Maine proposal to switch to state-run power delivery authority tabled for now
A proposal to purchase Maine’s two investor-owned electric utilities and replace them with a state-owned power delivery authority has stalled due to lack of support.
In July, Maine State Rep. Seth Berry (D-Bowdoinham) introduced a bill in the legislature to allow for the state to transition to a consumer-owned utility, but ultimately the bill was amended to instead create a task force to study the issue. The legislation, LD 1646, was approved 8-1 by the committee, but the bill died upon the conclusion of the 129th Legislature on Nov. 16.
A request was also filed in September with Maine’s Secretary of State by local residents hoping to create a consumer-owned utility through a referendum on the 2021 or 2022 ballot. The application was similar to Rep. Berry’s bill..................
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The Maine Chamber of Commerce, along with Maine utilities, recently worked with Public Policy Polling to conduct a poll to see how Mainers are responding to the possibility of a government takeover of the Maine power grid.
The results of the poll of 865 registered voters conducted on Oct. 16-17 found that 58 percent of Maine residents think Maine’s electric power companies should remain privately-owned companies regulated by the Public Utilities Commission, 19 percent prefer borrowing up to $13 billion to take control of Maine’s electric power companies and transferring management of our electricity to a government-controlled agency run by a board of elected politicians, and 23 percent of voters are unsure about the proposal.
“Shifting one of Maine’s most vital services from private ownership to a government-controlled model will cost Mainers billions of dollars, result in years of costly litigation, and create uncertainty in our electric grid at a time when stability is needed to meet key investments, like meeting Maine’s renewable energy goals,” said Dana Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. “It is clear that a majority of Mainers think a government takeover of our power grid is not in the best interest of our state.”
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Comment by Stephen Littlefield on December 8, 2020 at 8:48pm
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When has the state ever run anything that has benefited the public? This fakedemic is just the latest example of utter incompetence that is the state government. And the communist Seth Berry also is the creator of LD91 that forces all rate payers to pay higher bills for those that have solar panels. Just another underhanded move to cripple Maine businesses and push Mainers lower and lower and more and more under the control of government. It's just another way to force prices higher!
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I like CMP just the way it is. We know that this effort is being driven by the climate change axis. If they can buy the big guys, then they can create blackouts which in turn will be pushed as the incentive for more renewables (excluding nuclear)
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Common sense prevails?
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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