Rep. Mark Bryant, D-Windham, presented legislation Tuesday to the Legislature’s Utilities and Energy Committee to expand the practice of net metering, also known as letting an electricity meter spin backwards, for residents and small businesses that produce their own energy from renewable resources.

Current state regulations provide for residential and commercial energy producers to earn a credit on their electricity bills for up to 12 months if they produce more energy than they require. Bryant’s proposal follows best practices from other states, where producers can actually turn a profit from successfully reducing their property’s carbon footprint.

“We know that Maine is the 11th windiest state in the nation, and that creates a lot of opportunities for residents of rural areas to utilize residential and commercial wind mills,” said Bryant, who serves on the Agriculture, Energy and Environment Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures.

“As alternative energy systems become more widely available to our constituents, more of them will be choosing to produce their own energy, and should be able to profit from it. Getting a credit on your bill is an excellent option, but in the long term, an energy producer should be able to see a profit, not just a credit.”

Bryant’s bill dealt only with the ability of an energy producer to be compensated for excess energy, but he also stressed that he hoped the committee would look at adopting regulations for interconnectivity, which would set statewide standards for producers to connect to state and regional energy grids. Maine is one of only 13 states without interconnection standards. Nationwide, 40 states, including Maine, permit net metering, though programs vary from state to state.

The Maine Forest Products Council, in testimony neither for nor against the bill, suggested that improving net metering regulations might bolster the state’s mill and manufacturing industries as large energy producers. These facilities could earn additional revenue through energy production.

The Utilities and Energy Committee is expected to hear several other bills related to net metering and interconnectivity this session, and will schedule a work session on LD 43, An Act to Promote Consumer Fairness in Alternative Energy, combining the proposals later this session.