Resolve, To Reduce the Operational Costs of Ferries in the State

Emergency preamble. Whereas,  acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and

Whereas,  this legislation requires the Department of Transportation, Maine State Ferry Service to develop an evaluation process to compare the cost of fuel over the anticipated service life of a vessel as part of the new ferry vessel procurement process; and

Whereas,  this legislation also requires the Department of Transportation to perform a feasibility assessment to determine the costs and barriers associated with the use of ferry vessels powered by electricity instead of fossil fuel; and

Whereas,  it is imperative that the evaluation process be developed and the feasibility assessment be performed as soon as possible in order to be available for new ferry vessel procurements using existing funds; and

Whereas,  in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore, be it

Sec. 1. Ferry vessels powered by alternative fuel sources. Resolved: That the Department of Transportation, Maine State Ferry Service shall seek alternative fuel sources for its ferry vessels, including electricity from renewable sources, in order to help reduce or control ongoing operational costs as well as to help the State meet its climate goals established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 38, section 576-A.

Sec. 2. Feasibility assessment. Resolved: That the Department of Transportation shall perform a feasibility assessment to determine the costs and barriers associated with the use by the Maine State Ferry Service of ferry vessels powered by electricity instead of fossil fuel. The feasibility assessment must examine, at a minimum, the following issues:

1. The age of the current Maine State Ferry Service fleet and the expected service life of each vessel;

2. The anticipated timing of any repowering or significant overhauls of existing vessels;

3. The anticipated timing of the planning and construction of new vessels and the expected or planned service life of the new vessels;

4. For each vessel, the current annual fuel usage, the current annual cost of fuel, the number of hours operated each year, the average gallons per hour, the size of the fuel tanks and the refueling frequency;

5. Any foreseeable operational changes that may have a bearing on the amount of fuel used by each vessel;

6. The difficulty of switching fuel sources when repowering existing vessels;

7. The availability of naval architects, engineers and boatyards to design and build vessels powered by electricity;

8. Operational, staffing, safety and reliability concerns associated with including at least one vessel powered by electricity in the Maine State Ferry Service fleet and whether the use of diesel or electric hybrid technology would reduce those concerns; and

9. Regulatory constraints from the United States Coast Guard and specific identification of the applicable statutes, rules and guidance documents that bear on those constraints.

Sec. 3. Evaluation of alternatives. Resolved: That, in any procurement process for a new ferry vessel, the Department of Transportation, Maine State Ferry Service shall develop an evaluation process to compare the cost of fuel over the anticipated service life of a vessel powered by electricity and a vessel powered by fossil fuel. This evaluation should focus solely on operational costs and be based on reasonable assumptions about the cost of fuel over the anticipated service life of the vessel.

Sec. 4. Report. Resolved: That, no later than July 31, 2020, the Department of Transportation shall submit a report detailing the results of the feasibility assessment under section 2 and the process to evaluate alternatives under section 3 to the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation.

Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.

summary

This resolve directs the Department of Transportation, Maine State Ferry Service to seek alternative fuel sources for its ferry vessels, including electricity from renewable sources, in order to help reduce or control ongoing operational costs as well as to help the State meet its climate goals. It directs the Maine State Ferry Service to develop an evaluation process to compare the cost of fuel over the anticipated service life of a vessel powered by electricity and a vessel powered by fossil fuel to use as part of the new vessel procurement process.

The department is directed to perform a feasibility assessment to determine the costs and barriers associated with the use by the Maine State Ferry Service of ferry vessels powered by electricity instead of fossil fuel and to submit a report on its findings and the vessel evaluation process developed by the Maine State Ferry Service to the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation by July 31, 2020.