Text of ME LD 1949 (2026)

Printed on recycled paper 132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025 Legislative Document No. 1949 S.P. 756 In Senate, May 7, 2025 An Act Regarding Energy Fairness Reference to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology suggested and ordered printed. DAREK M. GRANT Secretary of the Senate Presented by Senator CARNEY of Cumberland. Cosponsored by Representative SATO of Gorham and Senators: GROHOSKI of Hancock, MOORE of Washington, NANGLE of Cumberland, TIPPING of Penobscot, Representatives: MOONEN of Portland, SACHS of Freeport, WEBB of Durham. Page 1 - 132LR2159(01) 1 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 2 PART A 3 Sec. A-1. 35-A MRSA §704, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1999, c. 398, Pt. A, §18 4 and affected by §§104 and 105, is further amended to read: 5 1. Residential customers. The commission shall adopt and promulgate reasonable 6 rules after a hearing concerning the termination or disconnection of any residential 7 customer's service by a transmission and distribution, gas, water or telephone utility of the 8 State. These rules apply generally to all such utilities within the commission's jurisdiction 9 and must provide for adequate written notice by that utility to the residential customer that 10 the customer's utility bill has not been paid, and a notice of the prospective termination or 11 disconnection and the right, prior to disconnection, to enter into reasonable installment 12 payment arrangements with that utility; to settle any dispute concerning the proposed 13 disconnection at an informal hearing with that utility and to appeal the results of that 14 utility's decision to the commission. The rules must also provide that there may be no 15 termination or disconnection during a limited medical emergency and for a just and 16 reasonable procedure regarding reconnections of utility service and deposit requirements. 17 and: 18 A. Provide for adequate written notice by a public utility to a residential customer that 19 the customer's utility bill has not been paid, a notice of the prospective termination or 20 disconnection of utility service and the right of the customer, prior to termination or 21 disconnection, to: 22 (1) Enter into reasonable installment payment arrangements with that utility; 23 (2) Settle any dispute concerning the proposed termination or disconnection at an 24 informal hearing with that utility; and 25 (3) Appeal the results of that utility's decision to the commission; 26 B. Except as provided in paragraph C, prohibit a public utility from terminating or 27 disconnecting a residential customer's utility service for nonpayment if the customer is 28 enrolled in, has begun the process to enroll in or has been denied enrollment in an 29 assistance program administered by the commission or a state agency and the customer 30 attests to the utility that: 31 (1) The customer or a member of the customer's household: 32 (a) Is 65 years of age or older; 33 (b) Is a dependent adult as defined in Title 22, section 3472, subsection 6; 34 (c) Is an incapacitated adult as defined in Title 22, section 3472, subsection 35 10; or 36 (d) Has been certified by a medical professional or government authority 37 within the last 12 months as having a medical condition or disability; or 38 (2) A member of the customer's household has not attained 12 months of age; 39 C. Establish a process by which a public utility may proceed with a disconnection of 40 a residential customer's service that would otherwise be prohibited under paragraph B Page 2 - 132LR2159(01) 41 in exceptional circumstances after the utility has complied with all applicable 42 requirements of this subsection and related rules; 3 D. Require a public utility to issue monthly notices to customers who have unpaid 4 amounts for utility services during any period in which the utility is prohibited from 5 disconnecting the customer's utility service in accordance with paragraph B, including 6 the amount owed and a statement describing how the customer may apply for financial 7 assistance; and 8 E. Prohibit a public utility from requiring recertification under paragraph B, 9 subparagraph (1), division (c) for a customer more than once per 12-month period. 10 Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 11 chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 12 Sec. A-2. 35-A MRSA §3203, sub-§4-B, ¶A-1 is enacted to read: 13 A-1. May not enter into an agreement to provide service to or renew a contract for 14 generation service for a residential consumer that, in the 12-month period prior to 15 entering into the agreement or renewing a contract, has received low-income assistance 16 in accordance with section 3214, subsection 2 or 3, unless the commission finds that 17 the residential consumer would receive a lower rate by enrolling in or renewing the 18 contract when compared to the standard-offer service available to that consumer at the 19 time of the enrollment or renewal and issues a waiver to the competitive electricity 20 provider; 21 Sec. A-3. 35-A MRSA §3203, sub-§4-B, as amended by PL 2023, c. 636, §1, is 22 further amended by amending the first blocked paragraph to read: 23 If a residential consumer does not provide the express consent required by paragraphs C, 24 C‑1 and D, the residential consumer must be transferred to standard-offer service. If a 25 competitive electricity provider does not receive a waiver from the commission to renew a 26 contract for generation service for a residential consumer in accordance with paragraph 27 A-1, the residential consumer must be transferred to standard-offer service. The 28 commission shall adopt rules to establish a process for the issuance of a waiver under this 29 subsection. 