PORTLAND, Maine — Our Power, a local nonprofit, is being reimbursed $46,957 by Avangrid, the parent company for Central Maine Power and Maine Natural Gas.
The reimbursement comes after the Maine Public Utility Commission upheld a state law, LD2018, that requires utility companies to reimburse public interest groups that intervene on cases that are brought to the commission if those groups offer an underrepresented perspective or meet other requirements.
PUC issued a procedural order, requiring Avangrid to cover the cost Our Power incurred while intervening on a case involving CMP and Maine Natural Gas.
Our Power Executive Director Seth Berry said they intervened in the case handled by the PUC back in May. Their goal was to prevent the Spanish-based energy company Iberdrola from taking full ownership of Avangrid.
Iberdrola already owns 81.6 percent of Avangrid. Seeking full ownership of the company could result in complete privatization of the U.S.-based energy company.
Berry said Our Power works to protect the interest of customers who pay hundreds of dollars monthly to utility companies like CMP, Versant, and Maine Natural Gas.
He explained it costs money to have lawyers and expert witnesses in attendance to advocate for utility customers while big companies with deep pockets are making decisions about how much you pay monthly for heat, gas, electricity, as well as service reliability.
Having a public interest advocate in the decision-making room can cost thousands of dollars, Berry said, putting public interest groups at a disadvantage over large companies with deep pockets.
The state law that the PUC upheld gives public interest groups like Our Power an opportunity to get the money back that they pay out to lawyers and witness experts who attend PUC cases.
Although Our Power was not successful in preventing Iberdrola from inching closer to full privatization of Avangrid, Berry said the enforcement of the law allowed the nonprofit to secure a large payout from Avangrid for the customer advocacy work that they do.
"This is important because it levels the playing field, and it means that everyone can come to the table in these very important public utility decisions," Berry said.
Some people might say they appreciate having a public interest advocate present when leaders and corporate executives of energy and utility companies meet to make decisions about how affordable, and reliable their heat, electricity and utility services are.
Although this time the reimbursement intervenor funding was charged to the utility company, that may not be the case each time a public interest group steps in to escalate customer concerns, facing off with corporate executives.
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Susan Faloon, a representative from Maine's PUC, said every case is different. The next case of a public interest group's intervention funding could be charged to the PUC's reimbursement account, Faloon said.
NEWS CENTER Maine asked Faloon if energy companies could kick those costs on to customers, but Faloon couldn't give a clear answer.
NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to CMP. Spokesperson Dustin Wlodkowski declined to interview, but he pointed us to docket filings that highlighted concerns from unionized electrical workers and retirees.
In the filings, unions warned these interventions from public advocacy groups could increase monthly utility costs for customers.