FERC nixes change on County rates rule

WASHINGTON – The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has denied a requested rule change that would have raised electricity rates in northern Maine for the second time this year, Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced Thursday.

“We are pleased that the commission listened to our concerns and ruled for Maine consumers,” Snowe and Collins said in a prepared statement. “We remain concerned about the underlying electricity issues plaguing the County, but the commission’s timely review of this situation prevented the citizens of Aroostook County from paying even higher prices for their electricity.”

The Northern Maine Independent Systems administrator operates the power grid in northern Maine, the Snowe and Collins press statement noted. The administrator was seeking changes to a FERC requirement for electricity suppliers regarding extra capacity. The commission denied the request this week.

Consumers serviced by the Maine Public Service Co., the electricity provider in northern Maine, saw their rates increase by as much as 45 percent in January. Had the FERC approved this latest rule change, electricity rates for those same consumers would have increased additionally by an estimated 7.6 percent.