I admit that I don’t think about my electric service until it’s gone. I think we all have stories about that time we lost power on Thanksgiving. I also have a personal one, when I was deployed and my wife and daughters were here without power in a snowstorm for three days. We now have a portable generator that gets us through those times.

When I hear that Maine residents are the documented bearers of unreliable and expensive power, and we are the most dissatisfied with our service, the only question I have is: “Why?” Why would any consumer continue to pay the most money for unreliable services with very little satisfaction of their needs?

I like to think that when I need power during a big storm or a good book, I flip a switch and I get what I paid for. It hasn’t been the case in many Mainers’ experience.

America wants reliable, clean and affordable energy for our homes and businesses whenever we flip the switch. If investor-owned power has been proven to be unreliable and expensive in Maine, should we continue to do business with them? Why would we?

L.D. 1708, An Act To Create the Pine Tree Power Company, a Nonprofit Utility, To Deliver Lower Rates, Reliability and Local Control for Maine Energy Independence, was just printed and had a public hearing, and Rep. Seth Berry and several bipartisan co-sponsors look to have dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s for our disconnect notice to Central Maine Power and Versant.

Rafael Macias
Topsham