An Act To Clarify the Criteria for Provision of Assistance to Low-income Customers of Natural Gas Companies
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0120
Committee: Utilities and Energy
Sponsors: HOBBINS, WAGNER, BLANCHARD, DOSTIE, VAN WIE
Amends: 35-A MRSA §4703, 35-A MRSA §4706-A

Legislative Document 
No. 120 
S.P.43 
January 13, 2009 
An Act To Clarify the Criteria for Provision of Assistance to Low-
income Customers of Natural Gas Companies 
Submitted by the Office of the Public Advocate pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
Reference to the Committee on Utilities and Energy suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Senator HOBBINS of York. 
Cosponsored by Representative WAGNER of Lyman and 
9rg(J~ 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Representatives: BLANCHARD of Old Town, DOSTIE of Sabattus, VAN WIE of New 
Gloucester. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §4703, sub-§l, as amended by PL 1997, c. 707, §5, is 
further amended to read: 
1. Cost of gas; related costs. Subject to the approval of the commission, each gas 
utility shall charge its customers a cost-of-gas adjustment rate that includes reasonable 
costs for the gas that it supplies to its firm sales customers who receive uninterrupted 
service on a year-round basis. The cost of gas includes the cOst of the gas purchased by 
the company for use in the State and may include costs directly related to the gas 
purchased and may include all or a portion of the cost of facilities used to produce and 
store gas, pursuant to rules adopted by the commission under this section. The cost of gas 
includes the cost of special rate arrangements and bill payment assistance programs for 
eligible low-income customers pursuant to section 4706-A. 
Sec. 2~ 35-A MRSA §4706-A, as enacted by PL 1999, c. 664, §1, is amended to 
read: 
§4706-A. Special rate arrangements for eligible low-income customers 
The commission may approve rates or bill payment assistance programs for 
residential customers who have been certified as eligible for state or federal fuel 
assistance that satisfy eligibility criteria for low-income assistance. The commission shall 
take into account the difficulty these customers have paying in full for natural gas service 
er-that and shall target assistance to these customers in the most efficient manner. Any 
such rates or bill payment assistance programs that have been approved by the 
commission are determined to be just and reasonable. The commission may approve 
recovery of the costs of such rate changes and programs through base distribution rates or 
through the cost-of-gas adjustment rate pursuant to section 4703, subsection 1. 
SUMMARY 
This bill clarifies that there may be other eligibility criteria used, in addition to 
eligibility for federal or state fuel assistance, for providing low-income assistance to 
customers of natural gas utilities. This clarification of the law allows, but does not 
require, the Public Utilities Commission to use criteria other than eligibility for federal or 
state fuel assistance to qualify low~income customers for assistance. It also allows the 
commission to approve recovery of the costs of this assistance through base distribution 
rates or through the cost-of-gas adjustment rate. 
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