Fuel Mix and Emissions Disclosure

Summary

The law that required the restructuring of the electric utility industry in Maine was passed in March 2000. This change provided Maine consumers with the ability to choose their electricity supplier - the company that supplies their electric energy. Maine's restructuring legislation directed the state's Public Utility Commission (PUC) to establish environmental disclosure rules for retail electric billing. The PUC rules require utilities to disclose to residential and small commercial customers details regarding the fuel mix and emissions of electric generation. Such information is available to customers in the form of a standard label, which must be provided to customers by the competitive electricity provider or the provider must notify customers that the label is available on the provider’s website or through other means once each calendar year. In addition, competitive electricity providers must refer to the disclosure label in all written marketing materials promoting available generation service.