PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
An Act To Establish a Green New Deal for Maine
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
PART A
Sec. A-1.  35-A MRSA §3210, sub-§3-B  is enacted to read:
 
3-B.  Portfolio requirements; renewable resources.     No later than January 1, 2040, as a condition of licensing pursuant to section 3203, a competitive electricity provider in this State must demonstrate in a manner satisfactory to the commission that no less than 80% of its portfolio of supply sources for retail electricity sales in this State is accounted for by renewable resources. 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.
Sec. A-2. 38 MRSA §576, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 237, §1, is amended to read:
 
3. Long-term reduction.   In the long term, reduction sufficient to eliminate any dangerous threat to the climate. To accomplish this goal, including reduction to 75% to 80% below 2003 levels may be requiredby January 1, 2040.
PART B
Sec. B-1. Task force established. The Task Force for a Green New Deal, referred to in this Part as "the task force," is established to create a plan to advance environmental sustainability, renewable energy and economic growth for the State.
Sec. B-2. Task force membership. The task force consists of 11 members as follows:
1. The Director of the Governor's Office of Policy and Management, or its successor agency, who serves as chair; and
2. Ten members appointed by the Governor as follows:
A. One representative of the Public Utilities Commission;
B. One representative of the Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program administered by the Maine State Housing Authority;
C. One member with expertise in climate science;
D. One member representing the interests of renewable energy producers;
E. One member who is under 21 years of age representing youth of the State;
F. Two members representing the interests of labor; and
G. Three members representing the business community, including one from a business located in a coastal county and one from a business located in an inland county. For the purposes of this paragraph, "coastal county" means York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Waldo or Knox County, and "inland county" means any county of the State that is not defined as a coastal county.
Sec. B-3. Meetings; compensation; staffing. The task force shall meet at times and places called by the chair. Members of the task force serve without compensation. The Governor's Office of Policy and Management, or its successor agency, shall provide staffing services to the task force within existing resources.
Sec. B-4. Duties. The task force shall develop a plan to advance environmental sustainability, renewable energy and economic growth for the State. The plan must contain, but is not limited to, the following strategies and must include draft legislation necessary to implement each strategy:
1. A renewable resources strategy, including specific benchmarks and a pathway to achieve 80% reliance on renewable resources to supply electricity in this State by 2040, in accordance with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 35-A, section 3210, subsection 3-B;
2. A high-quality job creation, retention and training strategy including:
A. Major investments in upgrading, rebuilding and developing the State's infrastructure;
B. Maintenance and expansion of existing manufacturing and industrial facilities, including paper mills;
C. A comprehensive approach to encourage apprenticeship and training programs in rural and urban communities of the State for jobs that contribute to preserving, sustaining or enhancing environmental quality, commonly referred to as green jobs; and
D. Ensuring workers have a voice in these jobs through collective bargaining rights; and
3. A residential energy strategy, including subsidies for the installation of solar energy systems and heat pumps by low-income consumers eligible for the Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program, and tax credits for the installation of solar energy systems and heat pumps by other residential consumers.
Sec. B-5. Report. No later than January 15, 2020, the task force shall submit a report documenting the plan developed under section 4, including any necessary implementing legislation, to the Governor, the Joint Standing Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business, the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology and the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.
PART C
Sec. C-1. Public Utilities Commission and Efficiency Maine Trust to submit virtual net metering proposal for public school solar energy systems to the Second Regular Session of the 129th Legislature. No later than January 1, 2020, the Public Utilities Commission and the Efficiency Maine Trust shall submit a report including draft legislation to the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology to establish a virtual net metering program to facilitate the economical installation of solar photovoltaic energy systems on kindergarten to grade 12 public school buildings. The draft legislation must create a voluntary program available to interested public schools seeking to have a cost-effective source of solar electricity installed by professionals certified by the State. The program must allow participating schools to begin using virtual net metering for solar photovoltaic energy installations no later than December 31, 2021.
PART D
Sec. D-1.  5 MRSA §12004-I, sub-§74-J  is enacted to read:
 
74-J.   
Sec. D-2.  35-A MRSA §123  is enacted to read:
§ 123. Transition to low-carbon economy
 
1.  Commission established.     The Commission on a Just Transition to a Low-carbon Economy, referred to in this section as "the commission," is established for the purpose of ensuring that the State's transition to a low-carbon economy benefits all residents fairly and equitably, with consideration for their sources of employment, levels of income and historical experience.
 
