Resolve, Establishing the Commission To Study the Economic, Environmental and Energy Benefits of Energy Storage to the Maine Electricity Industry

Sec. 1. Commission To Study the Economic, Environmental and Energy Benefits of Energy Storage to the Maine Electricity Industry established. Resolved: That the Commission To Study the Economic, Environmental and Energy Benefits of Energy Storage to the Maine Electricity Industry, referred to in this resolve as "the commission," is established.

Sec. 2. Membership. Resolved: That, notwithstanding Joint Rule 353, the commission consists of 14 members appointed as follows:

1. Two members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, including a member from each of the 2 parties holding the largest number of seats in the Legislature;

2. Three members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the House, including members from each of the 2 parties holding the largest number of seats in the Legislature;

3. Four public members, one of whom must be from the northern part of the State, appointed by the President of the Senate as follows:

4. Four public members appointed by the Speaker of the House as follows:

5. The Public Advocate or the Public Advocate's designee.

Sec. 3. Commission chairs. Resolved: That the first-named Senator is the Senate chair of the commission and the first-named member of the House is the House chair of the commission.

Sec. 4. Appointments; convening of commission. Resolved: That all appointments must be made no later than 30 days following the effective date of this resolve. The appointing authorities shall notify the Executive Director of the Legislative Council once all appointments have been made. When the appointment of all members has been completed, the chairs of the commission shall call and convene the first meeting of the commission. If 30 days or more after the effective date of this resolve a majority of but not all appointments have been made, the chairs may request authority and the Legislative Council may grant authority for the commission to meet and conduct its business.

Sec. 5. Duties. Resolved: That the commission shall hold at least 4 meetings and shall:

1. Review and evaluate the economic, environmental and energy benefits of energy storage to the State's electricity industry, as well as public policy and economic proposals to create and maintain a sustainable future for energy storage in the State;

2. Consider the challenges of the broad electricity market in the State, including challenges with transmission and stranded renewable energy generation in the northern part of the State, and analyze whether energy storage is part of the transmission solution;

3. Consider whether the environmental, economic, resiliency and energy benefits of energy storage support updating the State's energy policy to strengthen and increase the role of energy storage throughout the State;

4. Consider the economic benefits of energy storage systems procurement targets, including benefits of cost savings to ratepayers from the provision of services, including energy price arbitrage, capacity, ancillary services and transmission and distribution asset deferral or substitution; direct cost savings to ratepayers that deploy energy storage systems; an improved ability to integrate renewable resources; improved reliability and power quality; the effect on retail electric rates over the life of a given energy storage system compared to the effect on retail electric rates using a nonenergy storage system alternative over the life of the nonenergy storage system alternative; reduced greenhouse gas emissions; and any other value reasonably related to the application of energy storage system technology and compare those economic benefits to the effects of leaving current policies in place;

5. Review economically efficient and effective implementation approaches to energy storage targets;

6. Consider bring-your-own-device programs that offer credits for sharing stored energy with electric utilities and storm outage and response management programs for behind-the-meter energy storage to reduce peak reduction and increase resiliency; and

7. Examine any other issues to further the purposes of the study.

In conducting the duties under this section, the commission shall seek public input and shall consult and collaborate with stakeholders and experts in the fields of economic development, natural resources and energy policy.

Sec. 6. Staff assistance. Resolved: That, notwithstanding Joint Rule 353, the Legislative Council shall provide necessary staffing services to the commission, except that Legislative Council staff support is not authorized when the Legislature is in regular or special session.

Sec. 7. Report. Resolved: That, no later than December 4, 2019, the commission shall submit a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology that includes its findings and recommendations, including suggested legislation. The report may consider a review of economically efficient and effective implementation approaches for energy storage targets. The suggested legislation must include, but is not limited to, adopting procurement targets for the State for energy storage systems, both behind a customer meter and connected to transmission and distribution facilities, if proven beneficial for ratepayers in the cost-benefit analysis under section 5.