PUC Postpones Rules for Outage Notification

The state Public Utilities Commission postponed until next week the release of proposed new rules for how utilities alert customers before imposing rotating power outages. The PUC was to have released the proposals Friday along with ones to fix the so-called interruptible program, the now-suspended arrangement that gives companies a rate break for greatly reducing electrical use when demand is high. The agency said it delayed the release because it needs more time to iron out details. Many businesses, particularly manufacturers, fear they will have too little notice before power is cut, risking harm to workers, materials, equipment and computer systems.