Amendment #996 to H3400

Circuit Capacity Task Force

Representatives Benson of Lunenburg and DiNatale of Fitchburg move to amend the bill by adding the following section:

SECTION XXXX.  There shall be a task force convened to review the existing interconnection standards for distributed generation and circuit capacity as a part of the interconnection process in solar panel installation in the commonwealth. The task force shall consist of 7 members: 1 appointee to be chosen by the speaker of the house of representatives, who shall serve as co-chair; 1 appointee to be chosen by the president of the senate, who shall serve as co-chair; the secretary of the executive office of energy and environmental affairs, or a designee; and 1 representative to be chosen by the co-chairs from each of the following: the distribution utilities; the solar industry developers; the department of public utilities; and the president of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, or a designee. The task force may include any additional persons deemed necessary.

The review of the task force shall include, but not be limited to: (1) the proper protocols for the interconnection process to ensure reliability and safety of the electric grid; (2) guidelines for the department of public utilities’  interconnection tariffs; (3) recommendations for who shall contribute to the fiscal impact of infrastructure investment updates,; and (4) the ways in which the circuit capacity cap may be increased in order to accommodate additional interconnected distributed generation.

The task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the general court, along with any draft legislation necessary to carry its recommendation into effect, by filing the report with the clerks of the senate and house of representatives who shall forward the same to the chairs of the joint committee on telecommunications, utilities and energy, and the chairs of the senate and house committees on ways and means not later than October 1, 2015.