OAR 860-021-0407: Severe Weather Moratorium on Involuntary Disconnection of Residential and Small Commercial Electric or Gas Utility Service for Nonpayment

(1) An electric or natural gas utility must put into effect a moratorium on the involuntary disconnection of utility service for nonpayment for customers located within the geographic area affected by severe weather events as follows: (a) For a severe air quality event defined in OAR 860-021-0008(11), an electric or natural gas utility may not disconnect residential or commercial service starting when severe air quality conditions are present based on forecasted data obtained no later than 8:00 a.m. each business day. (b) For an extreme heat event defined in OAR 860-021-0008(12), an electric utility may not disconnect residential service starting 24 hours before the event is forecasted to occur. (c) For a severe off-season cold event defined in OAR 860-021-0008(13), an electric or natural gas utility may not disconnect residential service for nonpayment starting when the event is forecasted to occur. (d) For a severe on-season cold event defined in OAR 860-021-0008(14), an electric or natural gas utility may not disconnect residential service for nonpayment starting 24 hours before the event is forecasted to occur. (2) When a severe on-season cold event or extreme heat event is forecast with less than 24 hours' notice, the utility must make best efforts to immediately suspend disconnections for nonpayment upon the posting of the alert. (3) A disconnection moratorium required for a severe weather event will remain in effect for 48 hours after the qualifying event concludes for all residential customers. (4) Each electric and natural gas utility must keep the Commission's Consumer Services Section informed of which weather reporting and air quality service it is using for each geographic area within its service territory to comply with the requirements of this rule. (5) An electric or natural gas utility must make best efforts to, upon request made within seven calendar days after the severe weather event ends and subject to reconnection fees allowed under OAR 860-021-0330, reconnect the following customers subject to a moratorium required by a severe weather event: (a) Residential customers who had been disconnected for nonpayment within the previous seven days of a severe weather moratorium. (b) Small commercial customers that had been disconnected for nonpayment within the previous 72 hours of a severe air quality event. (6) Nothing in this rule prohibits an electric or natural gas utility from providing customer protections that exceed the baseline standards set forth above through a winter protection program or other tariff provisions.