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Mass Marketing & Distributed Generation Resources Bill Introduced
As reported previously, LD1964 was introduced in the Senate, referred to Joint Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee, and sent to House for concurrence. This legislation is entitled, “An Act to Require the Development of a Standard Written Disclosure for Sellers and Installers of Distributed Generation Resources, to Make Changes to Other Standard Disclosures and to Make Misrepresentation in the Sale of Electricity Products an Unfair Trade Practice”
Among other things this bill would make misrepresentation as a representative of an electric utility or governmental agency or program when entering into a financial arrangement regarding an energy product a violation of the Maine Unfair Trade Practices Act. It would also extend to all solicitations, not just door-to-door sales, the requirement that competitive retail electric suppliers (CRES) or their representatives provide consumers with standard disclosure forms before entering into an agreement to provide service, and would require that the standard disclosure include information regarding consumer protections.
The bill would preserve in the law net billing disclosure forms that a CRES must provide residential customers include, in addition to other information required by MEPUC: (1) the project sponsor’s, or their representative’s, name and telephone number; (2) the project name and location; and (3) information regarding: (i) billing by the project sponsor; and (ii) how net energy billing works.
The bill also directs the Attorney General to adopt rules establishing a standard written disclosure for sale or installation of distributed generation resources and make failure to do so a violation of the Maine unfair Trade Practices Act. The standard written disclosure must include at least:
- the name of the seller and contact information of the seller or a representative of the seller and the name of the facility;
- a plain language summary of pertinent requirements and time frames regarding small interconnection procedures;
- a good faith cost summary or estimate of system interconnection costs for which the customer may be responsible;
- a statement of the rights and responsibilities of the seller, customer and transmission and distribution utility pertinent to the engagement or interconnection with the facilities of the transmission and distribution utility;
- a description of any dispute resolution mechanisms, including information relating to the interconnection ombudsman under section 3474, subsection 4, available to the seller, customer and transmission and distribution utility;
- clearly described terms and conditions of any financial agreement associated with the sale, lease or installation of a distributed generation resource;
- signature lines for the seller and customer attesting that the seller provided, and the customer received, the standard written disclosure prior to the sale of the distributed generation resource; and
- a notice that the seller will notify the customer of when the project is operational and the customer’s subscription or service is active.