30 PART B 31 Sec. B-1. 35-A MRSA §302, sub-§1-A, ¶A-1 is enacted to read: 32 A-1. "Compensation" means benefits, a salary or bonus or any other consideration of 33 value. 34 Sec. B-2. 35-A MRSA §302, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2023, c. 596, §§1 and 2, 35 is further amended to read: 36 2. Limitations on rates. The following expenses, whether paid directly or indirectly, 37 through reimbursement or otherwise, incurred by a public utility or an affiliated interest 38 may not be included or incorporated in operating expenses to be recovered in rates: 39 A. Contributions or gifts to political candidates, political parties, political or legislative 40 committees or any committee or organization working to influence referendum 41 petitions or elections. Nothing in this paragraph prohibits a consumer-owned water 42 utility, a consumer-owned transmission and distribution utility or the Casco Bay Island 1 2 Page 3 - 132LR2159(01) 43 Transit District, created by Private and Special Law 1981, chapter 22, from undertaking 44 expenditures related to notifying the public of or conducting trustee elections or local 45 referendum elections directly related to or legally required for the operation of a 46 consumer-owned water utility, consumer-owned transmission and distribution utility 47 or the Casco Bay Island Transit District; 6 A-1. Fines and penalties, including, but not limited to, penalties assessed by the 7 commission and tax penalties or fines; 8 B. Contributions to a trade association, chamber of commerce or public charity, 9 including, but not limited to, a charity managed by the public utility or affiliated 10 interest. This paragraph does not apply to a consumer-owned water utility; 11 C. Expenditures for lobbying or grassroots lobbying, including, but not limited to, 12 compensation for an employee of a public utility or an employee of an affiliated interest 13 if any portion of that compensation is used by the employee for lobbying or paid by 14 that employee to a federal, state or local government official in an effort to influence 15 any official decisions of or legislative decisions by the governmental official. This 16 paragraph does not apply to a consumer-owned water utility, a consumer-owned 17 transmission and distribution utility or the Casco Bay Island Transit District, created 18 by Private and Special Law 1981, chapter 22; and 19 D. Educational expenditures, as defined by the commission by rule under section 20 302‑A, unless approved by the commission as serving a public interest. Educational 21 expenditures include expenditures relating to information delivered to the public or to 22 public utility customers by radio, television, the Internet, print and other media or 23 through sponsorships, paid endorsements and public relations campaigns. This 24 paragraph does not apply to a consumer-owned transmission and distribution utility or 25 a consumer-owned water utility.; 26 E. Costs associated with travel, lodging and food for officers and members of a public 27 utility's or affiliated interest's board of directors; 28 F. Expenditures for investor relations as specified by the commission by rule. This 29 paragraph does not apply to a consumer-owned water utility, a consumer-owned 30 transmission and distribution utility or the Casco Bay Island Transit District, created 31 by Private and Special Law 1981, chapter 22; and 32 G. Monthly costs associated with the attendance at, participation in or preparation for 33 appeal of any contested rate case proceeding conducted before the commission that 34 exceed the average monthly costs incurred by the Office of the Public Advocate in the 35 same proceeding, if the Office of the Public Advocate participated in the proceeding. 36 For the purposes of this paragraph, costs include, but are not limited to, attorney's fees, 37 fees for expert witnesses or consultants, the portion of public utility or affiliated interest 38 employee salaries associated with such attendance at, participation in, preparation for 39 or appeal of a contested proceeding and any other related costs specified by the 40 commission by rule. This paragraph does not apply to a consumer-owned water utility, 41 a consumer-owned transmission and distribution utility or the Casco Bay Island Transit 42 District, created by Private and Special Law 1981, chapter 22. 43 Sec. B-3. 35-A MRSA §302, sub-§6 is enacted to read: 1 2 3 4 5 Page 4 - 132LR2159(01) 1 6. Violations; penalties. A public utility or affiliated interest that violates this section 2 is subject to an administrative penalty in accordance with section 1508-A, except that the 3 amount of the administrative penalty may not be less than the amount of the expense that 4 the public utility or affiliated interest wrongfully included or incorporated in operating 5 expenses to be recovered in rates. Notwithstanding any provision of section 117, 6 subsection 3 to the contrary, the commission may direct the public utility or affiliated 7 interest to use a portion of the administrative penalties owed to the commission for 8 violations of this section for the payment of a rebate to the public utility's customers. If a 9 public utility or affiliated interest wrongfully includes or incorporates in operating expenses 10 to be recovered in rates an expense prohibited by this section, in addition to an 11 administrative penalty described in this subsection, the commission shall order the public 12 utility or affiliated interest to issue a refund to the public utility's or affiliated interest's 13 customers, including interest. 