HOUSE BILL No. 4970

 

July 16, 2003, Introduced by Reps. Kolb, Gillard, Tobocman, Rivet, Minore, Jamnick, Gieleghem, Lipsey and Sak and referred to the Committee on Energy and Technology.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to require certain providers of electric service to                        

                                                                                

    comply with a portfolio standard for renewable energy; to                   

                                                                                

    prescribe the powers and duties of certain state agencies and               

                                                                                

    officials; and to provide for penalties.                                    

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 1.  As used in this act:                                               

                                                                                

2       (a) "Biomass" means any organic matter that is available on a               

                                                                                

3   renewable basis, including, but not limited to, all of the                  

                                                                                

4   following:                                                                  

                                                                                

5                                                                                (i) Agricultural crops and agricultural wastes and residues.                        

                                                                                

6       (ii) Wood and wood wastes and residues.                                      

                                                                                

7       (iii) Animal wastes.                                                         

                                                                                

8       (iv) Municipal wastes.                                                       

                                                                                

9       (v) Aquatic plants.                                                         

                                                                                

10      (b) "Commission" means the Michigan public service commission               

                                                                                


                                                                                

1   in the department of consumer and industry services.                        

                                                                                

2       (c) "Portfolio standard" means a portfolio standard for                     

                                                                                

3   renewable energy established by the commission under this act.              

                                                                                

4       (d) "Provider" means any person or entity that is in the                    

                                                                                

5   business of selling electricity to retail customers in this                 

                                                                                

6   state.                                                                      

                                                                                

7       (e) "Renewable energy" means any of the following:                          

                                                                                

8                                                                                (i) Biomass.                                                                        

                                                                                

9       (ii) Geothermal energy.                                                      

                                                                                

10      (iii) Solar thermal energy.                                                  

                                                                                

11      (iv) Wind energy.                                                            

                                                                                

12      (f) "Renewable energy system" means any of the following:                   

                                                                                

13                                                                               (i) A facility or energy system that uses renewable energy to                       

                                                                                

14  generate electricity and transmits or distributes the electricity           

                                                                                

15  that it generates from renewable energy.                                    

                                                                                

16      (ii) A solar thermal energy system that reduces the                          

                                                                                

17  consumption of electricity.                                                 

                                                                                

18      Sec. 2.  (1) For each provider, the commission shall                        

                                                                                

19  establish a portfolio standard for renewable energy.  The                   

                                                                                

20  portfolio standard shall require the provider to generate or                

                                                                                

21  acquire electricity from renewable energy systems in the                    

                                                                                

22  following amounts:                                                          

                                                                                

23      (a) For calendar years 2004 through 2006, not less than 7% of               

                                                                                

24  the total amount of electricity sold by the provider to its                 

                                                                                

25  retail customers in this state during the calendar year.                    

                                                                                

26      (b) For calendar years 2007 through 2009, not less than 9% of               

                                                                                

27  the total amount of electricity sold by the provider to its                 


                                                                                

1   retail customers in this state during the calendar year.                    

                                                                                

2       (c) For calendar years 2010 through 2012, not less than                     

                                                                                

3   13% of the total amount of electricity sold by the provider to              

                                                                                

4   its retail customers in this state during the calendar year.                

                                                                                

5       (d) For calendar year 2013 and for each calendar year                       

                                                                                

6   thereafter, not less than 15% of the total amount of electricity            

                                                                                

7   sold by the provider to its retail customers in this state during           

                                                                                

8   the calendar year.                                                          

                                                                                

9       (2) In addition to the requirements under subsection (1), the               

                                                                                

10  portfolio standard for each provider shall require all of the               

                                                                                

11  following:                                                                  

                                                                                

12      (a) That of the total amount of electricity that the provider               

                                                                                

13  is required to generate or acquire from renewable energy systems            

                                                                                

14  during each calendar year, not less than 5% of that amount must             

                                                                                

15  be generated or acquired from solar renewable energy systems.               

                                                                                

16      (b) If the provider acquires electricity from a renewable                   

                                                                                

17  energy system under a renewable energy contract with another                

                                                                                

18  party, the contract shall provide both of the following:                    

                                                                                

19                                                                               (i) That the term of the renewable energy contract shall be                         

                                                                                

20  not less than 10 years, unless the other party agrees to a                  

                                                                                

21  renewable energy contract with a shorter term.                              

