Gov. Janet Mills (D) has signed into law a bill requiring the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to consider affordability when carrying out its prescribed duties.
Members of the Energy, Utilities and Technology (EUT) Committee were divided over the proposal earlier this year, exhibiting partisan divisions that were ultimately reflected in roll call votes taken by the House and Senate in March.
The final version of the bill directs the Maine PUC to develop an “affordability metric” to be used in assessing the impact of electricity bills on “the overall energy burden for residential customers of an investor-owned transmission and distribution utility.”
The PUC must submit a report on this to the Legislature by January 15, 2027.
The Commission will also be required to “conduct a comprehensive review” of each aspect of electric delivery rates.
“In conducting the review,” the bill summary states, “the commission must consider, at a minimum, options that aim to contain customer costs in electric delivery rates, reduce transmission and distribution utility bill volatility and increase transmission and distribution utility bill transparency.”
Made publicly available on the PUC website “in a clear and transparent manner” will be data regarding utilities’ credit and collection activities.
The original version of this legislation looked far different than its final form, as it sought to block disconnection for certain households and would have prohibited utilities from including several categories of expenses when calculating their rates.
An amendment under consideration by the EUT Committee would have transformed the bill into a resolve, directing the PUC to convene a stakeholder group to “discuss and evaluate service disconnection requirements, practices and reporting.”
Another amendment, initially adopted by the Senate in June of last year before the measure was sent back to the EUT Committee this session, resembled the original legislation much more closely, making several alterations but keeping many of the proposal’s structural elements.
The final version of the bill was recommended by the committee in late February, although the Republican members of the committee voted to recommend the bill’s rejection.
Gov. Mills signed LD 1949 into law on March 23, 2026. The changes will take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns for the session.
