HOUSE BILL No. 5549

December 6, 2007, Introduced by Reps. Palsrok, Mayes, Nofs and Accavitti and referred to the Committee on Energy and Technology.

 

     A bill to require certain providers of electric service to

 

establish a renewable energy program; and to prescribe the powers

 

and duties of certain state agencies and officials.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Commission" means the Michigan public service commission.

 

     (b) "Portfolio standard" is the minimum percentage of a

 

provider's total annual retail kilowatt hour electricity sales in

 

this state that is required to be produced from a renewable energy

 

resource.

 

     (c) "Provider" means any person that is in the business of

 

selling electricity to retail customers in this state and includes

 

all of the following:

 

     (i) Any person or entity that is regulated by the commission


 

for the purpose of selling electricity to retail customers.

 

     (ii) A municipal electric provider.

 

     (iii) A cooperative electric provider.

 

     (iv) An alternative electric supplier.

 

     (v) An independent investor-owned electric utility.

 

     (d) "Renewable energy" means electricity produced using a

 

renewable energy resource.

 

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

 

renewable energy and the associated renewable energy credits from 1

 

or more renewable energy systems.

 

     (f) "Renewable energy credit" means a certified credit under

 

this act equal to 1 megawatt hour of generated renewable energy.

 

     (g) "Renewable energy resource" means any of the following:

 

     (i) Biomass.

 

     (ii) Geothermal.

 

     (iii) Solar thermal.

 

     (iv) Photovoltaic cells and panels.

 

     (v) Industrial cogeneration where an integrated unit generates

 

power and either cools, heats, or controls humidity in a building

 

or provides heating, drying, or chilling for an industrial process

 

not including electricity generation.

 

     (vi) An incinerator brought into service before the effective

 

date of this act that complies with all federal and state

 

environmental regulations.

 

     (vii) Wind.

 

     (viii) Hydroelectric from existing hydroelectric facilities or

 

new hydroelectric facilities using existing dams unless, after the


 

effective date of this act, those dams are modified to increase

 

their holding capacity or further restrict water flow or in a

 

manner that does not fully incorporate the best environmental

 

practices.

 

     (ix) Hydroelectric from pumped storage hydroelectric facilities

 

to the extent the water was pumped using energy generated from

 

renewable energy resources.

 

     (x) Landfill gas.

 

     (h) "Renewable energy resource" does not include the burning

 

or heating of tires, garbage, landscape waste, construction or

 

demolition debris, or general household, institutional, commercial,

 

office, or industrial lunchroom waste.

 

     (i) "Renewable energy system" means a facility, electricity

 

generation system, or integrated set of electricity generation

 

systems that use renewable energy resources located in this state,

 

Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, or the province of

 

Ontario or Manitoba, Canada.

 

     Sec. 7. (1) Ninety days after the effective date of this act,

 

the commission shall establish for each provider a maximum retail

 

rate impact for this section of not less than 110% of the cost of

 

construction, operation and maintenance, and generation of a new

 

base load power plant over its lifecycle on a kilowatt per hour

 

basis. Following the initial determination, the commission shall

 

update the maximum rate impact at least every 2 years. In its

 

determination under this subsection, the commission shall consider

 

and make specific findings with respect to each of the following:

 

     (a) Capital costs, including lifecycle capital additions.


 

     (b) Financing and interest costs.

 

     (c) Forecasted inflation.

 

     (d) Construction costs.

 

     (e) Operation and maintenance costs.

 

     (f) Fuel costs, transportation of fuel costs, and fuel

 

disposal costs.

 

     (g) Costs of transmitting, generation, and interconnection.

 

     (h) Emission controls.

 

     (i) Taxes and penalties on carbon and emissions.

 

     (j) Costs of security measures.

 

     (k) Other costs the commission considers appropriate.

 

     (2) If the commission determines that the retail rate impact

 

of this section exceeds the maximum retail rate impact, it shall

 

reduce the required renewable energy credits required for

 

compliance with the portfolio standard by an amount necessary to

 

limit the retail rate impact to the maximum retail rate impact.

 

     Sec. 9. (1) If a provider is unable to comply with the

 

portfolio standard through the generation of renewable energy

 

credits derived from its own renewable energy systems, the provider

 

shall comply by entering into 1 or more renewable energy contracts.

 

     (2) If a provider is unable to comply with the portfolio

 

standard through the generation of renewable energy credits derived

 

from its own renewable energy systems or by entering 1 or more

 

renewable energy contracts, the provider shall purchase renewable

 

energy credits from a renewable energy system located in this

 

state.

 

     (3) Renewable energy credits used by a provider to comply with


 

its portfolio standard are extinguished upon use. Renewable energy

 

credits shall automatically expire upon the date 3 years after the

 

generation of the electricity associated with the renewable energy

 

credit.

 

     Sec. 11. (1) Upon petition by a provider, the commission may

 

for good cause grant an extension of the 2015 deadline to meet the

 

portfolio standard under section 5. The extension shall be for 1

 

year, but subsequent 1-year extensions may be granted for good

 

cause. If the commission determines that a provider cannot meet the

 

portfolio standard under section 5 because of a local unit of

 

government's zoning ordinance, the commission shall grant a

 

extension to that provider.

 

     (2) The petitioner shall provide the commission information

 

requested by the commission for its deliberations on the petition

 

under subsection (1). The commission shall consider factors

 

including economic impact, availability, cost, and consumer impact

 

in determining whether to grant or deny the petition.

 

     (3) If a provider, except for a municipally owned utility,

 

fails to meet the portfolio standard by the deadline under section

 

5 or the last extended deadline under subsection (2), whichever is

 

applicable, both of the following apply:

 

     (a) Under section 9, the provider shall obtain sufficient

 

renewable energy credits to meet the portfolio standard.

 

     (b) The provider shall not recover from its ratepayers the

 

cost of obtaining renewable energy credits under subdivision (a).

 

     Enacting section 1. As provided in section 5 of 1846 RS 1, MCL

 

8.5, this act is severable.


 

     Enacting section 2. This act does not take effect unless all

 

of the following bills of the 94th Legislature are enacted into

 

law:

 

     (a) House Bill No. 5383.

 

     (b) House Bill No. 5384.

 

     (c) House Bill No. 5520.

 

     (d) House Bill No. 5521.

 

     (e) House Bill No. 5522.

 

     (f) House Bill No. 5523.

 

     (g) House Bill No. 5524.

 

     (h) Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5548(request no.

 

05570'07).