A letter to the editor appeared in your paper on March 27 regarding the Maine Public Utilities Commission’s investigation into Central Maine Power Co. The MPUC offers the following clarifications of that letter:
The MPUC began an investigation of CMP’s metering, billing and customer communications on March 1. The MPUC is conducting the investigation, not CMP. The MPUC understands the concerns expressed by many Maine people, and our investigation of CMP will be thorough and comprehensive.
As part of the MPUC’s investigation, the MPUC will be engaging one or more independent experts to conduct a forensic audit of CMP’s metering and billing systems. The audit will determine whether these systems are producing accurate measurements of customer usage and producing bills that reflect correct customer usage levels and charges.
Regarding individual consumer complaints, the MPUC urges customers to contact their utility first regarding any utility complaint. This is true for all utilities in Maine, including CMP. If the utility does not resolve the consumer’s complaint, the utility is required to tell the consumer to contact the MPUC, and we investigate the matter further and resolve the complaint.
Finally, as required by law, the MPUC periodically conducts competitive solicitations for electricity supply for customers who have opted to receive standard offer electricity supply service rather than purchase supply service from a retail supplier. The January increase was consistent with conditions in the wholesale electricity market, from which this supply is sourced. Looking at the total residential bill combining supply and delivery service, an average CMP residential customer could expect to see an increase of about 8 percent.
The MPUC takes its regulatory responsibility very seriously and is conducting a thorough investigation of CMP.
Harry Lanphear
spokesman, Maine Public Utilities Commission
Augusta
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