Chapter 167
2013 -- S 0641 SUBSTITUTE B
Enacted 07/11/13
A N A C T
RELATING TO
PUBLIC UTILITIES AND CARRIERS - DISTRIBUTED GENERATION STANDARD CONTRACTS
Introduced By: Senators Walaska, Miller, Paiva Weed, Ruggerio, and DiPalma
Date Introduced: March 06, 2013
It is enacted by the
General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 39-26.1-3 of the General Laws in Chapter
39-26.1 entitled "Long-
Term Contracting Standard
for Renewable Energy" is hereby amended to read as follows:
39-26.1-3.
Long-term contract standard. -- (a) Beginning on
or before July 1, 2010,
each electric distribution company shall be required to
annually solicit proposals from renewable
energy developers and, provided commercially reasonable proposals
have been received, enter
into long-term contracts with terms of up to fifteen (15)
years for the purchase of capacity, energy
and attributes from newly developed renewable energy
resources. Subject to commission
approval, the electric distribution company may enter into
contracts for term lengths longer than
fifteen (15) years. Notwithstanding any other provisions of
this chapter, on or before August 15,
2009, the electric distribution company shall solicit
proposals for one newly developed renewable
energy resources project as required in section 39-26.1-7.
Proposals for the sale of output from an
offshore wind project received under the provisions of this
section shall be diligently and fully
considered without prejudice, regardless of the status of any
proceedings under sections 39-26.1-7
or 39-26.1-8.
(b) The timetable and
method for solicitation and execution of such contracts shall be
proposed by the electric distribution company, and shall be
subject to review and approval by the
commission prior to issuance by the company; provided that the
timetable is reasonably designed
to result in the electric distribution company having
the minimum long-term contract capacity
under contract within four (4) years of the date of the first
solicitation; it is not necessary that the
projects associated with these contracts be operational within
these four (4) years, as the
operational dates shall be specified in the contract. The
electric distribution company shall,
subject to review and approval of the commission, select a
reasonable method of soliciting
proposals from renewable energy developers, which shall
include, at a minimum, an annual
public solicitation, but may also include individual
negotiations. The solicitation process shall
permit a reasonable amount of negotiating discretion for the
parties to engage in commercially
reasonable arms-length negotiations over final contract terms.
Each long-term contract entered
into pursuant to this section shall contain a condition that
it shall not be effective without
commission review and approval. The electric distribution
company shall file such contract, along
with a justification for its decision, within a reasonable
time after it has executed the contract
following a solicitation or negotiation. The commission shall
hold public hearings to review the
contract within forty-five (45) days of the filing and issue a
written order approving or rejecting
the contract within sixty (60) days of the filing; in rejecting
a contract the commission may advise
the parties of the reason for the contract being rejected
and direct the parties to attempt to address
the reasons for rejection in a revised contract within a
specified period not to exceed ninety (90)
days. The commission shall approve the contract if it
determines that: (1) the contract is
commercially reasonable; (2) the requirements for the annual
solicitation have been met; and (3)
the contract is consistent with the purposes of this
chapter. A report on each solicitation shall be
filed with the commission each year within a reasonable
time after decisions are made by the
electric distribution company regarding the solicitation
results, even if no contracts are executed
following the solicitation.
(c) (1) No electric
distribution company shall be obligated to enter into long-term
contracts for newly developed renewable energy resources on
terms which the electric
distribution company reasonably believes to be commercially
unreasonable; provided, however, if
there is a dispute about whether these terms are
commercially unreasonable, the commission shall
make the final determination after an evidentiary hearing.
The electric distribution company shall
not be obligated to enter into long-term contracts
pursuant to this section that would, in the
aggregate, exceed the minimum long-term contract capacity, but
may do so voluntarily subject to
commission approval. As long as the electric distribution
company has entered into long-term
contracts in compliance with this section, the electric
distribution company shall not be required
by regulation or order to enter into power purchase
contracts with renewable generation projects
for power, renewable energy certificates, or any other
attributes with terms of more than three (3)
years in meeting its applicable annual renewable portfolio
standard requirements set forth in
section 39-26-4 or pursuant to any other provision of the
law.
