Maine Regulators to Move Ahead with Emera Maine Audit

Maine Public | By Fred Bever

Published April 12, 2016 at 4:29 PM EDT

PORTLAND, Maine - Maine regulators today voted to conduct a broad audit of management practices at Emera Maine, which operates electricity service for the Bangor Hydro and Maine Public Service territories.

Most of the audit concerns cost overruns of millions of dollars for a new computerized billing system - a system which apparently also contributed to billing errors.

Maine Public Utilities Commission staff also raised concerns about a confidential 2014 report that found that among 103 utilities studied nationwide, Emera had the worst record on electricity outages.

Emera questioned the validity of that report, but the PUC board voted unanimously to move ahead with the management audit.

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Fred Bever

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.

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