Emergency Energy Bill Aid Sought By Many
by Mike Hasten - The Daily Advertiser (excerpt)

BATON ROUGE - A day after the Public Service Commission declared an "energy emergency," customers were steadily calling the three utility companies ordered to offer the program.

Representatives of Entergy, Cleco and SWEPCO, investor-owned companies regulated by the PSC, reported that customers are seeking whatever kind of relief they can get from higher bills resulting from summer heat and the high price of natural gas.

"We had between 50 and 60 calls" by early Wednesday afternoon, said Scott McCloud, SWEPCO corporate communications officer in Shreveport. "We've had 42 customers sign up since 2002" when the Energy Emergency Program was created.

Legislation creating the program was approved in 2001 but this is the first time it has been implemented by an official declaration of the PSC. Commissioner Foster Campbell urged approval of an emergency, citing escalating fuel adjustment charges that inflate bills and near-record high temperatures.

If certified by a local community action agency as meeting low-income and age standards (no more than 1.5 times the poverty level and age 65 or over), being a social service recipient or in need of electricity to power medical equipment, customers can defer payment of the portion of their bills that exceed that they paid a year ago.

The PSC order allows customers one month to go through certification procedures and file the paperwork needed to defer the payments. They will have up to 12 months to pay the deferred amount.