Maine Public | By Peter McGuire
Published November 18, 2025 at 6:00 PM EST

Central Maine Power's controversial power distribution rate plan met an early end Tuesday as Maine utility regulators dismissed the case.

It's the first time on record the Maine Public Utilizes Commission has rejected such a proposal entirely.

Their decision reflected public opinion, which has been against the $1.5 billion dollar plan since it was released this summer.

"I think we all recognize that we really are at sort of an inflection point in the state of Maine and this rate case is sort of hitting at that time," said commission chair Phil Bartlett.

Bartlett said regulators are grappling with affordability concerns, planning for future power demands, and creating better performance incentives for power companies.

"I think we all seem to think this proposal misses the mark in terms of meeting the moment we're at," Bartlett said.

This summer, CMP filed a plan that called for yearly rate hikes over five years, adding about $35 a month to customer bills by the last year. The company said some of that increase would be offset by declining payments for storm recovery.

The company argued it needed a significant increase to improve storm preparedness, bring down recovery costs and improve its grid.

But the plan faced swift opposition from political figures and customers.

Continue reading at https://www.mainepublic.org/climate/2025-11-18/maine-puc-dismisses-controversial-cmp-rate-plan

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