Bill > S1800

This bill proposes to amend Chapter 25 of the General Laws to allow Municipal Lighting Plants (MLPs), which are publicly owned utilities, to use funds generated from cap and trade pollution control programs, specifically mentioning the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) allowance trading mechanism, to finance their energy efficiency and demand side management programs. These RGGI funds, which are generated by selling allowances to polluters to limit greenhouse gas emissions, will be allocated to MLPs based on their share of statewide electricity sales, with at least 80% of the allocated funds being returned to the MLPs for implementing these programs. MLPs can choose to administer these programs through either the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company or Energy New England LLC, and they must itemize these expenditures in their annual reports. Importantly, MLPs have the option to opt out of this program annually, and if they do, they will not be subject to the associated program requirements, nor will the funds received under this section subject them to other general or special laws.