Central Maine Power just can’t win for losing when it comes to customer confidence or satisfaction. That’s been its disappointing business model for a very long time, yet it always somehow remained the winsome darling of supposed consumer protective government oversight. Hopefully, that big business status quo of being a privileged monopoly excused from any real public accountability is now coming to an end. 

Currently, it faces a perfect storm of animosity brought about by circumstances largely of its own making. Whether it’s periodic massive power outages, punitive cost coerced “smart meter” implementation, a new “SmartCare” billing system run tyrannically amok or a mega-confrontational “corridor,” CMP’s corporate hubris is now experiencing a much overdue citizen power surge. “Too big to fail” is finally failing to stem the rising tide of ratepayer/voter anger. 

CMP’s reliability issues have been around at least as long as its enduring motto promising that reliability despite the yearly poor performance virtually guaranteed by continued heavy reliance on weather vulnerable above-ground utility lines. “Flip a switch and we’re there,” assured by a straight from the shoulder iconic lineman in CMP’s classic television ad, has never been something they could actually deliver on, especially during severe storms when electricity for essentials like light and heat are most needed. 

Instead of farsighted investment in undergrounding power lines, CMP’s continued to fight an endless myopic battle to “harden” above-ground conveyance’s “resilience.” It hasn’t worked. Storms keep winning. As with climate denial’s dichotomy, undergrounding’s something that some just refuse to accept as doable and affordable no matter that it’s been a longtime done deal elsewhere. CMP’s parent company Iberdrola, part of a European reality where a majority of power’s transported underground, knows that’s a fact just as it knows climate change is real. It embraces wind power and hydro, big time, getting serious high fives for sustainable energy leadership. 

CMP itself likely has nothing against undergrounding except for the certainty of compromising a bottom line reliant on constant upgrading, maintenance and replacement of above-ground infrastructure permittedly billed to the ratepayer. Storms are CMP’s bread and butter as long as the PUC allows. If above-ground line damage became CMP’s liability, rather than the consumer’s, undergrounding might just suddenly become a far more viable option. 

After PG&E’s recent historic bankruptcy filing, due to its horrifically catastrophic exampling of above-ground power’s potential dangers, it’s amazing that all utilities aren’t digging trenches 24-7. With global warming causing severe weather to be even more severe, the prospect of “resilience” band-aids being at all a reasonable expectation of above-ground grid security seems corporately and politically disingenuous at best. Resilience shouldn’t be the goal, but rather zero outages. Germany’s electric utilities would likely be happy to explain the concept. 

CMP’s reliability problem wouldn’t be so egregious if its rates weren’t also so high. That’s always been an unresolved consumer sore point. Now, reliability’s become a failure even in CMP’s billing practices. Abject mismanagement has many, if not all ratepayers, wondering if any aspect of CMP’s business model can ever be trusted. If we could choose between CMP and any other alternative delivery system, it seems highly doubtful that they would retain any customer loyalty. It’s hard to imagine another utility capable of doing a worse job of ostensibly serving the public’s interests, or caring less about anything except corporate welfare. How could things get any worse? 

CMP’s ultimate display of blatant brass over any actual contrition is their new announcement to now nevertheless seek a 10.65% increase in delivery rates for residential customers in order to achieve a “revenue requirement increase” of $46.5 million. They justify their request by sighting increased operating costs precipitated by the increasing severity of storms in recent years, and mounting customer service improvement needs. Pinch me. Harder. 

Whatever the determination of their de facto demand, rationalized corporate indifference has now been set a surreal new bar. If ever there was a final straw demanding long overdue governmental redress of citizen grievances, that time has surely come. 

Suddenly, Maine’s Public Advocate and Governor have taken notice. Though still advocating for the “Corridor” against overwhelming public opposition, both are now supporting substantial sea-changes to CMP’s sovereignty. The Public Advocate Office has called for a truly independent audit of the company’s billing practices. Governor Mills has greenlighted a measure to explore the practicability of a straight-out public takeover of the utility. That first legislative step could ultimately bring about formation of a ratepayer owned Maine Power Delivery Authority, controlled by a governing agency similar to that of the Maine Turnpike Authority. Removing CMP’s corporate profits from the energy delivery equation would enable Mainers to lower their utility charges by about 15%, from the get-go, even while paying off what’s borrowed for the buyout. Those currently employed would retain their positions. The 85 employees that incompetent smart meters replaced could be rehired. 

CMP’s become a totally over-the-top send-up of a Disney villain. Positive change comes about when those oppressed are finally willing to take on obviously bad actors and choose to rewrite the script. Let’s do it. We have the power. 

Gary Anderson lives in Bath.