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Amend the resolve by striking out everything after the title and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1 Report. Resolved: That, no later than January 31, 2008, the Department of Environmental Protection shall report to the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy concerning the criteria that the department uses to fulfill the standards of the Maine Waterway Development and Conservation Act with respect to assessing the value of hydropower generation. The report must include a summary of written findings of fact from a representative sample of cases and written explanation of how the findings of fact are used in decisions regarding hydropower projects, including the methods used to determine the current and future value of renewable energy considering the cost of electricity to Maine consumers, indigenous production, greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel independence. The joint standing committee may submit legislation to the 123rd Legislature to ensure that the criteria used by the department provide the department with sufficient direction to fully assess the public benefit with respect to hydropower.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment is the minority report of the committee. The amendment retains the requirement that the Department of Environmental Protection report on the criteria it uses to fulfill the standards of the Maine Waterway Development and Conservation Act with respect to assessing the value of hydropower generation, but removes the specific focus on quantitative criteria and amends the content of the report to include a summary of written findings of fact from a representative sample of cases and written explanation of how the findings of fact are used in decisions regarding hydropower projects.
 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)