(2) Except as provided
in section 39-26.1-7 and 39-26.1-8, an electric distribution
company shall not be required to enter into long-term
contracts for newly developed renewable
energy resources that exceed the following four (4) five
(5) year phased schedule:
By December 30, 2010:
Twenty-five percent (25%) of the minimum long-term contract
capacity;
By December 30, 2011:
Fifty percent (50%) of the minimum long-term contract
capacity;
By December 30, 2012:
Seventy-five percent (75%) of the minimum long-term contract
capacity;
By December 30, 2013
2014: One hundred percent (100%) of the minimum long-term
contract capacity; but may do so earlier voluntarily, subject
to commission approval.
(d) Compliance with the
long-term contract standard shall be demonstrated through
procurement pursuant to the provisions of a long-term contract of
energy, capacity and attributes
reflected in NE-GIS certificates relating to generating units
certified by the commission as using
newly developed renewable energy resources, as evidenced by
reports issued by the NE-GIS
administrator and the terms of the contract; provided, however,
that the NE-GIS certificates were
procured pursuant to the provisions of a long-term contract.
The electric distribution company
also may purchase other attributes from the generator as
part of the long-term contract.
(e) After the adoption
of the rules and regulations promulgated by the commission
pursuant to this chapter, an electric distribution company
may, at its sole election, immediately
and from time to time, procure additional commercially
reasonable long-term contracts for newly
developed renewable energy resources on an earlier timetable or
above the minimum long-term
contract capacity, subject to commission approval.
SECTION 2. Sections 39-26.2-3, 39-26.2-4, 39-26.2-6,
39-26.2-7, 39-26.2-8 and 39-
26.2-12 of the General Laws
in Chapter 39-26.2 entitled "Distributed Generation Standard
Contracts" are hereby
amended to read as follows:
39-26.2-3.
Definitions. -- When used in this chapter, the
following terms shall have the
following meanings:
(1) "Annual
target" means the target for total renewable energy nameplate capacity of
new distributed generation standard contracts set out in
section 39-26.2-3.
(2)
"Commission" means the
(3) "Board"
shall mean the distributed generation standard contract board established
pursuant to the provisions of chapter 39-26.2-9, or the office
of energy resources. Until such time
as the board is duly constituted, the office of energy
resources shall serve as the board with the
same powers and duties pursuant to this chapter.
(4) "Distributed
generation contract capacity" means ten percent (10%) of an electric
distribution company's minimum long-term contract capacity under
the long-term contracting
standard for renewable energy in section 39-26.1-2, inclusive
of solar capacity. The distributed
generation contract capacity shall be reserved for acquisition
by the electric distribution company
through standard contracts pursuant to the provisions of this
chapter.
(5) "Distributed
generation facility" means an electrical generation facility that is a
newly developed renewable energy resource as defined in
section 39-26.1-2, located in the
electric distribution company's load zone with a nameplate
capacity no greater than five
megawatts (5 MW), using eligible renewable energy resources as
defined by section 39-26-5,
including biogas created as a result of anaerobic digestion,
but, specifically excluding all other
listed eligible biomass fuels, and connected to an
electrical power system owned, controlled, or
operated by the electric distribution company.
(6) "Distributed
generation project" means a distinct installation of a distributed
generation facility. An installation will be considered distinct
if it is installed in a different
geographical location and at a different time, or if it involves a
different type of renewable energy
class.
(7) "Electric distribution
company" means a company defined in subdivision 39-1-2(12),
supplying standard offer service, last resort service, or any
successor service to end-use
customers, but not including the Block Island Power Company or
the Pascoag Utility District.
(8) "Large
distributed generation project" means a distributed generation project
that has
a nameplate capacity that exceeds the size of a small
distributed generation project in a given
year, but is no greater than five three
megawatts (5 MW) (3 MW) nameplate capacity.
(9)
"Office" means the
(9)(10)
"Program year" means a calendar year beginning January 1 and ending
December 31.
(10)(11)
"Renewable energy classes" means categories for different renewable
energy
technologies using eligible renewable energy resources as defined
by section 39-26-5. For each
program year, the board shall determine the renewable energy
classes as are reasonably feasible
for use in meeting distributed generation objectives from
renewable energy resources and are
consistent with the goal of meeting the annual target for the
program year. For the program year
ending December 31, 2012, there shall be at least four (4)
technology classes and at least two (2)
shall be for solar generation technology, and at least one
shall be for wind. The board may add,
eliminate, or adjust renewable energy classes for each program
year with public notice given at
least sixty (60) days previous to any renewable energy
class change becoming effective. For each
program year, the board shall set renewable energy class
targets for each class established. Class
targets are the total program-year target amounts of
nameplate capacity reserved for standard
contracts for each renewable energy class. The sum of all the
class targets shall equal the annual
target.
