AUGUSTA, Maine — Climate issues are a factor in the debate over a November referendum to put Maine’s electric infrastructure under the control of an elected board, but major environmental groups have stayed out of it so far.
The neutrality from one environmental organization on the Pine Tree Power question is due to its members feeling the ownership of utilities is not the “critical factor” that would help Maine reach its climate goals, cutting against one of the main arguments from proponents and showing somewhat of a split among groups that are a key Democratic constituency here.
The referendum, which is the highest-profile of the eight questions on the November ballot, will ask voters to decide whether to buy out Central Maine Power Co. and Versant Power’s infrastructure and have a seven-person elected board and six appointed experts run a new system. It would be paid for by borrowing billions of dollars against future revenue.
Supporters have argued a locally owned company would be more responsive to customers and provide better service alongside lower as Mainers have faced rising electric rates. Opponents, led by CMP and Versant, cite major uncertainties beneath the proposal, including the cost of a buyout and how it would run under a political process.
Some environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and Maine Youth for Climate Justice, are backing Pine Tree Power, arguing it could invest more efficiently in electric grid changes that support decarbonization and ultimately lead to lower rates after initial price increases.
Neither the Natural Resources Council of Maine nor the Nature Conservancy have weighed in. Following a lengthy debate process, the board of Maine Conservation Voters and the intertwined Maine Conservation Alliance voted in late May to stay neutral on the referendum, Kathleen Meil, MCV’s senior director of policy and partnerships, said Thursday.
Board members agreed that Maine “must hold utilities to a higher standard” but noted that some investor-owned utilities are climate-oriented while other consumer-owned utilities across the country can become negatively politicized, Meil said.
“We came to the conclusion that while utility leadership absolutely matters … it wasn’t clear to us that utility ownership structure was the critical factor,” she said.
A spokesperson for the Natural Resources Council of Maine said the group was not able to immediately comment Thursday, while the Nature Conservancy in Maine has not taken a position on the referendum, according to spokesperson Jeremy Cluchey.
“We work closely with our team to identify our priority focus areas for policy and advocacy,” Cluchey said, “and while obviously an important issue, this hasn’t emerged as an area where we believe our expertise can have the biggest impact for conservation and climate change.”
The Sierra Club was an early supporter of a utility takeover, backing a 2021 legislative proposal that served as the basis for this year’s ballot initiative. It cleared the Democratic-led Legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Janet Mills, which sent proponents to this year’s ballot.
A spokesperson for Pine Tree Power said the new system “will have a legal mandate to make decisions that are in the best interest of workers, customers and the planet,” while the CMP-led campaign against the item has pushed back by citing examples in rural areas and cities around the U.S. that it says serve as warning signs for creating such a utility.
CMP is backing a different initiative that will appear as the first referendum question on the November ballot and is aimed at impeding Pine Tree Power. It would require voter approval whenever a consumer-owned utility seeks to borrow more than $1 billion.