SENATE DOCKET, NO. 971        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1800

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

James B. Eldridge

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to energy efficiency funds generated by municipal lighting plants.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 971        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1800

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1585 OF 2013-2014.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

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An Act relative to energy efficiency funds generated by municipal lighting plants.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 25 of the General Laws as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition is hereby amended by adding the following new section:-

Section 19 ½. In addition to any other amounts derived from sources internal or external to Municipal Lighting Plants, costs associated with energy efficiency programs including but not limited to, demand side management programs established by such Municipal Lighting Plants, shall be funded, without further appropriation, from those amounts generated from cap and trade pollution control programs, including, but not limited to, and subject to section 22 of chapter 21A, amounts generated by the carbon dioxide allowance trading mechanism established under the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Memorandum of Understanding, as defined in subsection (a) of section 22 of chapter 21A. Such amounts shall be allocated based on the percentage of each municipal lighting plants’ electricity sales relative to total electricity sales statewide as determined by the Department of Energy Resources and not less than 80 per cent of such allocated amounts shall be returned to such Municipal Lighting Plants for implementation of such aforementioned programs.

Such municipal lighting plants’ programs funded by those additional amounts pursuant to this section shall be administered by each municipal lighting plant through either the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company or Energy New England LLC or their successors as determined by each municipal lighting plant.

Each municipal lighting plant shall include an itemization of expenditures of those funds received under this section in its annual return filed pursuant to section 63 of chapter 164.

A municipal light plant may annually at its option elect not to participate in those additional amounts available under this section. In the event of such election such municipal lighting plant would not be subject to the energy efficiency and demand side management programs requirements established under this section.

Any amounts distributed pursuant to and received by municipal lighting plants under this section shall not subject municipal lighting plants to any other general or special law.