‘An Act To Advance the Establishment of a Single, Independent Smart Grid Coordinator’

‘Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §3143, sub-§2, ¶D,  as enacted by PL 2009, c. 539, §2, is amended to read:

Sec. 2. Stakeholder group to evaluate options and prepare recommendations. The Office of the Public Advocate shall convene a stakeholder group to discuss and frame for legislative consideration options and recommendations for the efficient and effective functioning of a single, independent smart grid coordinator. The group shall address issues raised in the order dated December 15, 2017 and the examiners' report issued in the Public Utilities Commission's proceeding Docket No. 2016-00049 including, but not limited to:

1. The qualifications an entity should possess in order to qualify as a smart grid coordinator and the criteria the Public Utilities Commission should use in selecting a smart grid coordinator;

2. The approach to be employed regarding costs and incentives related to implementing the provisions of the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 3143 and considering nonwires alternatives in proposals made pursuant to Title 35-A, sections 3132 and 3132-A, including:

3. The roles of the Office of the Public Advocate, the Efficiency Maine Trust, as established in Title 5, section 12004-G, subsection 10-C, and transmission and distribution utilities in meeting the goals of Title 35-A, section 3143 while:

4. The specific process to ensure the efficient, timely review and approval of traditional transmission and distribution projects and nonwires alternatives and the process or approach to be employed in order for the Public Utilities Commission to retain the appropriate authority over the procurement and operation of nonwires alternatives and utility investment decisions; and

5. The additional legislative authority or directives needed to ensure the efficient and effective establishment of a smart grid coordinator, promotion of the goals under Title 35-A, section 3143 and development of nonwires alternatives to achieve grid reliability at the lowest cost to ratepayers.

The stakeholder group must be open to all interested parties. Reasonable costs to facilitate the group must be determined by the Office of the Public Advocate and may be paid from revenues received pursuant to Title 35-A, section 10109 by the Efficiency Maine Trust.

The Office of the Public Advocate shall submit by February 1, 2019 a report that summarizes the discussions and recommendations from the stakeholder group to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over energy and utility matters. The committee may report out a bill based on the recommendations in the report to the First Regular Session of the 129th Legislature.

Sec. 3. Public Utilities Commission consideration of rate proposals. Until 90 days after adjournment of the First Regular Session of the 129th Legislature, the Public Utilities Commission may not implement any final decisions related to any rate proposals received from any transmission and distribution utility pursuant to the commission's order of December 15, 2017, in the Public Utilities Commission's Docket No. 2016-00049, that puts wires and nonwires solutions on equal footing for rate-making incentive purposes.’