PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 13, 2021
Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill proposing a forced buyout of Maine’s two largest electric utilities on Tuesday, saying the controversial measure was rushed through the legislative process and could create more problems than it solves. Absent a seismic shift in votes, Mills’ veto will at least delay the years-long campaign to create a consumer-owned utility to supply electricity to more than 90 percent of Maine homeowners and businesses. The vote tallies in both the Maine House and Senate last month were well short of the two-thirds majorities needed to override Mills’ veto. Instead, supporters have already begun laying the groundwork for a statewide referendum potentially on the ballot next year. In her veto message, Mills called the recent performance of Maine’s utilities “abysmal” and said that “it may well be that the time has come for the people of the State of Maine to retake control over the [utilities’] assets”