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An Act To Increase the Percentage of Renewable Power in Systems of Very Large Investor-owned Transmission and Distribution Utilities
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §3201, sub-§20  is enacted to read:
 
20.   Very large, investor-owned transmission and distribution utility.      “Very large, investor-owned transmission and distribution utility” means an investor-owned transmission and distribution utility serving more than 500,000 retail customers in the State.
Sec. 2. 35-A MRSA §3210, sub-§3-A  is enacted to read:
 
3-A.   Portfolio requirements; territory served by a very large, investor-owned transmission and distribution utility.     Notwithstanding subsection 3, as a condition of licensing pursuant to section 3203, each competitive electricity provider in this State that makes retail electricity sales in a territory served by a very large, investor-owned transmission and distribution utility must demonstrate in a manner satisfactory to the commission that the percentage of its portfolio of supply sources for retail electricity sales in that territory is accounted for by eligible resources in accordance with this section. The percentage:
 
A.   Must be 31% in 2008;
 
B.   Must increase by one percentage point over the previous year for the years 2009 to 2016; and
 
C.  Must be 40% in 2017 and each subsequent year.
 
If a competitive electricity provider represents to a customer that the provider is selling to the customer a portfolio of supply sources that includes more than the required percentage of eligible resources under this section, the resources necessary to supply more than the required percentage of that customer's load may not be applied to meet the aggregate percentage portfolio requirement.
 
The commission shall adopt rules to implement this subsection. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires that, beginning in 2008, a competitive electricity provider selling electricity to the public in an area served by an investor-owned transmission and distribution utility that serves more than 500,000 customers in the State must increase the percentage of its portfolio of supply sources provided by renewable resources. Specifically, such a competitive electricity provider must increase the percentage of its supply portfolio provided by eligible resources, including renewable and efficient resources, by one percentage point per year, beginning at the current requirement of 30% and increasing from 31% to 40% in the years 2008 through 2017.