Maryland SB 315: Electric Industry - Community Choice Energy

Bill Text

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0315*

SENATE BILL 315
C5, L6 0lr2402
SB 660/19 – FIN CF 0lr0595
By: Senators Beidle, Augustine, Elfreth, Feldman, Kagan, Lam, Lee, and Rosapepe
Introduced and read first time: January 22, 2020
Assigned to: Finance

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Electric Industry – Community Choice Energy 2

FOR the purpose of applying certain laws regarding net energy metering and community 3
solar generating systems to customers served by a community choice aggregator; 4
repealing a provision that prohibits a county or municipal corporation from acting as 5
an aggregator under certain circumstances; establishing a process by which, 6
beginning on a certain date, a county or municipal corporation or group of counties 7
or municipal corporations may form or join a community choice aggregator; requiring 8
a county or municipal corporation to develop and give certain notice of a certain 9
aggregation plan under certain circumstances; providing for the contents of a certain 10
aggregation plan; prohibiting a county or municipal corporation from excluding 11
certain customers from the ability to participate in certain aggregation activities 12
under certain circumstances; establishing a process under which certain customers 13
shall be deemed to have given permission to a certain county or municipal 14
corporation to act as the customers’ community choice aggregator; providing that 15
certain customers may refuse to participate in certain aggregation activities under 16
certain circumstances; requiring a certain electricity supplier to give certain notice 17
to a community choice aggregator regarding the end of a certain contract term; 18
authorizing a community choice aggregator to impose a certain penalty under certain 19
circumstances; prohibiting a community choice aggregator from assessing certain 20
new fees, taxes, or charges in the aggregation charges or rates under certain 21
circumstances; exempting a community choice aggregator from certain requirements 22
relating to the licensing of electricity suppliers; authorizing a community choice 23
aggregator to own a certain electric generating facility for a certain purpose; 24
requiring a community choice aggregator to submit a certain plan to the Public 25
Service Commission for the use or disposition of a certain electric generating facility 26
under certain circumstances; authorizing a community choice aggregator to contract 27
for service from an electric generating facility under certain circumstances; requiring 28
a county or municipal corporation to give or provide for certain notices to certain 29
persons and to the Commission under certain circumstances; providing for the 30
contents of certain notices; requiring the Commission to notify a certain county or 31

2 SENATE BILL 315

municipal corporation as to its approval of the aggregation plan and certain proposed 1
terms of service, rates, and categories of certain charges, fees, or other costs under 2
certain circumstances; providing that a community choice aggregator may award 3
contracts for competitive generation service supply only at certain times; authorizing 4
the Commission to establish a schedule by which a community choice aggregator 5
may transfer load from standard offer service to retail or wholesale contracts under 6
an aggregation plan; providing that a certain county or municipal corporation is 7
deemed to have obtained certain customer authorization to retrieve certain data; 8
requiring an electric company to provide certain data to a community choice 9
aggregator; requiring the Commission to review certain fees, request formats, and 10
the format of certain data provided to facilitate the intent of certain provisions of 11
law; requiring the Commission to adopt certain regulations and establish certain 12
procedures; authorizing the Commission to make a certain allocation under certain 13
circumstances; requiring an electric company to provide certain billing services; 14
requiring certain bills to contain a certain notice; requiring the Commission to 15
determine the terms and conditions under which a certain electric company provides 16
certain services; requiring the Commission to consider certain factors; defining 17
certain terms; altering certain definitions; and generally relating to the ability of a 18
county or municipal corporation to aggregate demand for electricity within the 19
county or municipal corporation. 20

BY renumbering 21
Article – Public Utilities 22
Section 1–101(f) through (tt), respectively 23
to be Section 1–101(g) through (uu), respectively 24
Annotated Code of Maryland 25
(2010 Replacement Volume and 2019 Supplement) 26

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 27
Article – Public Utilities 28
Section 1–101(a), 7–306(a)(1), (4), and (7) and (f)(1), and 7–306.2(d)(1) and (2) 29
Annotated Code of Maryland 30
(2010 Replacement Volume a