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 eligible renewable resource research and development and to fund demonstration community projects using eligible renewable energy resource technologies. The State Planning Office shall administer the program. The program must:

A. Include a mechanism for customers to indicate their willingness to make contributions;

B. Provide that transmission and distribution utilities collect and account for the contributions and forward them to the commission;

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 eligible renewable resource research and development; and

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 eligible renewable energy resource technologies.

Rules adopted under this subsection are routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A 2-A.

Sec. 5. 35-A MRSA §3210, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 372, §2, is amended to read:

6. Fund. There is established the Voluntary Eligible Renewable Resource Fund, referred to in this subsection as the "fund." The fund is a nonlapsing fund administered by the State Planning Office. All funds collected by the commission pursuant to subsection 5 must be deposited in the fund for distribution by the State Planning Office in accordance with subsection 5. The State Planning Office may seek and accept funding for the program established pursuant to subsection 5 from other sources, public or private. Any funds accepted for use in the program established pursuant to subsection 5 must be deposited in the fund.