                                                                                

22      (ii) That the terms and conditions of the renewable energy                   

                                                                                

23  contract are just and reasonable, as determined by the                      

                                                                                

24  commission.                                                                 

                                                                                

25      (3) If, for the benefit of 1 or more of its retail customers                

                                                                                

26  in this state, the provider has subsidized, in whole or in part,            

                                                                                

27  the acquisition or installation of a solar thermal energy system            


                                                                                

1   that qualifies as a renewable energy system and that reduces the            

                                                                                

2   consumption of electricity, the total reduction in the                      

                                                                                

3   consumption of electricity during each calendar year that results           

                                                                                

4   from the solar thermal energy system is considered to be                    

                                                                                

5   electricity that the provider generated or acquired from a                  

                                                                                

6   renewable energy system for the purposes of complying with its              

                                                                                

7   portfolio standard.                                                         

                                                                                

8       (4) The commission may establish a system of renewable energy               

                                                                                

9   credits that may be used by a provider to comply with its                   

                                                                                

10  portfolio standard.                                                         

                                                                                

11      (5) If a provider is unable to comply with its portfolio                    

                                                                                

12  standard through the generation of electricity from its own                 

                                                                                

13  renewable energy systems or the use of renewable energy credits,            

                                                                                

14  the provider shall acquire electricity under 1 or more renewable            

                                                                                

15  energy contracts.                                                           

                                                                                

16      (6) If the commission determines that there is not or will                  

                                                                                

17  not be a sufficient supply of electricity made available to a               

                                                                                

18  provider under renewable energy contracts with just and                     

                                                                                

19  reasonable terms and conditions, the commission shall exempt the            

                                                                                

20  provider, for that calendar year, from the remaining requirements           

                                                                                

21  of its portfolio standard or from any appropriate portion of the            

                                                                                

22  standard.                                                                   

                                                                                

23      (7) The commission shall determine whether the terms and                    

                                                                                

24  conditions of a renewable energy contract are just and                      

                                                                                

25  reasonable.                                                                 

                                                                                

26      (8) As used in this section:                                                

                                                                                

27      (a) "Renewable energy contract" means a contract to acquire                 


                                                                                

1   electricity from 1 or more renewable energy systems owned,                  

                                                                                

2   operated, or controlled by third parties.                                   

                                                                                

3       (b) "Terms and conditions" includes the price that a provider               

                                                                                

4   of electric service is to pay to acquire electricity under a                

                                                                                

5   renewable energy contract.                                                  

                                                                                

6       Sec. 3.  (1) Each provider of electric service shall submit                 

                                                                                

7   to the commission an annual report that provides information                

                                                                                

8   relating to the actions taken by the provider to comply with its            

                                                                                

9   portfolio standard.                                                         

                                                                                

10      (2) Each provider shall submit the annual report to the                     

                                                                                

11  commission after the end of each calendar year and within the               

                                                                                

12  time prescribed by the commission.  The report shall be submitted           

                                                                                

13  in a format approved by the commission.                                     

                                                                                

14      (3) Each annual report shall include all of the following                   

                                                                                

15  information:                                                                

                                                                                

16      (a) The amount of electricity that the provider generated or                

                                                                                

17  acquired from renewable energy systems during the reporting                 

                                                                                

18  period and the amount of renewable energy credits that the                  

                                                                                

19  provider acquired, sold, or traded during the reporting period to           

                                                                                

20  comply with its portfolio standard.                                         

                                                                                

21      (b) The capacity of each renewable energy system owned,                     

                                                                                

22  operated, or controlled by the provider, the total amount of                

                                                                                

23  electricity generated by each system during the reporting period            

                                                                                

24  and the percentage of that total amount that was generated                  

                                                                                

25  directly from renewable energy.                                             

                                                                                

26      (c) Whether, during the reporting period, the provider began                

                                                                                

27  construction on, acquired, or placed into operation any renewable           


                                                                                

1   energy system.                                                              

                                                                                

2       (d) Any other information that the commission may require.                  

                                                                                

3       Sec. 4.  (1) If a provider does not comply with its                         

                                                                                

4   portfolio standard for any calendar year and the commission has             

                                                                                

5   not exempted the provider from the requirements of its portfolio            

                                                                                

6   standard, the commission may impose a fine or take other                    

                                                                                

7   appropriate action against the provider.                                    

                                                                                

8       (2) The commission may impose a fine against a provider based               

                                                                                

9   on either of the following:                                                 

                                                                                

10      (a) Each kilowatt-hour of electricity that the provider does                

                                                                                

11  not generate or acquire from a renewable energy system or a solar           

                                                                                

12  thermal renewable energy system during a calendar year in                   

                                                                                

13  violation of its portfolio standard.                                        

                                                                                

14      (b) Any other reasonable formula adopted by the commission.                 

                                                                                

15      (3) If the commission imposes a fine against a regulated rate               

                                                                                

16  provider, then all of the following apply:                                  

                                                                                

17      (a) The fine is not a cost of service of the provider.                      

                                                                                

18      (b) The provider shall not include any portion of the fine in               

                                                                                

19  any application for a rate adjustment or rate increase.                     

                                                                                

20      (c) The commission shall not allow the provider to recover                  

                                                                                

21  any portion of the fine from its retail customers.