SUN JOURNAL • April 29, 2020
Madison, Maine, has some residents who are served by Central Maine Power and others by Madison Electric, a consumer-owned utility. The recent April snowstorm highlights differences between the two. Madison Electric serves 2,500 customers. Just 3% lost power the morning after the storm first hit, and all had their power back by lunchtime. CMP serves 1,169 customers in Madison. Eighty-five percent lost power that first morning. Two days later, over half were still in the dark. Madison Electric also charges 12% less for delivery than CMP. If we hope to electrify everything, reliability is crucial. I look forward to the day when Mainers own our own power grid, as many in Madison and one in three Americans already do. ~ Rep. Seth Berry, Bowdoinham