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An Act Regarding Information Provided to Consumers by Competitive Electricity Providers
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §3203, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 316, §3, is amended to read:
 
3. Informational filings; public information.   The commission shall establish by rule information disclosure and filing requirements for competitive electricity providers. The rules must require generation providers to file their generally available rates, terms and conditions with the commission. The commission, subject to appropriate protective orders, may require the submission of individual service contracts or any other confidential information from a competitive electricity provider.
 
The commission by rule shall establish standards for publishing and disseminatingmaking available, through any means considered appropriate, information that enhances consumers' ability to effectively make choices in a competitive electricity market.
 
Rules adopted under this subsection are major substantive rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter II-A2-A and must be provisionally adopted by March 1, 1999.
Sec. 2. 35-A MRSA §3203, sub-§4, ¶E, as amended by PL 2003, c. 558, §2, is further amended to read:
 
E. Must provide to the consumer within 30 days of contracting for retail service a disclosure of information provided to the commission pursuant to rules adopted under subsection 3 in a standard written format established by the commission; and
Sec. 3. 35-A MRSA §3203, sub-§4, ¶F, as amended by PL 2003, c. 558, §2, is further amended to read:
 
F. Must comply with any other applicable standards or requirements adopted by the commission by rule or order; and.
Sec. 4. 35-A MRSA §3203, sub-§4, ¶G, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 558, §3, is repealed.
 
SUMMARY
This bill removes the requirement that a competitive electricity provider provide at least once annually to a consumer information that enhances the consumer's ability to effectively make choices in a competitive electricity market. It requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish by rule standards for making this information available through any means considered appropriate.