HARRY HUGHES, Governor                                  3029

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments,

Article 78 - Public Service Commission Law

Section 54B(b), 57, and 59A

Annotated Code of Maryland

(1980 Replacement Volume and 1981 Supplement)

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That section(s) of the Annotated Code of Maryland
read(s) as follows:

Article 78 - Public Service Commission Law

54B.

(b) (1) In cooperation with the Secretary of Natural
Resources as set forth in § 3-304 of the Natural Resources
Article of the Code, the Commission shall be responsible for
assembling and evaluating annually the long-range plans of
Maryland's public electric utilities regarding generating
needs and means for meeting those needs. The chairman of
the Public Service Commission shall, on an annual basis,
forward to the Secretary of Natural Resources a ten-year
(10) plan listing possible and proposed sites, including
associated transmission routes, for the construction of
electric power plants within the State of Maryland. Sites
which are identified as unsuitable by the Secretary of
Natural Resources in accordance with the requirements of §
3-304 of the Natural Resources Article of the Code shall be
deleted from the plan, provided, however, nothing in this
subsection shall prevent the inclusion of such site in
subsequent ten-year (10) plans. THE CHAIRMAN OF THE
COMMISSION SHALL INCLUDE INFORMATION IN THE ANNUAL 10 YEAR
PLAN ON CURRENT AND PROJECTED EFFORTS BY PUBLIC ELECTRIC
UTILITIES AND THE COMMISSION TO MODERATE OVERALL ELECTRICAL
GENERATION DEMAND AND PEAK DEMAND THROUGH UTILITY PROMOTED
ENERGY CONSERVATION BY CUSTOMERS AND THROUGH UTILITY USE OF
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES, INCLUDING COGENERATION.

(2) THE COMMISSION SHALL EVALUATE THE

COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF THE UTILITIES' INVESTMENT IN ENERGY
CONSERVATION TO REDUCE ELECTRICAL DEMAND AND IN RENEWABLE
ENERGY SOURCES TO HELP MEET ELECTRICAL DEMAND. THE
EVALUATION OF INVESTMENTS SHALL INCLUDE:

(I) THE UTILITIES' PROMOTION AND CONDUCT
OF A BUILDING AUDIT AND WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM INCLUDING LOW

OR NO INTEREST UTILITY FINANCING FOR THE INSTALLATION OF

ENERGY CONSERVATION MATERIALS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVICES;

(II) UTILIZATION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY
SOURCES;

(III) PROMOTION OF AND UTILIZATION OF
ELECTRICITY FROM COGENERATION AND WASTES; AND