BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 25, 2023
This November we will vote on whether to use eminent domain to replace Maine’s investor-owned utilities, CMP and Versant, with a consumer-owned utility. I appreciate consumer-owned utilities — I worked on the early editions of the bill. But I’m worried about this proposal. Bills could very likely go up instead and any savings we might see are well down the road. Our democratic process is working as it should, with legislators clarifying Mainers’ expectations of the utilities and regulators following through with increased vigor. The best way to serve ratepayers’ needs and meet our climate change response goals is to keep moving forward on this path. Taking on this expensive court battle just isn’t worth the risk. ~ Tina Riley of Jay served on the Maine Legislature’s Energy Committee; she represents CMP ratepayers on the Electric Ratepayers’ Advisory Council