sb 0085

CHAPTER 248

SB 85 – FINAL VERSION

AN ACT relative to the commission to develop a plan for the expansion of transmission capacity in the north country.

SPONSORS: Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 24; Sen. Gallus, Dist 1; Sen. Merrill, Dist 21; Rep. Kaen, Straf 7

This bill extends and expands the membership and duties of the commission to develop a plan for the expansion of transmission capacity in the north country.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

AN ACT relative to the commission to develop a plan for the expansion of transmission capacity in the north country.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

248:1 Purpose. The purpose of this act is to extend and expand the duties of the transmission commission created by 2008, 348. The transmission commission shall, wherever possible, seek to obtain federal funds to upgrade the 115 kilovolt transmission loop in Coos County and to establish an appropriate method for sharing costs and benefits of such an upgrade between ratepayers and the owners of generation facilities in order to develop renewable resources in northern New Hampshire. The transmission commission shall work with the congressional delegation, the office of the governor, and local and county officials to pursue all opportunities for the funding of the transmission upgrade needed to support renewable energy projects, including, but not limited to the benefits available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

248:2 New Subparagraph; Membership of the Commission. Amend 2008, 348:3, I by inserting after subparagraph (g) the following new subparagraph:

(h) The chairperson or designee of the energy efficiency and sustainable energy board established pursuant to RSA 125-O:5-a.

248:3 New Subparagraph; Membership; Non-Voting Participants. Amend 2008, 348:3, II by inserting after subparagraph (f) the following new subparagraph:

(g) A representative of the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, appointed by the association.

248:4 Duties of Transmission Commission. 2008, 348:4, I is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

(a) Coordinate and oversee efforts to upgrade the electric transmission system in the north country consistent with the responsibilities and findings contained in section 1.

(b) Provided federal funds are available, retain a consultant to assist in developing an interim plan for the upgrade of the Coos county transmission loop no later than December 1, 2010, or such other date approved by the transmission commission. A 5 member subcommittee composed of the chair of the transmission commission, the chairperson or designee of the energy efficiency and sustainable energy board established pursuant to RSA 125-O:5-a, the 3 representatives of the north country serving on the transmission commission, and such other members as may be designated by the chair, shall have the authority, with the approval of the transmission commission, to retain and oversee the work of the consultant. The consultant’s responsibilities shall include:

(1) Working with developers of proposed New Hampshire renewable generation projects which either have active applications in the ISO-NE Generator Interconnection Study Queue as of the effective date of this act or are subject to New Hampshire jurisdictional interconnection administration, electric transmission companies, the consumer advocate, the public utilities commission, this subcommittee, the congressional delegation, and state officials.

(2) Developing the framework for a proposal for the upgrade of the transmission system in the north country for filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that fairly balances the costs and benefits of the upgrade between developers and ratepayers. “Community benefits” shall be included as part of deliberation and as part of the final framework.

(3) Meeting periodically with the subcommittee of the transmission commission established under this subparagraph and the full transmission commission to report on the progress of the development of the proposal and taking direction from the commission.

248:5 Duties of Transmission Commission. 2008, 348:4, III is repealed and reenacted to read as follows:

III. Is authorized to obtain the services of a consultant to complete any necessary economic studies to contribute to any such studies and for developing the framework for a plan to upgrade the Coos county transmission loop. The commission may spend up to $200,000 for the purposes of this act. The commission is authorized to obtain grants and contributions for the purposes of this section, in accordance with RSA 4:8.

348:6 Report. The transmission commission shall report its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the senate clerk, the house clerk, the governor, and the state library in the form of an interim report on or before December 1, [~~2008~~] 2009 and a final report on or before December 1, 2010. The commission’s final report shall include a detailed plan of action to accomplish an upgrade of an electric transmission line in Coos county, which is capable of transmitting electrical power generated in Coos county from renewable energy sources in New Hampshire to the electrical power market.