(11)(12)
"Renewable energy credit" means a New England Generation Information
System renewable energy certificate as defined in
subdivision 39-26-2(15);
(12)(13)
"Small distributed generation project" means a distributed generation
renewable
energy project that has a nameplate capacity no larger
than within the following: Solar: fifty
kilowatts (50 KW) to
five hundred kilowatts (500 KW); Wind: fifty kilowatts (50 KW) to one
and
one-half megawatts (1.5 MW). For technologies other than solar
and wind, the board shall set the
nameplate capacity size limits, but such limits may not exceed
one megawatt. The board may
lower the nameplate capacity from year to year for any of
these categories, but may not increase
the capacity beyond what is specified in this definition.
In no case may a project developer be
allowed to segment a distributed generation project into
smaller sized projects in order to fall
under this definition.
(13)(14)
"Standard contract" means a contract with a term of fifteen (15)
years at a fixed
rate for the purchase of all capacity, energy, and
attributes generated by a distributed generation
facility. A contract may have a different term if it is
mutually agreed to by the seller and the
electric distribution company and it is approved by the
commission. The terms of the standard
contract for each program year and for each renewable energy
class shall be set pursuant to the
provisions of this chapter.
(14)(15)
"Standard contract ceiling price" means the standard contract price
for the
output of a distributed generation facility which price is
approved annually for each renewable
energy class pursuant to the procedure established in this
chapter, for the purchase of energy,
capacity, renewable energy certificates, and all other
environmental attributes and market
products that are available or may become available from the
distributed generation facility.
39-26.2-4.
Standard contracts -- Annual targets. -- (a) To
the extent eligible projects
are available and submit conforming applications, an
electric distribution company shall enter
into standard contracts for an aggregate nameplate
capacity of at least forty megawatts (40 MW)
of distributed generation projects by the end of 2014,
unless such schedule is extended by the
board. The contracting shall be spread over four (4) years,
based on the annual targets, aggregated
to reflect annual targets from prior program years,
contained in the following four (4) year phased
schedule, unless such schedule is adjusted by the board in any
given year:
(1) By December 30,
2011: a minimum of five megawatts (5 MW) nameplate;
(2) By December 30,
2012: a minimum aggregate of twenty megawatts (20 MW)
nameplate;
(3) By December 30,
2013: a minimum aggregate of thirty megawatts (30 MW)
nameplate;
(4) By December 30,
2014: a minimum aggregate of forty megawatts (40 MW)
nameplate.
(b) By October 15, 2011
and each calendar year following until October 15, 2013, the
board may recommend to the commission that the annual
target for the following program year
be adjusted upward to reflect any shortfalls in meeting
the previous program year's annual target
or to reflect any standard contracts entered into during
prior program years that are voided. The
board may also recommend to the commission that the annual
target for the following program
year be adjusted downward by any amounts that the previous
program year's annual targets were
exceeded by the standard contracts entered into during that
program year.
(c) The board may,
based on market data and other information available to it including
pricing for standard contracts received during previous
program years, recommend a reduction of
the annual target for the upcoming program year where the
board determines that market
conditions would be likely to produce unfavorably high target pricing
for standard contracts
during that upcoming program year. In considering such
issues, the board may take into account
the reasonableness of current pricing and its impact on
all electric distribution customers who will
be paying for the output for up to twenty (20) years at
such prices. The board may also
recommend and the commission shall authorize an
extension of time to achieve the forty
megawatt (40 MW) target targets, to allow for
contracting to occur after 2014, if necessary.
(d) The electric
distribution company must contract for at least forty megawatts (40
MW) of nameplate capacity distributed generation
projects by the end of 2014, unless such
schedule is extended by the board. The electric distribution
company may not be required to
contract for more than forty megawatts (40 MW) or the
distributed generation contract capacity,
but may do so voluntarily, subject to commission
approval.
(e) Each year, the
board shall file its recommendations relating to the schedule, along
with its report and recommendations regarding ceiling
prices, for the commission's review and
approval as specified in subsection 39-26.2-5(b).
(f) Nothing in this
chapter shall derogate from the statutory authority of the commission
or the division, including, but not limited to, the
authority to protect ratepayers from unreasonable
rates.
