Maine Bans Power Disconnect Threats During Winter Months
You might be thinking this is an old story if you're familiar with the fact that it has been Maine policy for years that electric utilities like CMP cannot turn Maine resident's power off during the winter months, While this is true, new regulations have just been passed regarding disconnection notices.
According to News Center Maine, a law that Governor Janet Mills signed back in June of this year will prevent Maine's electric utility companies from sending out threatening disconnection notices during winter months in the Pine Tree State.
Lawmakers, including representative Seth Berry (D), believe that such notices are harmful and often times mislead the consumer. People who have fallen behind on their electric bills have received letters threatening disconnection if they fail to pay even in the winter. This has led to thousands of Mainers contacting the utilities and Maine Public Utilities Commission directly in search of answers. And though their power can't legally be disconnected in the winter time, the notices being sent out indicate that could still be the case in an effort to force payment.
The new law will punish utilities who send out notices with threatening verbiage in the winter months by fines of up to $2,500.00. Doug Herling, President and CEO of Central Maine Power said in part,
"Although we believe CMP's winter disconnection-related communications were technically accurate and met regulatory requirements, we should have communicated more clearly and more respectfully with customers about when and how they could be disconnected as a result of nonpayment."
LOOK: 40 Discontinued & Special Edition Kellogg's Cereals
LOOK: 15 Discontinued McDonald's Menu Items
15 Iconic Retail Stores That Don't Exist Anymore (But We Totally Miss Shopping At)
LOOK: See the iconic cars that debuted the year you were born
50 Famous Brands That No Longer Exist
CHECK IT OUT: 100 sports records and the stories behind them
CHECK THEM OUT: 100 years of Christmas toys, gifts and fads
LOOK: 100 years of American military history
TOP 10: The best holiday TV specials of all time, ranked
LOOK: How Halloween has changed in the past 100 years
10 Old Fisher Price Toys That Are a Blast From The Past
CHECK IT OUT: These words were born in the '80s
Here are the top 25 hits of the ‘80s based on their overall popularity.
CHECK IT OUT: The Best Movie Character Names of the 1980s
CHECK IT OUT: Here Are the 77 Most '70s Things About 1977
KEEP LOOKING: See what 50 company logos looked like then and now
KEEP READING: See notable new words that were coined the year you were born
KEEP READING: What were the most popular baby names from the past 100 years?
Do you have our free radio station app yet? If not, it's the perfect way to request a song, talk to the DJs, enter exclusive contests and to stay up to date with everything that's happening in and around Central Maine and the world. When you download it, make sure you turn on the push notifications so that we can send you exclusive content and local breaking news that you need to know about first. Just enter your mobile number below and we'll send a download link right to your mobile device. After that, you can download for free and immediately begin accessing all kinds of exclusive content tailored just for you. Give it a try and stay connected with us!