FAQs Archive - Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-Op

Q: If PIEG receives FEMA funding, will that lower the $20/month emergency storm recovery fee?

That is our forecast. We need help from our state and federal government or the burden of paying this tab will remain on all of us for years to come.

Q: Is this $20/month fee because of the new headquarters building?

No. The fee is solely related to paying the interest on the $150 million emergency loan, which was necessary to cover the costs incurred during and after the catastrophic ice storm. The new headquarters building was a critical part of efficiently and safely restoring power. We dispatched hundreds of crews daily from this facility, held training briefings from our facility, and ran our emergency operations, dispatch, warehouse receiving operations, and materials storage, all of which would have been nearly impossible with the layout and space at the prior facility. If this event had occurred while we were at our previous facility, we would have had the added complexity of finding a second location to provide these logistics. The new HQ building and property provided us with a centralized space to navigate the ice storm emergency and recovery.

Q: Has PIE&G already received federal funding?

No. PIE&G has not yet received any federal funding, but we need help because we – the members of this co-op –cannot carry the entire financial burden of this recovery on our own. That’s why we are relentlessly pursuing every available option to get state and federal financial assistance for these recovery costs and are actively working with our state and federal lawmakers and agencies to secure disaster relief funding. We greatly appreciate their support for our community and membership.

Q: Is the $20 monthly fee paying for debris cleanup?

While debris cleanup is part of the $150 million in projected costs and is an important part of caring for our community, it is not a significant portion of the recovery expenses. Most of our costs are related to rebuilding our electric infrastructure in April. To reiterate, the $20 fee is only paying the interest on our emergency loan, not the total costs of repairing our infrastructure and cleaning up debris.

Q: Will the emergency storm recovery fee double each month?

No. While we are not done with the recovery process and have not yet received and processed all invoices, we forecast that this additional revenue will cover the interest expenses on our emergency loan.