Tonight, after a long day at work and in the darkness of another cold winter night, people across Maine will go home and reach for a switch on the wall. They trust that when they turn that switch on, the lights will work, illuminated by the power that we all pay for.
Safe and reliable electricity is just fundamental to our daily lives. Maine people give to our electric utilities a monopoly in exchange for a service that we can count on. And if the utility doesn’t deliver on that, then we need to be able to hold them accountable.
From poor customer service, to billing problems, to extended power outages, the issues experienced by Maine people in recent years have made it clear that Maine just doesn’t have all the tools it needs to hold utilities accountable – and it’s time for that to change.
Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.
This week I introduced a bill that shifts our approach to Maine’s utilities by establishing new standards for service. If utilities don’t deliver on those standards, they will face serious consequences.
My bill requires the Maine Public Utilities Commission to establish minimum standards of service that utilities must deliver for Maine ratepayers.
And if they don’t meet those minimum standards they would be fined by the PUC for up to $1 million or 10 percent of their annual revenue.
And if they continue to fail to improve, this bill also allows the PUC to determine whether that utility is unfit to provide service to Maine people.
If it is unfit, the PUC can require the sale of the utility, protecting the interests of Maine ratepayers. And then it will invite bids from qualified buyers and select a proposal that provides the most benefits for consumers.
One of those bids could be submitted by a consumer-owned utility.
In addition to addressing reliability issues, this bill also makes sure that the services the utilities do provide are fairly priced.
The legislation empowers the PUC to conduct periodic audits of all utilities to make sure that their actual costs are consistent with the estimates they used originally to set rates. This new measure allows the PUC to review the utility’s finances outside of a traditional rate case.
The bill also strengthens existing utility whistleblower provisions to protect employees and contractors from retaliation or discrimination by a utility if a person testifies before the Legislature or provides information to the PUC about the utility’s operations.
Making our utilities more reliable and accountable in the short term is important. But just as important is ensuring that our utilities can withstand the worsening impacts of climate change, like harsher storms, in the long-term to provide safe service to Maine people.
The bill requires our utility companies to submit a plan — the first of its kind in Maine — a plan to the PUC outlining the steps they will take over the next decade to protect their operations and ensure that our electric grid is strong and resilient. Those plans will be updated every two years.
Other states have shown us the dire consequences of being unprepared. I mean, look what happened in Texas last year. These new requirements under this legislation will ensure that our utilities are as prepared as reasonably possible to keep delivering services to our state, whatever storms may come our way.
Hey, Maine people deserve nothing less than safe, reliable, and affordable service on a strong electric grid, and my Administration will work with the Legislature, with the Public Advocate, and the Public Utilities Commission to see that happen.
This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.