilowatt-hours used by eligible customers. It also authorizes the department to use funds 
for providing energy rate relief to consumer-owned transmission and distribution utilities 
and makes other technical changes. 
SPONSORED BY: _t---'---'11_dti--'-----------
(President JACKSON½ 
COUNTY: Aroostook 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 04/18/22 ,::k,ae. 
LD 2010 
LR2606(04) 
Resolve, To Help Certain Businesses with Electricity Costs 
Fiscal Note for Senate Amendment ':A." to Committee Amendment "A" (S-5ld't) 
Sponsor: Pres. Jackson of Aroostook 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Current biennium cost increase - American Recovery Plan Act (ARP A) Funds 
FY 2021-22 
FY 2022-23 
Projections 
FY 2023-24 
Projections 
FY 2024-25 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Transfers 
General Fund 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
$0 
$0 
$0 
$0 
($8,549,500) 
($8,549,000) 
$8,549,500 
($8,549,500) 
$0 
$500 
$0 
$0 
$0 
$500 
$0 
$0 
This amendment eliminates the transfer from the unappropriated surplus of the General Fund to the Treasurer of State 
in fiscal year 2022-23 to pay for energy rate relief payments. It also shifts the responsibility for determining the 
amount of the payments from the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to the Department of Economic and Community 
Development (DECD). 
The amendment replaces the methodology for determining the amount of relief payments in the committee amendment 
and instead requires the DECD to use a tiered structure of kilowatt-hour usage reflected on a customer's February 
2022 invoice and the number of eligible customers identified by each covered utility. The DECD has indicated that it 
will use $7.0 million in existing funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 already allocated to the 
DECD in Public Law 2021, chapter 483 to provide the relief payments. The amount to be credited to each eligible 
customers bill will depend on 1) the individual's usage; 2) the total number of eligible customers identified by the 
covered utilities; and 3) the $7.0 million in ARPA funds to be used for this purpose. 
LR2606(04) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of2 
SA {~-~lo~ 
This amendment includes a base Other Special Revenue Funds allocation of $500 in fiscal year 2022-23 to a newly 
established Energy Rate Relief Fund within the DECD to allow expenditure of any funds received to facilitate energy 
rate relief payments to eligible customers of a consumer-owned transmission and distribution utility. Additional costs 
to the PUC and the DECD associated with administering the program can be absorbed within existing budgeted 
resources. 
LR2606(04) - Fiscal Note - Page 2 of2