Blog
Shut off protections for Minnesota residential customers
Published October 28, 2020; Updated October 4, 2021 This heating season can bring more challenges to families who are already struggling to keep up with utility bills. Contrary to common belief, utilities can be shut off during the winter months. Fortunately, Minnesota law contains consumer protections, and some extra protections are in place during the…
CUB recommends that the PUC and utilities combat inequities in “Economic Recovery” docket
Published October 28, 2020 In May of this year, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (“PUC”) opened a new docket (the “Economic Recovery” docket) with the goal of better understanding how regulated utilities can “assist in Minnesota’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.” To that end, the PUC required all of Minnesota’s regulated gas and electric…
Minnesota Power requests additional extension of its EITE discount
Published October 7, 2020 In 2015, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law designed to allow certain energy-intensive, trade-exposed (EITE) industrial entities to lower their energy costs. The law permits Minnesota Power and Otter Tail Power – electric companies serving parts of northern, central, and western Minnesota – to propose rate discounts to EITE customers operating within…
CUB’s outreach team helps Minnesotans maintain crucial utility service during the COVID-19 crisis
Published October 6, 2020 Happy fall everyone! As we head into October and Energy Awareness Month, we thought it was good timing to share what our outreach team has been doing in the last several months. Like many organizations, the nature of CUB’s work has been impacted by COVID-19. Since mid-March, our whole organization has…
Some utilities resume shutoffs as COVID-19 emergency continues
Published October 5, 2020 A moratorium on utility disconnections remains in place for Minnesota’s regulated utilities, but some unregulated cooperative and municipal utilities have again begun shutting off customers who have past-due bills. CUB has received anecdotal reports of shutoffs by more than two dozen cooperative and municipal utilities located across Minnesota. It is difficult…