PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 21, 2022
Gov. Percival Baxter is among Maine’s best remembered leaders, known for having protected the public lands around Katahdin for all to enjoy. Less known is that Baxter also devoted himself to public power. Sadly, he lost his battles with the founder of Central Maine Power over the rights to our rivers. Today, the importance of energy is even greater than in Baxter’s time. Affordable clean energy is needed not only for industry, but also to provide our children with a livable planet. Done right, the transition to sustainable electricity production and distribution can turn our abundant energy resources into a source of prosperity for Maine, rather than yet another extractive source of poverty. If we are serious about switching to clean energy for all our needs, we can leave no Mainer behind. Public power gives us the best chance for the change we need. ~ Lucas St. Clair, president of Elliotsville Foundation, a private foundation working for conservation and rural economic development