Introduced
by
To mandate that electric utilities acquire at least 3 percent of their power from “renewable” sources, growing to at least 20 percent by 2025. The Public Service Commission would be authorized and given discretion to grant exemptions. The bill would authorize trading of renewable energy “credits” between utilities that exceed or fall short of the mandated quantity, and would impose fines of $50 for each megawatt hour that a utility falls short in production or credits. It would allow utilities to pay for these more costly forms of energy by increasing the electricity bills of customers. "Renewable energy" is defined as that generated by biomass, geothermal, solar, wind, hydroelectric, and gas captured from the decomposition of waste. It does not include nuclear power. Additionally, the bill would require all utilities to maintain a minimum annual 15 percent power reserve margin and impose certain “reliability” standards.
Referred to the Committee on Energy Policy and Public Utilities
