Legislative Session number- 85

Bill Name: SF0145

2E Relating to energy

ARTICLE 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS

"Next Generation Energy
Act of 2007"; specifying state energy policy goals and requiring increased
reliance on energy efficiency and renewable energy alternatives and fossil fuel
use reduction

ARTICLE 2 - ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CONVERSATION

Requiring public
utilities filing for rate changes to reference generation and
transmission
cooperative energy conservation improvement plans; excluding energy conservation
improvements investments and expenses from large energy facilities just and
reasonable gas rates; requiring the public utilities commission (PUC) to allow
public utilities to reduce the gas rate applicable to large energy facilities;
allowing the PUC to approve electric utility petitions for rate schedules to
recover electric utility infrastructure costs (EUIC), specifying filing
requirements; establishing a state energy conservation policy goal; modifying
energy conservation improvement provisions, defining certain terms and modifying
certain definitions; authorizing the commissioner of commerce to rescind
exemptions on basis of lack of reasonable effort to identify energy
conservation
improvements and removing the provision for utility determination of
conservation improvement set aside; modifying the definition of certain
municipal providers; prohibiting municipalities and associations from spending
for energy conservation improvements directly benefiting large energy
facilities; requiring municipalities and cooperatives to file energy efficiency
and conservation improvement plans and requiring commissioner plans approval;
removing certain evaluation; commissioner review and municipality contribution
provisions, authorizing district heating or cooling systems (HVAC) expenditures
to considered load management activities, requiring utilities and associations
to have certain annual energy savings goals; requiring the commissioner to adopt
a filing schedule designed to have all utilities and associations operating
under an energy savings plan by a certain year; allowing utility and
associations adjustment requests; clarifying energy savings goals and cost
effectiveness; requiring the commissioner to make public annual energy savings
and estimated carbon dioxide reductions achieved by the conservation improvement
program; providing for commissioner technical assistance, applied research and
development grants and facilities energy efficiency; removing special
consideration for programs using energy efficient lighting; modifying
commissioner responsibilities; requiring the PUC to allow cooperative electric
associations expenses recovery; requiring PUC performance incentives adjustment;
requiring commissioner assurance of low income programs offerings; requiring the
PUC to establish criteria and standards for decoupling, requiring the PUC to
allow rate regulated pilot programs to assess rate decoupling merits; requiring
the commissioner of commerce in coordination with other state agencies, the
chancellor of the Minnesota state colleges and universities (MnSCU) and the
president of the university of Minnesota to identify policy options, barriers
and economic benefits and cost for state government operations to achieve
savings goals and the resulting carbon emission reductions, requiring a report
to the legislature by a certain date; specifying instructions to the revisor of
statutes

ARTICLE 3 - MISCELLANEOUS

Requiring school district boards to
provide copies of guaranteed energy savings contracts to the commissioner of
commerce; clarifying the Manitoba hydro provisions modification; requiring the
commissioner of commerce in coordination with certain other state agency
commissioners; modifying commissioner energy audit program requirements;
requiring municipalities entering into guaranteed energy savings contracts to
provide a copy to the commissioner of commerce; requiring landlords to make
premises reasonably energy efficient by installing weatherstripping, caulking,
storm windows and storm doors; requiring the legislative energy task force to
conduct an analysis of the environmental costs of constructing a nuclear powered
electric generating plant, requiring a report to the legislature by a certain
date; repealing provisions relating to energy audits, energy conservation in
existing residences and certain remedies for health and safety violations and
certain rules

ARTICLE 4 - C-BED AND RELATED ISSUES

Modifying provisions
relating to community based energy development (C-BED) projects; modifying the
community based energy development tariff to reflect renewable energy projects;
modifying certain definitions; modifying the tariff rate; updating C-BED project
priorities; requiring municipal power agencies or generation and transmission
cooperatives to provide certain notice to member distribution utilities under
certain conditions; authorizing municipal power agencies and cooperatives to
offer members a certain community energy partnership opportunity; authorizing
utilities to petition the PUC to approve rate schedules providing for automatic
adjustment of certain cost recovery charges; requiring the PUC to establish a
uniform policy to curtail payments for
wind and solar energy; restricting
utility acquisition of resources provisions for utilities owning and operating
generation facilities to fulfill renewable energy objectives; moving the
position of reliability administrator from the PUC to the department of commerce
and transferring responsibilities to the department; providing for wind energy
conversion systems size determination for purpose of jurisdictional siting
authority; authorizing county boards to assume certain large wind energy
conversion system (LWECS) permit applications processing authorizing county
boards to assume certain large wind energy conversion system (LWECS) permit
applications processing; authorizing counties to adopt standards for LWECS more
stringent than standards in public utilities commission (PUC) rules; providing
for wind easement termination under certain conditions; requiring the
reliability administrator to conduct an engineering assessment of state
electricity resource needs through 2025 with a focus on baseload resources;
requiring renewable energy utilities to participate in conducting a two phase
study of potential for dispersed generation projects, specifying study
requirements, requiring technical review committee appointment; requiring the
legislative electric energy task force to study the regulation of easements,
leases and other agreements to acquire an interest in real property for the
purpose of wind development and report to the legislature by a certain date;
requiring the legislative electric energy task forces to study the need for
state regulation of easements, leases and other agreements to acquire an
interest in real property for wind energy development; requiring the legislative
electric energy task force to oversee and appoint an advisory task force on
C-BED, sunset provision; transferring certain responsibilities of the PUC to the
reliability administrator; requiring the reliability administrator to conduct a
study of need for and potential authority of a new state agency to plan,
finance, construct, own and maintain electric transmission lines within and
outside the state; requiring the reliability administrator to conduct a study
identifying administrative procedures ensuring efficient and coordinated action
for interconnecting dispersed generation projects to certain locations,
requiring a report to the legislature by a certain date


ARTICLE 5 - GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE; GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Specifying
scope and defining statewide greenhouse gas emissions; providing for a goal to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a certain amount over a certain period of
time; requiring the commissioner of commerce in consultation with the
commissioners of the pollution control agency (PCA), the housing finance agency
(HFA) and the department of natural resources (DNR), agriculture, employment and
economic development (DEED) and transportation (DOT) and the chair of the
metropolitan council to submit a climate change action plan to the legislature
by a certain date, providing for a stakeholder process; specifying general
elements and specific plan requirements, requiring the state to develop a
regional approach to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and requiring the
commissioner of commerce to report to the legislature by a certain date;
defining new large energy facility and statewide power sector carbon dioxide
emissions; prohibiting long term increased emissions from power plants,
specifying exceptions; providing for enforcement; requiring the PUC to establish
an estimate of the likely range of costs of future carbon dioxide regulation on
electricity generation

ARTICLE 6 - RENEWABLE ENERGY STANDARDS

Modifying
provisions relating to technology based on fuel combustion; requiring the PUC to
deposit financial penalties in the energy and conservation account
(Ch. 136,
2007)