Section 15.12 - NoncomplianceAny Retail Electricity Supplier or Owner or Operator of an RPS Class II Renewable Generation Unit that fails to comply with the requirements of 225 CMR 15.00 shall be subject to the following provisions:
(1)Notice of Noncompliance. A failure to comply with the requirements of 225 CMR 15.00 shall be determined by the Department. A written Notice of Noncompliance shall be prepared and delivered by the Department to any Retail Electricity Supplier or Owner or Operator of an RPS Class II Renewable Generation Unit that fails to comply with the requirements of 225 CMR 15.00. The Notice of Noncompliance shall describe the Requirement(s) with which the Retail Electricity Supplier, Owner, or Operator failed to comply and the time period of such noncompliance.(2)Publication of Notice of Noncompliance. A Notice of Noncompliance may be published on the Department's website and in any other media deemed appropriate by the Department. Such publication may remain posted until the Retail Electricity Supplier or Owner or Operator returns to compliance as determined by the Department.(3)Planning Requirement. A Retail Electricity Supplier that fails to meet the requirements of 225 CMR 15.07 during a Compliance Year shall submit a plan for achieving compliance for the subsequent three years. The plan shall be filed with the Department no later than the first day of September of the Compliance Year subsequent to the Compliance Year for which the Retail Electricity Supplier was out of compliance or such date as the Department may specify.(4)Suspension or Revocation of License. The Department shall refer its findings of noncompliance to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. A Retail Electricity Supplier that fails to comply with 225 CMR 15.00 may be subject to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities Licensure Action under 220 CMR 11.07(4)(c)1: Licensure Action.(5)Collection of Financial Security. In the event that a Retail Electricity Supplier fails to discharge its annual obligations by September 1st under 225 CMR 15.07, by the means described in 225 CMR 15.08(1) through (4), the Department will notify the Retail Electricity Supplier that it must provide the Department with a payment using the financial security of which it provided pursuant to 225 CMR 14.08(4): Financial Security Requirements for Retail Electricity Suppliers, unless a Retail Electricity Supplier has an approved alternative payment plan to discharge its annual obligations in full that has been approved by the Department prior to September 1st. The payment shall, within 30 days of notification by the Department, be deposited into the Alternative Compliance Payment fund established in 225 CMR 14.08(3): Alternative Compliance pursuant to the provisions of 225 CMR 14.12(5): Collection of Financial Security.(6)Partial Compliance. In the event that the collection of financial security under 225 CMR 14.12(5): Collection of Financial Security results in the collection of an amount of Alternative Compliance Payments that is insufficient to discharge a Retail Electricity Supplier's full annual obligations under 225 CMR 15.07, the Retail Electricity Supplier will remain in a state of noncompliance, and the Department will take the necessary actions to document and enforce this noncompliance, pursuant to 225 CMR 15.12(1) through (4).(7) The Department reserves all rights to take any and all appropriate actions to ensure the collection of all Alternative Compliance Payments owed to ensure annual compliance obligations are fully discharged by a Retail Electricity Supplier including, but not limited to, filing a petition with the Department of Public Utilities requesting an investigation into a supplier that is deemed to be in noncompliance by the Department.Amended by Mass Register Issue 1263, eff. 6/20/2014.Amended by Mass Register Issue 1447, eff. 7/9/2021.Amended by Mass Register Issue 1484, eff. 12/9/2022.