39-26.2-6.
Standard contract enrollment program. -- (a) Each electric distribution
company shall conduct at least three (3) standard contract enrollments
during each program year;
however, during 2011 the electric distribution company need
only conduct one enrollment. Each
enrollment shall be open for a two (2) week period during which
the electric distribution
company is required to receive standard short-form
applications requesting standard contracts for
distributed generation energy projects. The short-form
applications shall require the applicant to
provide the project owner's identity and the project's
proposed location, nameplate capacity, and
renewable energy class and allow for additional information
relative to the permitting, financial
feasibility, ability to build, and timing for deployment of the
proposed projects. For small
distributed generation projects, the applicant must submit an
affidavit confirming that the project
is not a segment of a larger project being planned for
enlargement over time. For large distributed
generation projects, the short-form application shall also
require the applicant to bid a bundled
price for the sale of the energy, capacity, renewable
energy certificates, and all other
environmental attributes and market products that are available or
may become available from the
distributed generation facility, on a per kilowatt-hour basis for
the output of the project. Subject
to the provisions of subsections (b) and (c) below, the
electric distribution company shall not be
required to enter into standard contracts in excess of the
annual target for the applicable program
year and shall not be required to enter into standard
contracts in excess of any limit set by the
board and approved by the commission for a given
enrollment. However, the electric distribution
company may voluntarily exceed an enrollment period limit as
long as it does not exceed an
annual target for the applicable program year.
(b) For small
distributed generation projects, the electric distribution company on a
first-
come, first-served basis, shall enter into standard
contracts at the applicable standard contract
ceiling price shall
select projects for standard contracts based on the lowest proposal prices
received with any distributed generation project which meets
the requirements of all applicable
tariffs and regulations, and meets the criteria of a
renewable energy class in effect, until the class
target is met. Enrollment periods will be governed by a
solicitation and enrollment process rules
that shall be filed with the commission each October 15 by
the electric distribution company, and
approved by the commission within sixty (60) days of such
filing.
(c) For large
distributed generation projects, the electric distribution company shall
select projects for standard contracts based on the lowest
proposed prices received, but not to
exceed the applicable standard contract ceiling price,
provided, that the selected projects meet the
requirements of all applicable tariffs and regulations and meet
the criteria of a renewable energy
class in effect until the class target is met. Except for
2011, no enrollment period shall seek to
enroll more than one-third (1/3) of the annual goal for the
distribution company for large
distributed generation projects.
(d) If there are more
projects than what is specified for a class target at the same price,
the electric distribution company shall review the
applications submitted and select first those
projects that appear to be the furthest along in development
and likely to be deployed in
consultation with the office. Those projects that are likely to be deployed
on the earliest timelines
shall be selected. To the extent the electric distribution
company is unable to make a clear
distinction on this basis, the electric company shall report the
results to the board and not enter
into contracts with those projects that are tied on
pricing. In such case, the board may take such
action as it deems appropriate for the selection of
projects, including seeking more information
from the projects. Alternatively, the board may consider
adjustments to the ceiling price and a
rebid, or simply wait until the next enrollment.
(e) Should an electric
distribution company determine that it has entered into sufficient
standard contracts to achieve a program-year class target, it
shall immediately report this to the
board, the office of energy resources, and the commission,
and cease entering into standard
contracts for that renewable energy class for the remainder of
the program year. An electric
distribution company may exceed the renewable energy class target
if the last standard contract
entered into may cause the total purchased to exceed the
target. The office and the electric
distribution company shall enter into a memorandum of
understanding regarding the sharing of
the information and data related to the distributed
generation program.
(f) The electric
distribution company is authorized to enter into standard contracts up to
the applicable ceiling price. As long as the terms of the
standard contract are materially the same
as the standard contract terms approved by the
commission and the pricing is no higher than the
applicable ceiling price, such contracts shall be deemed prudent
and approved by the commission
for purposes of recovering the costs in rates.
(g) A distributed
generation project that also is being employed by a customer for net
metering purposes may submit an application to sell the excess
output from its distributed
generation project. In such case, however, at the election of
the self-generator all of the renewable
energy certificates and environmental attributes pertaining
to the energy consumed on site may be
sold to the electric distribution company on a
month-to-month basis outside of the terms of the
standard contract. In such case, the portion of the renewable
energy certificates that pertain to the
energy consumed on site during the net metering billing
period shall be priced at the average
market price of renewable energy certificates, which may be
determined by using the price of
renewable energy certificates purchased or sold by the electric
distribution company.
