1.1                          A bill for an act
  1.2             relating to energy; establishing renewable energy 
  1.3             working group to study renewable energy development in 
  1.4             the state; requiring a report. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [DEFINITION.] 
  1.7      "Legislative Electric Energy Task Force (LEETF) staff" 
  1.8   means the staff members of the Office of Senate Counsel and 
  1.9   Research and the house research department responsible for 
  1.10  providing legislative drafting and policy analysis to the LEETF. 
  1.11     Sec. 2.  [RENEWABLE ENERGY WORKING GROUP.] 
  1.12     Subdivision 1.  [MEMBERSHIP.] By June 15, 2004, LEETF staff 
  1.13  shall convene a renewable energy working group consisting of six 
  1.14  at-large members and the following 12 members, one 
  1.15  representative from each of the following groups:  
  1.16  investor-owned utilities, municipal electric utilities, 
  1.17  cooperative electric associations, environmental advocates, 
  1.18  developers of large-scale wind energy projects, community energy 
  1.19  developers, local governments, business customers, biomass or 
  1.20  other renewable energy projects, the residential utility unit of 
  1.21  the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General, the Minnesota 
  1.22  Department of Commerce, and the Midwest Independent System 
  1.23  Operator. 
  1.24     Subd. 2.  [APPOINTMENT.] The chairs of the LEETF and the 
  1.25  chairs of the senate and house of representatives committees 
  2.1   with primary jurisdiction over energy policy shall jointly 
  2.2   appoint the working group members. 
  2.3      Subd. 3.  [CHARGE.] (a) The renewable energy working group 
  2.4   shall assess the future development of renewable energy 
  2.5   production and use in Minnesota, over the next five-, ten-, and 
  2.6   20-year periods. 
  2.7      (b) In developing its recommendations, the working group 
  2.8   shall: 
  2.9      (1) compile an inventory of existing renewable energy 
  2.10  projects in Minnesota, and any projects known to be under 
  2.11  development; 
  2.12     (2) determine the extent to which current and future 
  2.13  planned electric transmission capacity in the state may be a 
  2.14  constraint to the development of conventional and renewable 
  2.15  electricity production in the state; and 
  2.16     (3) recommend how existing state programs or policies to 
  2.17  develop renewable energy could be amended, coordinated, and 
  2.18  integrated. 
  2.19     Subd. 4.  [EXPENSES.] Expenses of the renewable energy 
  2.20  working group shall not exceed $10,000 without the approval of 
  2.21  the chairs of the LEETF. 
  2.22     Subd. 5.  [REPORT.] The renewable energy working group 
  2.23  shall present its findings and recommendations in a report to 
  2.24  the LEETF by December 1, 2004.