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There is much talk these days with head-scratching citizen initiatives. If Mainers cannot get the governor on board for important business, then there’s the legal means, a referendum. With much effort by members of the Legislature and Mainers, Maine’s secretary of state approved the Our Power initiative for next year’s ballot.
This is no surprise. Time and again Mainers have been fed up with a whole slew of issues relating to Central Maine Power’s performance. For years, the Our Power effort, an experienced group of legislators, economists and electrical engineers, diligently researched, studied and discovered a way forward that could drastically drop electric rates, move Maine quickly to meet its climate goals and achieve this at a cost billions below CMP’s plans. What plan is that?
CMP, owned by a Spanish multinational corporation, trades on the global stock market. I think Mainers prefer local and Our Power will be a nonprofit, owned and operated by Maine consumers. It will keep all the current on-the-ground employees and not be overseen by Maine’s government. A new CMP-backed initiative seeks to squash the Our Power initiative. I think we can expect millions spent on misinformation and fearmongering from CMP.
Cliff Krolick
Parsonsfield