39-26.2-7.
Standard contract -- Form and provisions. -- The
following process shall be
implemented to establish the non-price terms and conditions of
the standard contract:
(1) A working group
("contract working group") shall be established and supervised by
the board, consisting of the following members: (i) The director of the office of energy resources;
(ii) A designee from the division of public utilities
and carriers; (iii) Two (2) designees of the
electric distribution company; (iv) Two (2) individuals
designated by the office of energy
resources who are experienced developers of renewable
generation projects; (v) One individual
designated by the office of energy resources who represents a
customer of the electric distribution
company; and (vi) A lawyer designated by the office of energy
resources who has at least three
(3) years of experience in
negotiating and/or developing power purchase agreements. With
respect to the lawyer designated in (vi) above, the electric
distribution company shall enter into a
cost reimbursement agreement with such lawyer, to
compensate the lawyer for the time spent
serving in the contract working group at the reasonable
hourly rate negotiated by the office of
energy resources. The costs incurred by the electric
distribution company under the
reimbursement agreement shall be recovered in rates by the electric
distribution company in the
year incurred or the year following incurrence through an
appropriate filing with the commission.
The contract working group shall be an advisory group
that is not to be considered to be an
agency for purposes of the administrative procedures act or
any other laws pertaining to public
bodies.
(2) The contract
working group shall work in good faith to develop standard contracts
that would be applicable for various technologies for both
small and large distributed generation
projects. The standard contracts should balance the need for
the project to obtain financing
against the need for the distribution company to protect
itself and its distribution customers
against unreasonable risks. The standard contract should be
developed from contracting terms
typically utilized in the wholesale power industry, taking into
account the size of each project and
the technology. The standard contracts shall provide for
the purchase of energy, capacity,
renewable energy certificates, and all other environmental
attributes and market products that are
available or may become available from the distributed
generation facility. However, the electric
distribution company shall retain the right to separate out
pricing for each market product under
the contracts for administrative and accounting purposes to
avoid any detrimental accounting
effects or for administrative convenience, provided that such
accounting as specified in the
contract does not affect the price and financial benefits to
the seller as a seller of a bundled
product. The standard contract also shall:
(i)
Hold the distributed generation facility owner liable for the cost of
interconnection
from the distributed generation facility to the
interconnect point with the distribution system, and
for any upgrades to the existing distributed generation
system that may be required by the electric
distribution company. However, a distributed generation facility
owner may appeal to the
commission to reduce any required system upgrade costs to the
extent such upgrades can be
shown to benefit other customers of the electric
distribution company and the balance of such
costs shall be included in rates by the electric
distribution company for recovery in the year
incurred or the year following incurrence;
(ii) Require the
distributed generation facility owner to make a performance guarantee
deposit to the electric distribution company of fifteen
dollars ($15.00) for small distributed
generation projects or twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for large
distributed generation projects for
every renewable energy certificate estimated to be
generated per year under the contract, but at
least five hundred dollars ($500) and not more than
seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000), paid
at the time of contract execution;
(iii) Require the electric
distribution company to refund the performance guarantee
deposit on a pro-rated basis of renewable energy credits
actually delivered by the distributed
generation facility over the course of the first year of the
project's operation, paid quarterly;
(iv)
Provide that if the distributed generation facility has not generated ninety
percent
(90%) of the
output proposed in its enrollment application within eighteen (18) months after
execution of the contract, the contract is automatically
voided shall be terminated and the
performance guarantee is shall be forfeited. An
eligible small-scale hydropower distributed
generation facility that has not generated ninety percent (90%)
of the output proposed in its
enrollment application within forty-eight (48) months after
execution of the contract shall result
in the contract being terminated and the performance
guarantee being forfeited. Any
forfeited
performance guarantee deposits shall be credited to all
distribution customers in rates and not
retained by the electric distribution company;
(v) Provide for flexible
payment schedules that may be negotiated between the buyer and
seller, but shall be no longer than quarterly if an
agreement cannot be reached;
(vi) Require that an
electric meter which conforms with standard industry
norms be
installed to measure the electrical energy output of the
distributed generation facility, and require
a system or procedure by which the distributed
generation facility owner shall demonstrate
creation of renewable energy credits, in a manner recognized
and accounted for by the GIS; such
demonstration of renewable energy credit creation to be at the
distributed generation facility
owner's expense. The electric distribution company may, at
its discretion, offer to provide such a
renewable energy credit measurement and accounting system or
procedure to the distributed
generation facility owner, and the distributed generation
facility owner may, at its discretion, use
the electric distribution company's program, or use that
of an independent third party, approved
by the commission, and the costs of such measurement and
accounting are paid for by the
distributed generation facility owner.
