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An Act To Establish Minimum Service Standards for Electric Utilities
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  35-A MRSA §3106  is enacted to read:
§ 3106. Utility service standards
The commission by rule shall establish service standards for transmission and distribution utilities in accordance with this section.
 
1.  Service interruption reporting.     The commission shall adopt rules that require transmission and distribution utilities to track and report service interruptions. The rules must include but are not limited to requirements for the following:
 
A.  Record keeping regarding interruptions to service affecting the distribution system of the utility; and
 
B.  Reporting service interruption information to the commission.
 
2.  Minimum service standards; corrective action requirements.     The commission shall adopt rules governing standards and requirements regarding service interruption rates. The rules must establish:
 
A.  A method for calculating the statewide average service interruption rate; and
 
B.  Requirements for corrective actions by a transmission and distribution utility if that utility's service interruption rate exceeds the statewide average, calculated pursuant to paragraph A, by 50% or more. Requirements must include, but are not limited to, submission of a corrective action plan and annual status reports on corrective actions implemented for 3 years following submission of the plan.
Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
 
SUMMARY
This bill proposes to establish service interruption standards and require transmission and distribution utilities that do not meet these standards to take corrective action. The bill directs the Public Utilities Commission to require, by rule, transmission and distribution utilities to keep records and report service interruptions to the commission. It also requires a utility that experiences service interruptions at a rate that exceeds the statewide average service interruption rate by 50% or more to submit a plan for, implement and track corrective actions to address the service interruptions.