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Maine must protect ratepayers from monopoly utility power
Isabelle Winstead is a Legal & Policy Fellow for Our Power, a Maine nonprofit pushing for energy decisions made by and for the people of Maine. The Maine Public Utilities Commission’s recent rejection of Central Maine Power’s major rate-increase request was a rare victory for ratepayers. But CMP is expected to file another rate case…
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A Big Week for Your CMP or Versant Bill
Lots of big news about Central Maine Power Company and Versant Power bills this week! And to be honest, we’ve noticed people are confused. Which is understandable. It’s a confusing topic — so let’s break it down. Yes, your CMP or Versant bill is going up again in January. Yes, this is bad news, with…
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Put the Brakes on CMP’s Proposed Rate Hike
When Central Maine Power asked the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for a massive rate hike the other week—just 3 months after their previous rate increase kicked in–Mainers responded with disbelief and anger. Many struggle to pay surging utility bills amid a flood tide of rising living expenses. Now CMP wants everyone to cough up…
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First-in-Nation Utility Whistleblower Bill
How Did Your Legislators Vote? Sponsored by Senator Michael Tipping (D) and co-sponsored by legislators from both parties, LD 1963 proposed to empower the Maine Public Utilities Commission to offer financial rewards to individuals who expose wrongdoing within public utilities. The measure mirrored federal whistleblower programs, notably Dodd‑Frank’s SEC model, with provisions to protect confidentiality, provide…
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CMP is an Albatross around the Neck of Maine Businesses
Republished here by permission of the author. Appeared originally as an Op-Ed in the Portland Press Herald on December 30, 2022 Owning a small business in Maine is both challenging and rewarding. It takes a lot of work and perseverance to build up a successful operation here and I’m proud to be a successful part…
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A Consumer-Owned Utility Would Help Maine Reach its Climate Goals
Republished here by permission of the author. Appeared originally as a letter to the editor in the Brunswick Times Record on October 24, 2022 Douglas Rooks’ analysis of Maine issues and his policy prescriptions nearly always make me nod in agreement. Not so with his “Doing public power the right way” (TR 10/20/2022). We have…
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Consumer-owned utility could save Mainers a lot of money on their electricity
John Brautigam is an attorney and consultant with a practice in public policy and legislative advocacy. He has served in the Maine legislature as a member of the Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee, as Assistant Attorney General, and as Director of Efficiency Maine. This editorial was originally published in the Bangor Daily News on March 7,…
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climate change | decarbonization | energy economics | grid resilience | renewable energy | utility regulation
Young Mainers will be inheriting the grid – we would like to own it
Emily Rochford is a resident of Burnham and a core member of Maine Youth for Climate Justice, a coalition of over 350 youth. She is pursuing a bachelor of science degree in sustainable energy management at Unity College. This editorial was originally published in the Portland Press Herald on June 27, 2021 and is republished…
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climate change | decarbonization | energy economics | grid resilience | renewable energy | utility regulation
Profit-driven utilities not working for Maine
Jennifer Poirier of Skowhegan is a Republican state representative and member of the School Administrative District 54 board of directors. This editorial was originally published by the Portland Press Herald on June 26, 2021 and is republished her by permission of the author. The Pine Tree Power bill, L.D. 1708, was not created quickly. It…
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Change of ownership needed to improve Maine’s power system
Sam May is a former Wall Street analyst with significant experience in both Silicon Valley and Hong Kong; he lives in Portland and is co-founder of Maine Harvest Federal Credit Union. It should come as no surprise that Joshua Broder penned a May 25 column in the BDN in opposition to LD 1708, An Act…
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climate change | decarbonization | energy economics | grid resilience | renewable energy | utility regulation
Consumer-owned Pine Tree Power will work for Maine people
Replacing CMP and Versant with a new company will strengthen our grid, reduce outages and lower rates for Maine families and businesses Nathan Carlow is a Republican state representative from Buxton, a member of the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee and a co-sponsor of L.D. 1708. Originally published in the Portland Press Herald on May 29,…
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Public power proposal offers opportunity to match, top MEMIC’s success
Electricity distribution is the ideal industry to replicate the model of a customer-owned, privately run company Dick Woodbury, an economist and a Yarmouth independent, served in the Maine Legislature from 2002 to 2008 and from 2010 to 2014. He was also a weekly commentator on Maine Public Radio’s political roundtable, “Across the Aisle,” from 2014…