An Act To Update the Comprehensive State Energy Plan To Achieve the State Energy Vision
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 2015
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology
Amends: 2 MRSA §9

Legislative Document
No. 2015
H.P. 1497
House of Representatives, March 9, 2022
An Act To Update the Comprehensive State Energy Plan To 
Achieve the State Energy Vision
Reported by Representative BERRY of Bowdoinham for the Joint Standing Committee on 
Energy, Utilities and Technology pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 2, section 9, 
subsection 3, paragraph C-1.
Reference to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology suggested and ordered 
printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  2 MRSA §9, sub-§3, ¶C, as amended by PL 2013, c. 541, §1, is repealed 
and the following enacted in its place:
C.  Establish a comprehensive state energy plan that includes measurable goals and 
report on the State's progress toward meeting the plan's goals in accordance with this 
paragraph.
(1)  In consultation with the Efficiency Maine Trust Board, established in Title 5, 
section 12004‑G, subsection 10‑C, and with input from the public, the director shall 
prepare and submit to the Governor and the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over energy and utilities matters by January 15, 
2024 a comprehensive state energy plan and by January 15 of every even-
numbered year thereafter an updated state energy plan.
(2)  The state energy plan must:
(a)  Include specific goals and strategies to achieve the state energy vision 
established in subsection 8;
(b)  Include specific 2-year, 10-year and 30-year goals pursuant to division (a) 
and recommended strategies to achieve these goals;
(c)  Include benchmarks by which progress toward the goals in division (b) 
will be measured; and
(d)  Describe in detail alternative pathways considered in developing the goals 
and strategies included in the state energy plan. For each alternative pathway 
considered, the report must include the economic modeling applied to that 
alternative pathway and the contingencies considered in the modeling and must 
include a description of how consideration of the alternative pathways 
informed the goals and strategies included in the state energy plan.
(3)  Beginning in 2026, each updated state energy plan required by subparagraph 
(1) must include a discussion of the State's progress toward achieving the goals of 
the plan including specific measurements of success or failure with respect to each 
benchmark established in the plan. If an updated state energy plan includes changes 
to the goals or strategies of the state energy plan, the director shall, before finalizing 
the updated plan, offer to provide a detailed briefing of those changes to the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over energy and utilities 
matters and, at the request of the committee, shall provide such a briefing and 
opportunity for input from the committee.
(4)  Any changes in the benchmarks or methods for measuring success included in 
any updated state energy plan must be identified in the updated plan and must be 
designed to maintain and promote the maximum possible consistency in order to 
ensure accountability, transparency and public understanding.  The state energy 
plan must include an explanation of the nature of each change and how the change 
ensures such consistency.  The state energy plan may include additional 
benchmarks or methods to reflect any changes to the goals and strategies of the 
plan.
After a review of any state energy plan submitted under this paragraph, the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over energy and utilities 
matters may report out a bill relating to the plan.
Sec. 2.  2 MRSA §9, sub-§8 is enacted to read:
8.  State energy vision. In carrying out its duties under this section, including when 
developing the state energy plan under subsection 3, paragraph C, the office shall seek to 
achieve the following goals, referred to in this section as "the state energy vision":
A. Total energy costs for the average household in the State are no higher than for the 
average household in the United States, and the average energy costs for residents and 
businesses in the State decline over time;
B. Energy spending in the State is directed whenever feasible to economic activity that 
creates short-term and long-term jobs and increases overall state gross domestic 
product;
C. Greenhouse gas emissions described under Title 38, section 576-A that are produced 
by energy use or production are reduced through measures that address both energy 
consumption and energy production;
D. State energy policies improve the State's air, soil and water quality in a manner that 
does not cause undue environmental or economic harm to other states or regions;
E. On average, household energy costs in the State as a portion of household income 
are equitable across all income levels; 
F.  Average interruptions of energy supply and delivery in the State are no longer in 
duration or no more frequent than the average such interruptions among the other states 
in the United States, and the frequency and duration of the interruptions decrease over 
time; 
G.  Energy supply and delivery systems sufficient to meet basic needs are available to 
all residents of the State and capable of functioning independently of regular supply 
and delivery systems for prolonged periods during likely and foreseeable extreme 
weather events; and
H. All energy supply and delivery disruptions that may be reasonably anticipated, 
including those that could be caused intentionally by a malicious actor, are prevented 
or minimized, and critical energy infrastructure is protected from ownership or control 
that is adverse to the interests of consumers.
SUMMARY
This bill, which is reported by the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and 
Technology pursuant to its authority under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 2, section 9, 
subsection 3, paragraph C-1, creates a state energy vision and directs the Governor's Energy 
Office to develop a state energy plan that defines goals and strategies to achieve the state 
energy vision. The plan must be submitted every 2 years and include specific benchmarks 
for measuring the State's progress toward its goals. The joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over energy and utilities matters may report out legislation 
relating to the content of the plan.