(vii) All
distributed generation projects that have executed contracts will be required
to
submit quarterly reports on the progress of the project to
the distribution company and the office
of energy resources. Failure to submit these quarterly
progress reports may result in the
termination of the contract.
(3) If the contract
working group reaches agreement on the terms of standard contracts,
the board shall file the contracts with the commission
for approval. If there are any
disagreements, they shall be identified to the commission. The
commission shall review the
standard contracts for conformance with the standards set
forth in subsection (2). Should there be
any disputes, the commission shall issue an order
resolving them. To the extent the commission
needs expert assistance to resolve any disagreements noted
in the filing, the commission is
authorized to hire a consultant to assist it in the proceedings,
the costs of which shall be recovered
from electric distribution customers pursuant to a uniform
factor established by the commission
in rates for recovery by the electric distribution
company in the year incurred or the year
following incurrence, as requested through a filing by the
electric distribution company. The
commission shall issue an order approving standard forms of
contract within sixty (60) days of
the filing.
39-26.2-8.
Standard contract -- Reporting. -- (a) After
each enrollment during a
program year the electric distribution companies shall
provide a report to the board, office of
energy resources, and the commission of the aggregate amount
of project nameplate capacity that
was the subject of standard contracts entered into during
that enrollment and the prices under
each of the standard contracts that were executed.
(b) Each quarter of a
program year, the electric distribution company shall provide an
accounting to office of energy resource, the board, and the
commission of the total amount paid to
distributed generation facilities under standard contracts during
that quarter, until the forty
megawatt (40 MW) target is met;
(c) Until the forty
megawatt (40 MW) target is met, the electric distribution company
shall submit preliminary reports to office of energy
resources, the board, and the commission
indicating the number of standard contracts and total estimated
annual generation, price, class,
and any other relevant information for the purposes of
better specifying classes, targets, or
standard contract prices so as to achieve the purposes set
forth in this chapter. Such reports shall
be submitted no later than sixty (60) days prior to the
end of the calendar year.
(d) The electric
distribution company shall in consultation with the office utilize uniform
standard forms for evaluating project proposals and shall rank
projects according to uniform
criteria.
(e) At the end of
each enrollment, the electric distribution company shall, upon request by
an applicant, provide said applicant with written
feedback on the evaluation of said applicant's
project proposal.
39-26.2-12.
Powers and duties. – (a) The
board shall have the power to:
(1) Develop and
recommend to the public utilities commission for review and approval
ceiling prices for standard contracts under the distributed
generation standard contracts;
(2) Develop and
recommend to the commission adjustments up or down to the annual
target for standard contracts for the following program
year;
(3) Monitor and
evaluate performance under the distributed generation standard
contracts act, including an assessment of ratepayer impact and
the project selection process, to be
submitted annually in a report to the governor and the general
assembly as provided in subsection
39-26.2-12(b).
(4) Participate in
proceedings of the public utilities commission that pertain to the
purposes of the board.
(5) In order to provide
funding for the purposes of engaging consultants and professional
services as necessary and appropriate for the board to fulfill
its duties and purposes, an allocation
of no less than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) from
unused portions of Regional Greenhouse
Gas Initiative ("RGGI") auction proceeds not
dedicated to efficiency measures but to overhead
expenses shall be transmitted from the office of energy resources
to the board.
(b) On January 15 of
each year the office of energy resources shall submit to the
governor, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the
house of representatives, an annual
jobs, economic impact and environmental impact study on
the distributed generation standard
contracts program. The study shall include, but not be limited
to, environmental benefits,
including carbon emission reductions from the installations;
economic impacts including, but not
limited to, direct and indirect jobs created; system
reliability improvements; property and income
tax benefits; and ratepayer impacts including, but not
limited to, hedges against general inflation
and fuel price volatility, short term price impacts, and
wholesale price suppression.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.
=======
LC01653/SUB B
=======