Sec. 1. 35-A MRSA §3212, first ¶, as amended by PL 1997, c. 638, §1, is further amended to read:

Except as provided in subsection 6, when retail access begins, the commission shall ensure that standard-offer service is available to all consumers of electricity. The commission shall establish one form of standard-offer service for all customers of all transmission and distribution utilities, and this form must serve as a last-resort option for customers that are unable or elect not to purchase electricity from competitive electricity providers.

SUMMARY

This bill requires the Public Utilities Commission to establish a single standard-offer service that provides transmission and distribution of electricity and serves as a service of last resort for those customers that are unable or elect not to purchase their electricity from a competitive electricity provider.