| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: |
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| | Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §3210, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 316, §3, is | amended to read: |
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| | 5. Funding for research and development; community | demonstration projects. The commission by rule shall establish a | program allowing retail consumers of electricity to make | voluntary contributions to fund renewable resource research and | development and to fund demonstration community projects using | renewable energy technologies. The State Planning Office shall | administer the program. The program must: |
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| A. Include a mechanism for customers to indicate their | willingness to make contributions; |
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| B. Provide that transmission and distribution utilities | collect and account for the contributions and forward them | to the commission; and |
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| C. Provide for a distribution of the funds to the University | of Maine System, the Maine Maritime Academy or the Maine | Technical College System for renewable resource research and | development.; and |
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| D.__Provide for a distribution of the funds to Maine-based | nonprofit organizations that qualify under the federal | Internal Revenue Code, Section 501(c)(3), consumer-owned | electric cooperatives, community-based nonprofit | organizations and community action programs for | demonstration community projects using renewable energy | technologies. |
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| Rules adopted under this subsection are routine technical rules | pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A. |
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| | Sec. 2. 35-A MRSA §3210, sub-§6 is enacted to read: |
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| | 6.__Additional funding.__The State Planning Office may seek | and accept funding from other sources, whether public or private, | for the use of the program established under subsection 5.__Any | money in the fund may not lapse but must be carried forward. |
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| | Sec. 3. Appropriation. The following funds are appropriated from the | General Fund to carry out the purposes of this Act. |
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