Payments that help low-income Marylanders cover their electric bills will decrease next year, according to the operating plan for the state's Electric Universal Service program.
The cuts are the result of declining revenues and increased demand for help, according to the plan proposed by state officials.
The total funding for the program in fiscal year 2012 is about $56 million, down 30 percent from the previous year's budget of more than $81 million. The Maryland Public Service Commission was scheduled to review the plan at a hearing Wednesday afternoon.
Ratepayer contributions to the program have remained at $37 million annually for several years. However, only $17 million in proceeds from regional greenhouse gas auctions will be contributed to the program in the fiscal year that starts July 1, compared to more than $44 million the previous year.
The Office of Home Energy Programs, which is part of the state Department of Human Resources, estimated the number of households receiving aid would increase by 3 percent to more than 142,000, although many more may meet eligibility standards that include a household income less than 175 percent of the federal poverty level.
The federal poverty level for a family of four is $22,350.
Marylanders taking part in the program are expected to receive, on average, $323 a year in aid in 2012, down from $444 in 2011.