PUC staff: Maine electricity ratepayers shouldn’t be charged for natural gas pipeline expansion

Boy, sure would have been nice had Maine electricity ratepayers not been charged for the MRRP (CMP Upgrade), i.e., the transmission lines built solely for the wind industry so they could get their Maine-destroying product to Mass and Ct.

http://www.pressherald.com/2014/10/01/puc-staff-maine-electric-rate...

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PPH - LePage, Michaud and Cutler's Differing Views on Natural Gas Pipeline

Excerpts:

Independent Eliot Cutler faulted Michaud for his vote, saying he did not understand the House bill.

 

LePage also was criticized by his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, who said a federal pipeline bill that the Republican governor supports would make it easier for private pipeline developers to seize land by eminent domain.

 

“While prices are spiking, liberals in Massachusetts have opposed natural gas infrastructure, saying they need to study the issue more. That’s unconscionable,” LePage said.

 

“Massachusetts is the problem here, not FERC,” Cutler said.

http://www.pressherald.com/2014/09/30/lepage-urges-federal-regulato...

Governor LePage: FERC Must Address New England’s Energy Crisis Now

September 29, 2014
Governor's Office

For Immediate Release: Monday, Sept. 29, 2014
Contact: Adrienne Bennett, Press Secretary, 207-287-2531

AUGUSTA – With electric bills set to increase an unprecedented 37 percent in Massachusetts coupled with predictions of another bitter winter bearing down on the region, Governor Paul R. LePage has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to address the skyrocketing electricity prices in New England.

Electricity rates in Massachusetts will hit a historic high—a 37 percent increase from last winter, an increase of $33 a month for that state’s households. Average electric bills are expected to be $121.20 per household each month.

“It is time to wake up. New England is in an energy crisis right now, and we desperately need additional natural gas to power our businesses and keep electric bills affordable for households,” said Governor LePage. “While prices are spiking, liberals in Massachusetts have opposed natural gas infrastructure, saying they need to study the issue more. This is unconscionable.”

Governor LePage is taking action in Maine to build out natural gas infrastructure. He has written to William Yardley, vice president of Spectra Energy, requesting that Spectra build out its current system and add natural gas capacity while working with Maine businesses to address these rising energy costs.

“New England households and our businesses are about to experience a catastrophic increase in electric bills,” the Governor said. “This situation is similar to a massive Nor’easter having just hit Massachusetts and their Governor refusing to plow the highways, blocking access to Northern New England. More studying now is the equivalent of watching the weather instead of preparing for the storm. We need action now. It’s well past the time that New England should have added natural gas pipeline capacity. FERC must step up and address the unprecedented situation that liberals in Massachusetts have created.”

In Governor LePage’s letter to the chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, he requests that FERC take immediate action to expand natural gas infrastructure in New England, including steps to move incremental expansions, fast track the regulatory approval and consider natural gas storage as a temporary step. These actions can be taken while the region awaits Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s decision whether to support the rest of New England’s initiative to significantly expand natural gas capacity.

http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/index.php?topic=Portal+News&...

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Comment by Martha thacker on October 2, 2014 at 5:46pm

Wonder if this

Because the term of another commissioner, David Littell, is up in March, Welch’s early departure means the next governor will appoint two of the three PUC commissioners.

Has anything to do with ..."

PUC staff: Maine electricity ratepayers shouldn’t be charged for natural gas pipeline expansion"

I know there have been some good people on the MPUC. Because they were not even invited to the hearing between US govt. and FERC over the building of Stetson I. The reason for the hearing was that the grid was at capacity. And one member was concerned that Mainers would lose trust in the MPUC. Well, he was right.

Regulate. It's like the mob is running our state utilities and govt.

 

Comment by Martha thacker on October 1, 2014 at 2:31pm

I appreciate Gov. LePage's energy policy. But the reason that New England has an energy crisis is we have cap and trade.It was never passed into federal law, but somehow we got it. Wonder if other states have the extra charges for renewable energy that we have? Not to mention Emera and CMP adding 19 % extra charges for transmission lines . Which are only needed for wind farms.What we need is regulation and honesty from our lawmakers.

Comment by Penny Gray on September 30, 2014 at 6:38pm

The Maine Wire has an article you can comment on here: http://www.themainewire.com/2014/09/lepage-blasts-mass-liberals-nat...

 

Maine as Third World Country:

CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power

 

Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.

Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT

******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********

(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/

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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law

Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future

"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."

https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/

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