PHOENIX (AP) — State regulators on Thursday enacted emergency rules barring most Arizona electric utilities from disconnecting power to customers who are late on their bills from June 1 through...

PHOENIX (AP) — The Latest on Arizona utility regulators move to block summertime power cutoffs (all times local):

11:30 a.m.

State regulators have enacted emergency rules barring most...

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona regulators could soon vote on emergency rules barring electric utilities from disconnecting power to customers who are late on their bills from June 1 through Sept. 30, when...

MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. (AP) — Michigan's two largest electric utilities have agreed to spend a combined $15 billion on goods and services from Michigan-based companies over the next five...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Facing more wildfires and the lawsuits that come with them, a group of public and private California water systems want lawmakers to shield them from having to pay...

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills has signed into law bills requiring electric utilities to provide more information to their customers.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former Virginia Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is headlining a new coalition advocating to "uberize" the state's electric utilities by promoting...

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — Indiana regulators have rejected a proposal by one of the state's largest electric utilities to build a natural gas-fueled power plant to replace aging coal-fired power...

WATERFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is lauding an agreement that will keep the Millstone nuclear power plant complex open for the next decade.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Dominion Energy has bowed to pressure from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and others and has agreed to spend $870 million on energy efficiency programs over the next...

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — If you want internet service in the rural hamlet of Honaker, in far Southwest Virginia, Cable Plus is the only game in town. With internet speeds of 3 megabits per second,...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — One of Tennessee's largest public electric utilities could discontinue a customer's service more easily under a bill headed to the House floor.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Business and city leaders, energy companies, electric utilities, farmers and others are all voicing concerns about proposed legislation in New Mexico that would require...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Agency for Energy is telling utility customers that major natural gas and electric utilities won't shut off services to customers this week because of the bitterly cold weather gripping the state.

It said Wednesday that DTE Energy Co., Consumers Energy Co., and SEMCO Energy Gas Co., have temporarily suspended shutoffs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has targeted an Obama-era regulation credited with helping dramatically reduce toxic mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants, saying the benefits to human health and the environment may not be worth the cost of the regulation.

The 2011 Obama administration rule, called the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, led to what electric utilities say was an $18 billion clean-up of mercury and other toxins from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Nearly a month after the midterms, Georgia voters are needed back at the polls to hire a new state elections chief. A hotly contested race for the state panel that regulates electric utilities needs settling. And a primary election for a state lawmaker's seat held six months ago must be done over again after mapping mistakes tainted the original vote.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine electric utilities are continuing to restore power to customers across the state, but almost 29,000 customers are still in the dark following a storm that saw wind gusts of between 50 and 60 miles per hour blow trees and limbs onto power lines.

By Sunday morning Central Maine Power was reporting about 14,200 customers were without power while Emera Maine was reporting 14,700 in the dark.

Saturday's high winds came with the heavy rains that soaked much of Maine.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — The Public Service Commission has denied a bid by Kentucky's two largest electric utilities to install "smart" meters in homes across the state.

The state agency said in an order on Thursday that while it sees benefits of using the technology, the utilities failed to show that the costs were worth it. The utilities had proposed installing about 1.3 million smart meters over a three-year period at a cost of nearly $350 million.

LOGANSPORT, Ind. (AP) — A northern Indiana city's coal-burning power plant won't be reopening despite the Trump administration's plan to relax restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from such facilities.

Logansport Municipal Utilities shut down its plant in early 2016 after deciding it couldn't afford updates needed to meet rules established under former President Barack Obama.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Electric utilities are pouring billions of dollars into a race to prevent terrorists or enemy governments from shutting down the power grid and everything that depends on electricity in America's hyper-connected society.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security detailed last month how Russian hackers have targeted the nation's energy grid. Officials said they could have caused major blackouts, but instead, the hackers appeared more focused on reconnaissance.

JOHNSON, Vt. (AP) — Several Vermont electric utilities are urging customers to conserve energy as temperatures rise across New England.

The Vermont Electric Cooperative asked that people conserve energy both Monday and Tuesday between the hours of 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. The Burlington Electric Department also encouraged customers to cut back their energy use on Monday afternoon and evening.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown is urging lawmakers to back a proposal that would soften the standard that makes electric utilities financially liable when their equipment causes wildfires.

