| Pursuant to current law, the Public Utilities Commission has |
established different low-income assistance programs in different |
transmission and distribution utility territories. As a result, |
low-income customers of Central Maine Power Company are offered a |
percent-of-income program that generally provides greater |
benefits than those offered under other transmission and |
distribution utility programs. This bill requires the commission |
to establish an equitable-treatment program to ensure the |
electricity bill assistance provided to low-income residential |
customers who for health reasons must use electric oxygen pumps |
is substantially equivalent in the various transmission and |
distribution utility service territories. |