[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1723 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1723

To amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to promote 
 safe and reliable interconnection and net billing for community solar 
                              facilities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 9, 2015

 Mr. Heinrich introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to promote 
 safe and reliable interconnection and net billing for community solar 
                              facilities.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Promoting Renewable Energy with 
Shared Solar Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. PROVISION OF INTERCONNECTION SERVICE AND NET BILLING SERVICE 
              FOR COMMUNITY SOLAR FACILITIES.

    (a) In General.--Section 111(d) of the Public Utility Regulatory 
Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2621(d)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following:
            ``(20) Community solar facilities.--
                    ``(A) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) Community solar facility.--The term 
                        `community solar facility' means a solar 
                        photovoltaic system that--
                                    ``(I) allocates electricity to 
                                multiple individual electric consumers 
                                of an electric utility;
                                    ``(II) has a nameplate rating of 2 
                                megawatts or less; and
                                    ``(III) is--
                                            ``(aa) owned by the 
                                        electric utility, jointly 
                                        owned, or third-party-owned;
                                            ``(bb) connected to a local 
                                        distribution facility of the 
                                        electric utility; and
                                            ``(cc) located on or off 
                                        the property of a consumer of 
                                        the electricity.
                            ``(ii) Interconnection service.--The term 
                        `interconnection service' means a service 
                        provided by an electric utility to an electric 
                        consumer, in accordance with the standards 
                        described in paragraph (15), through which a 
                        community solar facility is connected to an 
                        applicable local distribution facility.
                            ``(iii) Net billing service.--The term `net 
                        billing service' means a service provided by an 
                        electric utility to an electric consumer 
                        through which electric energy generated for 
                        that electric consumer from a community solar 
                        facility may be used to offset electric energy 
                        provided by the electric utility to the 
                        electric consumer during the applicable billing 
                        period.
                    ``(B) Requirement.--On receipt of a request of an 
                electric consumer served by the electric utility, each 
                electric utility shall make available to the electric 
                consumer interconnection service and net billing 
                service for a community solar facility.''.
    (b) Compliance.--
            (1) Time limitations.--Section 112(b) of the Public Utility 
        Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2622(b)) is amended 
        by adding at the end the following:
            ``(7)(A) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
        of this paragraph, each State regulatory authority (with 
        respect to each electric utility for which the State has 
        ratemaking authority) and each nonregulated utility shall 
        commence consideration under section 111, or set a hearing date 
        for consideration, with respect to the standard established by 
        paragraph (20) of section 111(d).
            ``(B) Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 
        this paragraph, each State regulatory authority (with respect 
        to each electric utility for which the State has ratemaking 
        authority), and each nonregulated electric utility shall 
        complete the consideration and make the determination under 
        section 111 with respect to the standard established by 
        paragraph (20) of section 111(d).''.
            (2) Failure to comply.--
                    (A) In general.--Section 112(c) of the Public 
                Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 
                2622(c)) is amended--
                            (i) by striking ``such paragraph (14)'' and 
                        all that follows through ``paragraphs (16)'' 
                        and inserting ``such paragraph (14). In the 
                        case of the standard established by paragraph 
                        (15) of section 111(d), the reference contained 
                        in this subsection to the date of enactment of 
                        this Act shall be deemed to be a reference to 
                        the date of enactment of that paragraph (15). 
                        In the case of the standards established by 
                        paragraphs (16)''; and
                            (ii) by adding at the end the following: 
                        ``In the case of the standard established by 
                        paragraph (20) of section 111(d), the reference 
                        contained in this subsection to the date of 
                        enactment of this Act shall be deemed to be a 
                        reference to the date of enactment of that 
                        paragraph (20).''.
                    (B) Technical correction.--
                            (i) In general.--Section 1254(b) of the 
                        Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58; 
                        119 Stat. 971) is amended by striking paragraph 
                        (2).
                            (ii) Treatment.--The amendment made by 
                        paragraph (2) of section 1254(b) of the Energy 
                        Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58; 119 
                        Stat. 971) (as in effect on the day before the 
                        date of enactment of this Act) is void, and 
                        section 112(d) of the Public Utility Regulatory 
                        Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2622(d)) shall 
                        be in effect as if those amendments had not 
                        been enacted.
            (3) Prior state actions.--
                    (A) In general.--Section 112 of the Public Utility 
                Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2622) is 
                amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) Prior State Actions.--Subsections (b) and (c) shall not apply 
to the standard established by paragraph (20) of section 111(d) in the 
case of any electric utility in a State if, before the date of 
enactment of this subsection--
            ``(1) the State has implemented for the electric utility 
        the standard (or a comparable standard);
            ``(2) the State regulatory authority for the State or the 
        relevant nonregulated electric utility has conducted a 
        proceeding to consider implementation of the standard (or a 
        comparable standard) for the electric utility; or
            ``(3) the State legislature has voted on the implementation 
        of the standard (or a comparable standard) for the electric 
        utility.''.
                    (B) Cross-reference.--Section 124 of the Public 
                Utility Regulatory Policy Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2634) 
                is amended by adding at the end the following: ``In the 
                case of the standard established by paragraph (20) of 
                section 111(d), the reference contained in this 
                subsection to the date of enactment of this Act shall 
                be deemed to be a reference to the date of enactment of 
                that paragraph (20).''.
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