14 PART C 15 Sec. C-1. 35-A MRSA §301, sub-§1-B is enacted to read: 16 1-B. Customer hardship reporting. The commission shall adopt rules to require 17 public utilities with over 50,000 customers to file a quarterly docket with the commission 18 containing data as required by this subsection from the previous quarter applicable to 19 residential and nonresidential customers. The commission's rules must establish filing 20 requirements for public utilities with 50,000 or fewer customers that take into consideration 21 the public utility's size and resources. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine 22 technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A. The rules must require 23 that the filing data include: 24 A. The average amount of time between a disconnection of service due to nonpayment 25 and a reconnection; 26 B. The number of disconnections of service due to nonpayment when the customer has 27 previously been disconnected for nonpayment; 28 C. The number of customers that have enrolled in a payment plan that have previously 29 enrolled in a payment plan; 30 D. The number of customers in debt to the utility disaggregated by at least 3 periods of 31 time spent in debt; and 32 E. Any other information as established by the commission by rule. 33 The data required by this subsection must be disaggregated by assistance program 34 enrollment status and data related to disconnections of service must be disaggregated by 35 zip code and environmental justice population status as defined in section 103-B, 36 subsection 1, paragraph B. 37 The commission rules must require public utilities with more than 50,000 customers to 38 publish an annual summary report of the data required by this subsection on the utility's 39 publicly accessible website in a format determined by the Office of the Public Advocate. 40 The Office of the Public Advocate shall develop a format for the annual summary report 41 and provide the format to the commission. 42 Sec. C-2. 35-A MRSA §301-A is enacted to read: 43 §301-A. Administrative charge limitation Page 5 - 132LR2159(01) 1 1. "Administrative charge" defined. "Administrative charge" means a fee or charge 2 for services that is added to the actual cost of materials or supplies or labor performed by 3 or on behalf of a public utility with over 50,000 customers and charged to a public utility 4 customer through a proposal, estimate, invoice or final accounting for the cost of 5 interconnection, line extensions or work other than charges for the customer's regular 6 electricity service. "Administrative charge" includes, but is not limited to, an 7 administrative service charge, an indirect overhead cost and a cost adder. "Administrative 8 charge" does not include: 9 A. Expenses for a public utility employee's labor while directly engaged in the work 10 for which a customer is billed; or 11 B. Expenses related to the purchase, storage or delivery of materials or supplies 12 incorporated into the work if the customer bill states that those expenses are included 13 in the cost of materials or supplies. 14 2. Administrative charge proceedings. By December 31, 2025 and at least every 5 15 years thereafter, the commission, within existing resources, shall conduct one or more 16 proceedings to investigate administrative charges demanded or collected by a public utility 17 with over 50,000 customers during the preceding 5-year period to ensure that such 18 administrative charges meet the requirements of section 301 and other applicable 19 provisions of this Title. 20 3. Administrative charge disclosure. The commission shall require a public utility 21 with over 50,000 customers to disclose any administrative charges included in a customer 22 bill. If any line item in a customer bill includes an administrative charge, the customer bill 23 must specifically identify the administrative charge and include a description of the charge. 24 4. Violations. If the commission finds that a public utility with over 50,000 customers 25 has violated any provision of this section or improperly assessed an administrative charge, 26 the commission may order the public utility to refund the administrative charge paid by the 27 customer. 28 5. Report. By July 1, 2026 and every 5 years thereafter, the commission shall submit 29 to the Governor and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 30 over utility matters a report summarizing the proceedings conducted by the commission 31 during the prior calendar year. 32 6. Rules. The commission shall adopt rules to implement this section. Rules adopted 33 by the commission pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 34 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A. 35 Sec. C-3. 35-A MRSA §3107, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 88, §1 and 36 reallocated by RR 2019, c. 1, Pt. A, §49, is amended to read: 37 2. Consumer assistance. Require a customer bill issued by an investor-owned 38 transmission and distribution utility to display clearly and prominently the toll-free 39 telephone number for the commission's consumer assistance and safety division and a 40 statement of the consumer assistance services available by calling the division; and 41 Sec. C-4. 