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Natural Gas Company Will Waive Fees For Maine Customers Who Are Government Employees During Shutdown

The natural gas company that serves the Kennebec Valley, Cumberland, Falmouth and Yarmouth, has announced that it plans to waive late fees and interest for customers who are federal employees affected by the shutdown.

“We're going on now the second pay period where some federal employees aren't going to be getting paychecks. So we don't want them to feel that added pressure at an already-difficult time,” says Kurt Adams, president of Summit Natural Gas of Maine.

“Federal and state employees, they work for all of us, and they're providing an important public service,” he says. “When you go to TSA or you're working with a federal agency that’s suffering through a furlough, you're probably talking to somebody who is not getting paid. And in our view they work for all of us, we should all do our part to help them out.”

Adams says people can get in touch with the company's customer service department to have their fees and interest waived.

State regulations already prohibit natural gas and electric companies from disconnecting customers during winter months without approval from the Public Utilities Commission because of nonpayment.

Other utilities have also offered to help employees who aren't being paid during the shutdown, including Maine Water Company, which serves about 80,000 people in Maine.

Nora is originally from the Boston area but has lived in Chicago, Michigan, New York City and at the northern tip of New York state. Nora began working in public radio at Michigan Radio in Ann Arbor and has been an on-air host, a reporter, a digital editor, a producer, and, when they let her, played records.