A legislative committee meeting Wednesday to discuss the growing threat of wildfires did not take any formal action on Brown's proposal, but some lawmakers indicated the need to review the impact of frequent blazes on utilities.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday backed softening the standard that makes electric utilities financially liable when their equipment causes wildfires as the state faces more severe blazes in the midst of climate change.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana environmentalists are criticizing the easing of toxic coal ash regulations by President Donald Trump's administration.

Environmental leaders say the new rule changes for coal-fired power plants put Indiana residents particularly at risk because the state has the most coal ash ponds in the country, the Indianapolis Star reported .

JOHNSON, Vt. (AP) — Some Vermont electric utilities are asking customers to save power during the high temperatures that are forecast for the state.

The Vermont Electric Cooperative and Burlington Electric say demand for power is expected to spike during the high temperatures forecast this week.

Temperatures both Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be in the mid-90s.

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Eversource is currently trying to buy its second water company in the past year.

The region's biggest electric utility hopes to provide water service to hundreds of thousands of customers across four New England states.

It would still be a small swath of the overall water system — but that could change.

But why do electric companies want to get in to the water business?

The answer lies in some recent electric industry history.

May 29

The San Diego Union-Tribune on California solar panel mandate maybe being a big mistake:

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's government proposed an energy plan Wednesday that sets ambitious targets for nuclear energy use in the coming decade despite challenges after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — State utility regulators in Ohio have rejected legal arguments by the state's four big electric utilities seeking to avoid returning proceeds from the federal tax cut to customers through rate reductions.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio's unanimous decision Wednesday means American Electric Power, Dayton Power & Light, Duke Energy and FirstEnergy must continue to set aside all money from the tax cut until details about how rates will be lowered.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina's highest court is deciding whether a clean-energy advocacy group illegally sold solar power to a church as part of its plan to undercut the monopoly of the state's electric utilities.

PHOENIX (AP) — The Latest on an Arizona law responding to a proposed renewable energy ballot initiative (all times local):

4:45 p.m.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has signed a new law allowing electric utilities to sidestep proposed requirements that they get more electricity from renewable energy.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio's four big electric utilities joined forces this month to challenge a request by state regulators to return proceeds from the federal tax cut to customers by reducing rates.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio in January instructed American Electric Power, Dayton Power & Light, Duke Energy and FirstEnergy to treat any tax savings received after Jan. 1, 2018, as potential consumer savings.

Some Northeast Pennsylvania residents may be without power until late Wednesday as utility crews work around the clock to repair damage left by Friday’s heavy snow and high winds.

Roadways throughout the region remained closed and speed limits restricted Saturday following the storm, which PPL Electric Utilities spokeswoman Alana Roberts said will likely end up being one of the worst in company history in terms of outages.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Thursday it is rewriting Obama-era rules governing pollution from oil and gas operations and coal ash dumps, moves that opponents say will significantly weaken protections for human health and the environment.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — One of Indiana's largest electric utilities plans to shut down three coal-fired power plants in the next five years as it adds a new natural gas plant and solar farm to its energy-generation mix.

Vectren's estimated $900 million natural gas plant in Posey County will have 800 to 900 megawatts, The Evansville Courier & Press reported.

HIGH POINT, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina city says approximately 19,000 customers are without electricity following a power outage.

A map of the outage on the city of High Point Electric Utilities Department website shows customers without power from the N.C. 68 corridor north on Monday afternoon. The utility says it has 41,000 customers.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Legislation that state regulators say could leave Virginians paying double for large-scale upgrades to the electric grid is advancing in the General Assembly.

A state House panel on Tuesday approved a bill sponsored by Del. Terry Kilgore to overhaul how electric rates are set for Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power customers.

The bill was amended from an earlier version to placate some concerns that the bill was too friendly to electric monopolies.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Latest on the winter storm in North Carolina (all times local):

6:10 p.m.

North Carolina troopers, transportation workers and electric utilities have been busy responding to a winter storm that dropped more snow than anticipated in some parts of the state.

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A southern Arizona utility company is planning a wind energy project that could power up to 31,000 homes annually.

Tucson Electric Power says a request for design and construction proposals will go out this week. The projects have to be capable of producing at least 100 megawatts of wind energy and be operational in 2021.