35-A MRSA §3107, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 88, §1 and 42 reallocated by RR 2019, c. 1, Pt. A, §49, is amended to read: Page 6 - 132LR2159(01) 1 3. Correction of misleading information. Establish a process by which, if the 2 commission finds that an investor-owned transmission and distribution utility has included 3 on customer bills, or inserts or attachments to customer bills, information that is 4 misleading, deceptive or inaccurate, the transmission and distribution utility is required to 5 provide to customers a statement that corrects the misleading, deceptive or inaccurate 6 information that was disseminated. Upon request of the Public Advocate, the commission 7 shall investigate the truth and accuracy of information included on customer bills, or inserts 8 or attachments to customer bills.; and 9 Sec. C-5. 35-A MRSA §3107, sub-§4 is enacted to read: 10 4. Public policy charges. Require a customer bill issued by an investor-owned 11 transmission and distribution utility to include an accurate and comprehensive description 12 of the costs and benefits of the components of public policy charges if such charges are 13 included on a customer's bill, including, but not limited to, energy efficiency programs, 14 renewable energy programs and low-income energy assistance programs. 15 Sec. C-6. Summary report; format. The Office of the Public Advocate shall 16 develop a format to be used by public utilities with more than 50,000 customers when 17 creating annual summary reports as required by the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, 18 section 301, subsection 1-B and provide the format to the Public Utilities Commission. 19 Sec. C-7. Quarterly docket filing; required data. The Public Utilities 20 Commission shall adopt rules in accordance with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, 21 section 301, subsection 1-B, paragraph D to require a public utility to include in its 22 quarterly docket filing the data required by Public Utilities Commission rule Chapter 815: 23 Consumer Protection Standards for Gas Utilities and Electric Transmission and 24 Distribution Utilities, Section 15. 25 PART D 26 Sec. D-1. 26 MRSA §1304, sub-§1-A, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 705, §2, is 27 amended to read: 28 A. With a nameplate capacity of 2 megawatts one megawatt or more that involves a 29 renewable energy project or a project for the production of energy, including all phases 30 of site preparation, construction, retrofitting and demolition work; and 31 Sec. D-2. 26 MRSA §1304, sub-§1-A, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 705, §2, is 32 amended by amending the first blocked paragraph to read: 33 "Assisted project" does not include a project for which the Public Utilities Commission 34 approved a term sheet or contract or otherwise provided project-specific authorization or 35 approval pursuant to Title 35-A on or before June 29, 2021 or. "Assisted project" includes 36 a project that is participating in net energy billing and that meets the requirements of under 37 Title 35-A, section 3209-A or 3209-B in accordance with a good cause exemption issued 38 on or after June 29, 2025 by the Public Utilities Commission pursuant to Title 35-A, section 39 3209-A, subsection 7 or Title 35-A, section 3209-B or 9. 40 Sec. D-3. 26 MRSA §3501, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 347, §1, is amended 41 to read: Page 7 - 132LR2159(01) 1 4. Generation facility. "Generation facility" means a facility for the generation of 2 electricity that has an installed capacity of 2 megawatts one megawatt or more, other than 3 a facility located on the customer side of an electric meter. 4 Sec. D-4. 26 MRSA §3502, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 347, §1, is amended 5 to read: 6 1. Percentages. A construction employer shall, to the extent qualified apprentices are 7 determined to be available in accordance with rules adopted by the department, employ a 8 number of apprentices that equals at least: ensure that the following standards are met for 9 the construction, alteration or repair of a generation facility, whether that work is performed 10 by a contractor or subcontractor. 11 A. If construction of the generation facility begins on or after January 1, 2021 and 12 before January 1, 2025, the construction employer shall ensure that at least 10% of all 13 persons employed in the construction; of the generation facility are qualified 14 apprentices. 15 B. If construction of the generation facility begins on or after January 1, 2025 and 16 before January 1, 2027, 17.5% the construction employer shall ensure that at least 15% 17 of all persons employed in the construction; and the total labor hours for the 18 construction, alteration or repair of the generation facility are performed by qualified 19 apprentices. 20 C. If construction of the generation facility begins on or after January 1, 2027, the 21 construction employer shall ensure that at least 25% of all persons employed in the 22 construction the total labor hours for the construction, alteration or repair of the 23 generation facility are performed by qualified apprentices. 24 Sec. D-5. 35-A MRSA §103-B is enacted to read: 25 §103-B. Environmental justice requirements 26 1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 27 following terms have the following meanings. 28 A. "Environmental justice" means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all 29 persons regardless of race, color, national origin, ability, gender identity, sexual 30 orientation, ethnicity or ancestry, religious belief, English language proficiency or 31 income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of 32 environmental laws, rules, regulations and policies. 