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Mills proposes a one-time $90 credit on electricity bills for low-income households

Gov. Janet Mills wants to give low-income households in Manie a one-time $90 credit on their electricity bills, as wintertime energy prices are causing hardship for many.

In a press release Mills says she'd pay for the support with $8 million dollars in federal heating assistance funds. That would be enough, she says, to help 90,000 customers of Maine's two largest electricity delivery utilities, Versant and Central Maine Power.

The proposal has the support of the Office of the Public Advocate, Maine Housing, and the utilities. It would be available for households at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, or about $42,000 for a family of four.

Mills is blaming what she calls Maine's over-reliance on electricity produced from fossil fuels for the high energy prices. The proposal will be reviewed by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

A Columbia University graduate, Fred began his journalism career as a print reporter in Vermont, then came to Maine Public in 2001 as its political reporter, as well as serving as a host for a variety of Maine Public Radio and Maine Public Television programs. Fred later went on to become news director for New England Public Radio in Western Massachusetts and worked as a freelancer for National Public Radio and a number of regional public radio stations, including WBUR in Boston and NHPR in New Hampshire.