Bill > LD32

This bill comprehensively repeals Maine's existing net energy billing laws and prohibits the Public Utilities Commission from requiring transmission and distribution utilities to allow customers to participate in net energy billing. Net energy billing (NEB) is a practice where customers can receive bill credits for electricity they generate and send back to the grid, typically through solar panel installations. The bill eliminates multiple existing statutes related to NEB (specifically sections 3209-A through 3209-E) and changes tax exemption rules for solar energy equipment. Key changes include restricting property tax exemptions for solar equipment to only those installations where all generated energy is used on-site, removing previous provisions that allowed exemptions for equipment connected to net energy billing programs or receiving utility bill credits. The bill also modifies definitions related to distributed generation resources and removes language about energy billing programs from various existing laws. Essentially, this legislation effectively ends net metering in Maine for future solar energy projects, potentially impacting the economic viability of small-scale solar installations by removing financial incentives like bill credits and tax exemptions.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?LD=32&snum=132