33 B. "Environmental justice population" means any census block group in which: 34 (1) The annual median household income is not more than 80% of the State's 35 annual median household income; 36 (2) Persons of color or indigenous persons comprise 7% or more of the population, 37 but the annual median household income does not exceed 150% of the State's 38 annual median household income; or 39 (3) More than 1% of households are categorized as having limited English 40 proficiency. 41 For a census block group that does not meet the criteria in subparagraphs (1) to (3), but 42 a geographic portion of that census block group meets at least one criterion, the Page 8 - 132LR2159(01) 43 commission may designate by rule that geographic portion as an environmental justice 44 population upon the petition of at least 10 residents of that geographic portion meeting 45 any such criteria. 4 C. "Environmental justice principles" means principles that support protection from 5 environmental pollution and the ability to live in and enjoy a clean and healthy 6 environment, regardless of race, color, national origin, class, ability, gender identity, 7 sexual orientation, ethnicity or ancestry, religious belief, English language proficiency 8 or income, which include: 9 (1) The meaningful involvement of environmental justice populations with respect 10 to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, rules, 11 regulations and policies; and 12 (2) The equitable distribution of energy, health, economic and environmental 13 benefits and energy, health, economic and environmental burdens. 14 2. Commission responsibility. In executing its duties, powers and regulatory 15 functions under this Title, the commission, while ensuring system reliability and resource 16 adequacy, shall consider and incorporate environmental justice principles. 17 3. Community engagement plan. On or before April 1, 2026 and within existing 18 resources, the commission shall establish a community engagement plan. 19 4. Rules. The commission may adopt rules to implement this section. Rules adopted 20 by the commission pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 21 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 22 Sec. D-6. Public Utilities Commission proceeding; cost management 23 proceeding. By December 31, 2025, the Public Utilities Commission shall initiate a 24 proceeding to examine and evaluate opt-in program designs pursuant to the Maine Revised 25 Statutes, Title 35-A, section 3209-E, subsection 2, paragraph A. By February 2, 2026, the 26 commission shall provide a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and 27 Technology regarding the results of the proceeding and the commission's 28 recommendations. The committee may report out a bill to the Second Regular Session of 29 the 132nd Legislature related to the commission's report. 30 Sec. D-7. Department of Labor rules; assisted projects; consistency with 31 federal law. By December 1, 2025, the Department of Labor shall initiate rulemaking to 32 amend its rules applicable to assisted projects as defined in the Maine Revised Statutes, 33 Title 26, section 1304, subsection 1-A and generation facilities as defined in Title 26, 34 section 3501, subsection 4 for consistency with the changes provided in this Part. The 35 department shall also review its rules related to assisted projects, and initiate rulemaking 36 to adopt changes if necessary, to ensure that those rules are substantially consistent with 37 the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and rules adopted under that Act. 38 SUMMARY 39 Part A of the bill requires the Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules prohibiting 40 the disconnection of utility services of a residential customer for nonpayment if the 41 residential customer is enrolled in, has begun the process to enroll in or has been denied 42 enrollment in an assistance program administered by the Public Utilities Commission or 43 another state agency and the customer attests to the utility that the customer or a member 1 2 3 39 40 41 42 43 Page 9 - 132LR2159(01) 44 of the customer's household is 65 years of age or older, is incapacitated or dependent or has 45 been certified within the last 12 months as having a medical condition or disability by a 46 medical professional or government authority. It also prohibits disconnections if a member 47 of the customer's household has not attained 12 months of age. The commission is required 48 to adopt a process by which a public utility may petition the commission to proceed with a 49 disconnection of a residential customer's service that would otherwise be prohibited. Part 50 A also prohibits a competitive electricity provider from entering into an agreement to 51 provide service to or renew a contract for generation service for a residential consumer that, 52 in the 12-month period prior to entering into the agreement or renewing a contract, has 53 received low-income assistance unless the commission finds that the consumer would 54 receive a lower rate by enrolling in or renewing the contract when compared to the 55 standard-offer service available to that consumer. 13 Part B prohibits certain expenses from being included in a public utility's rates, 14 including fines and penalties, costs associated with travel, lodging and food for officers and 15 members of a public utility's or affiliated interest's board of directors, expenditures for 16 investor relations and certain costs associated with the attendance at, participation in, 17 preparation for or appeal of any contested rate case proceeding conducted before the 18 commission. If a public utility includes any prohibited expenses in rates, it is subject to 19 administrative penalties and the commission may direct the utility to use a portion of the 20 administrative penalties owed for the payment of a rebate to the public utility's customers. 