2.  Commission membership.     The commission consists of 13 members as follows:
 
A.  Three members appointed by the President of the Senate:
 
(1) A person with direct experience as a member of a community or demographic group with limited access to renewable energy or energy efficiency due to the lack of economic means to pay for such installations or measures;
 
(2) A person with knowledge of issues surrounding reducing the carbon intensity of the transportation sector; and
 
(3) A person with direct experience as an advocate for climate justice issues in the State;
 
B.  Three members appointed by the Speaker of the House:
 
(1) A person with direct knowledge of the effects of the carbon-based economy on the members of the federally recognized Indian tribes in the State;
 
(2) A person with at least 10 years' experience as a worker in an industry affected by the transition to a low-carbon economy; and
 
(3) A person representing organized labor in the State;
 
C.  Three members appointed by the Governor:
 
(1) A person with direct experience in the installation of residential renewable energy or efficiency measures;
 
(2) A person with direct experience managing state energy efficiency incentive programs for low-income persons; and
 
(3) An economist or person with experience in economic analysis at a college or university in the State who has expertise in studying the contribution of carbon-reducing initiatives to economic growth and job creation, or a closely related discipline;
 
D.  The Director of the Efficiency Maine Trust;
 
E.  The Commissioner of Labor or the commissioner's designee;
 
F.  The chair of the Public Utilities Commission or the chair's designee; and
 
G.  The Director of the Governor's Energy Office or the director's designee.
 
3.  Duties; member compensation.     The commission shall assist the Public Utilities Commission in the evaluation of energy programming, including, but not limited to, programs of the Efficiency Maine Trust and the Maine State Housing Authority, with particular focus on whether the program benefits are equitably distributed to persons in the State who are most adversely affected by the transition to a low-carbon economy, persons who are members of demographic groups who have historically been so affected or persons who have insufficient household income to participate in energy efficiency or renewable energy programs. Members of the commission serve without compensation, except reasonable expenses incurred when participating in commission meetings and activities.
 
4.  Meetings; staffing.     The commission shall meet at least 6 times each year. The Public Utilities Commission shall provide staffing services to the commission. If the Public Utilities Commission incurs costs for staffing, research or other reasonable and necessary expenses relating to the commission that cannot be absorbed within the Public Utilities Commission's budget, those costs must be paid from the oversight and evaluation fund established pursuant to section 10120, subsection 3.
 
5.  Report.     The commission shall submit to the Legislature no later than January 15th of each year a report on the State's progress toward a just transition to a low-carbon economy. The report must examine principles of environmental justice, information about income inequality as it relates to environmental harm, professional training opportunities and investments and racial-specific and ethnic-specific effects of past, present and future trends in energy production and consumption. The report must also examine options for accelerating the transition to beneficial electrification in the rail and automotive sectors. Prior to submission of each annual report, the commission must hold at least 4 public listening sessions at different locations around the State that are convenient to those who are most affected by the economy's economic reliance on fossil fuels and who have the most at stake during the transition to a low-carbon economy.
 
SUMMARY
This bill does the following.
Part A requires competitive electricity providers to demonstrate, by 2040, that their portfolios of supply sources for retail electricity sales in this State are 80% accounted for by renewable resources. It also amends the State's goals for long-term reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Part B creates the Task Force for a Green New Deal, which consists of 11 members including representatives of State Government, climate science, renewable energy, youth, labor and business. The task force is charged with creating a plan to advance environmental sustainability, renewable energy and economic growth for the State. The plan must include, but is not limited to, a renewable resources strategy to achieve 80% reliance on renewable resources for electricity supply by 2040; a job training strategy, including a training program to prepare workers for green jobs; and a residential energy strategy that provides incentives for installation of solar energy systems and heat pumps. The task force is required to submit a report on its plan by January 15, 2020 to the Governor, the Joint Standing Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business, the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology and the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.
Part C requires the Public Utilities Commission and the Efficiency Maine Trust to submit a report by January 1, 2020 that includes draft legislation to establish a virtual net metering program to encourage installation of solar photovoltaic energy systems on public school buildings.
Part D creates the Commission on a Just Transition to a Low-carbon Economy. The commission includes 13 members. The purpose of the commission is to ensure that the State's transition to a low-carbon economy benefits all residents fairly and equitably. The commission is required to submit an annual report to the Legislature.