House adopts conference report narrowing 'single plant' definition and creating PUC decommissioning fund

The House adopted the committee-of-conference report on House Bill 710, which revises the statutory definition of a “single plant” in the state’s clean-energy law and creates a mechanism to fund decommissioning of abandoned or nonoperational generation facilities.

Member from Burlington, who delivered the conference report on the floor, said the measure responds to an unintended consequence in the prior statutory definition and reflects recommendations from a Public Utilities Commission proceeding. “We translated those recommendations which drew broad support from diverse stakeholders into H710,” the Member from Burlington said, recounting that the PUC opened a proceeding, solicited two rounds of public comments and held a workshop before issuing a report in November 2025.

Under the conference report described on the floor, section 1 changes the definition of single plant from facilities sharing infrastructure to facilities that use the same point of interconnection to connect generating facilities to the grid. Section 2 clarifies the statute is not retroactive and applies only to new applications for permits and certificates of public good (CPGs). Section 2A directs the Department of Public Service to submit a more comprehensive report on the conversion of farmland to solar production by Jan. 15, 2027.

Section 3 expands the PUC’s ability to engage consultants, temporary employees and other professional providers (including scientific, financial, actuarial, accounting or engineering services) when adjudicating complex renewable energy applications and allows the PUC to bill petitioning parties for the cost of those additional personnel. Section 4 creates a single decommissioning fund administered by the PUC, funded by a one-time payment developers make as part of receiving a CPG; the fund can be used to decommission and restore sites when the holder of a CPG is unknown, cannot be contacted, or fails to comply with decommissioning orders. Section 5 requires the PUC to report back to the Legislature on the fee-calculation formula for the decommissioning fund. Section 6 sets the bill’s effective date as July 1, 2026.

The Member from Burlington told the chamber the committee of conference voted unanimously in favor of the report; the House subsequently adopted the report by voice vote.

The transcript records no roll-call tallies for the suspensions or adoptions; the actions recorded on the floor were adopted by voice vote and the House moved on to adjournment.