21 In addition to an administrative penalty, the commission is required to order the public 22 utility to issue a refund to the public utility's customers, including interest. 23 Part C requires the commission to adopt rules to require public utilities with over 24 50,000 customers to file a quarterly docket with the commission containing data from the 25 previous quarter applicable to residential and nonresidential customers. The rules must 26 require that the filing data include information regarding customer overdue accounts, 27 disconnections, reconnections, deposits and payment plans. Part C also requires the 28 commission, within existing resources, to conduct a proceeding at least once every 5 years 29 to review administrative charges collected by a public utility with over 50,000 customers 30 during the preceding 5-year period to ensure that such administrative charges are in 31 compliance with applicable law. Part C also requires that if an investor-owned transmission 32 and distribution utility includes on a customer's bill a public policy charge, the utility must 33 include an accurate and comprehensive description of the costs and benefits of the 34 components of public policy charges, including, but not limited to, energy efficiency 35 programs, renewable energy programs and low-income energy assistance programs. 36 Part D amends the definition of "assisted project" in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 37 26, section 1304, subsection 1-A to lower the size threshold of a project to which the 38 definition applies. It requires that certain percentages of total labor hours of the 39 construction, alteration or repair of a generation facility are performed by qualified 40 apprentices. Part D also requires the Public Utilities Commission, in executing its duties, 41 powers and regulatory functions under Title 35-A, while ensuring system reliability and 42 resource adequacy, to consider and incorporate environmental justice principles. It requires 43 the commission, on or before April 1, 2026 and within existing resources, to establish a 44 community engagement plan. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Page 1 - 132LR2159(10) STATE OF MAINE _____ IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX _____ S.P. 756 - L.D. 1949 An Act Regarding Energy Fairness Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §103-B is enacted to read: §103-B. Affordability impact considerations In executing its duties, powers and regulatory functions under this Title, the commission, while ensuring system reliability, shall consider the impact on affordability for residential customers. Sec. 2. Credit and collection data; publication. The Public Utilities Commission shall publish on its publicly accessible website data regarding credit and collection activities of a transmission and distribution utility with more than 50,000 customers that is submitted to the commission by the utility in accordance with rules adopted by the commission pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 704, subsection 1. The commission shall ensure that the data is provided on the commission's publicly accessible website in a clear and transparent manner. Sec. 3. Comprehensive review of electric delivery rates. The Public Utilities Commission shall conduct a comprehensive review of each component of electric delivery rates. In conducting the review required pursuant to this section, the commission shall consider whether changes to the current design and composition of electric delivery rates could be implemented to, at a minimum: 1. Contain customer costs; 2. Reduce transmission and distribution utility bill volatility; and 3. Increase transmission and distribution utility bill transparency. The commission shall engage stakeholders in the review process under this section and solicit stakeholder feedback. By January 31, 2027, the commission shall submit an interim report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over energy matters informing the committee of its work to date on the comprehensive review. By December 15, 2027, the commission shall submit a final report regarding its comprehensive review, including any recommendations or proposed legislation, to the joint standing APPROVED MARCH 23, 2026 BY GOVERNOR CHAPTER 588 PUBLIC LAW Page 2 - 132LR2159(10) committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over energy matters. The committee may report out a bill related to the report to the Second Regular Session of the 133rd Legislature. Sec. 4. Affordability metric development. The Public Utilities Commission shall develop an affordability metric to be used to assess the impact of electricity bills on the overall energy burden for residential customers of an investor-owned transmission and distribution utility. By January 15, 2027, the commission shall submit an interim report on the commission's progress under this section to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over energy matters. The commission shall submit a final report by December 15, 2027 to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over energy matters regarding the development of an affordability metric under this section, along with any recommendations or proposed legislation, if necessary. The committee may report out a bill related to the final report to the Second Regular Session of the 133rd Legislature.