AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine’s public advocate says Central Maine Power still needs to give more answers about its billing and customer service problems.
Barry Hobbins met with a Legislative committee on Monday to tell them the status of the investigation of CMP, as well as the company’s current request for a rate increase. Hobbins said his office continues to receive complaints every day about CMP bills. He says the company needs to be more forthcoming about what went wrong with the billing system, starting at the end of 2017.
Hobbins said until all the investigations are complete, the Public Utilities Commission should not make a decision on raising CMP’s rates -- a proposal of 10.65 percent.
"From day one, our problem is they never admitted it. They’ve never admitted there’s a problem," Hobbins told members of the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee. "They still think they’re going to get a rate increase (even) when all these issues have come to light. It’s a different ball game than we’ve seen in the past -- never seen something like this before.”
Hobbins has filed a request with the PUC to delay further work on the CMP rate case until all the investigations are done. Public Utilities Commission chairman Phil Bartlett says the PUC will decide on that request August 6. He says they so far have not heard from anyone opposed to the delay.
In a brief statement, Central Maine Power said, "CMP will fully cooperate and comply with the procedural schedule the commission determines appropriate."
For some Legislators, however, the issues are larger than that. Rep. Seth Berry (D-Bowdoinham) is leading the effort to have the state take over CMP and Emera Maine and create a publicly-owned utility. On Monday, July 29, Berry said the PUC should consider forcing the owners of CMP to sell the company, so it will provide better service.
“Our real concern is whether any penalty, any reduction in the rate increase, is sufficient to reform the company and solve the problems now -- and make sure they don’t happen again,” Berry told reporters.