Consumer-owned power utility needed in Maine
In any story about Central Maine Power, it is important to note that due to U.S. Supreme Court cases decided in the 1920s and 1940s, Hope and Bluefield, the captive customers of any investor-owned utility must pay in full, plus interest, for any and all capital investments.
For this reason, a utility can maximize its return to shareholders by first overinvesting in a way that creates a problem, and then investing even more to fix the problem they have created.
The obnoxious, over-the-top CMP lights that have plagued Merrymeeting Bay for over a year provide a guaranteed, double-digit return to distant investors over twenty years. In addition, we will pay the company’s corporate taxes on these profits.
These fortunate investors include Spanish banks, the oil-rich governments of Norway and Qatar, and Blackrock.
Neither Maine regulators nor even an act of Congress can prevent this absurdity. Hope and Bluefield are to large utilities what Citizens United is to dark money.
There is a proven alternative that currently serves 1 in 3 Americans, and many Mainers. It is less costly, and more reliable. It is called consumer ownership.
Until they own the grid themselves, CMP customers will keep paying for expensive “solutions” to fix previous “solutions” to fix problems that may never have existed in the first place.
Seth Berry,
Bowdoinham
Vote Meunier
I bet many readers don’t pay too much attention to the Topsham Select Board election. Does it seem like they don’t matter? Well, have you wished more attention was paid to traffic and pedestrian safety in your neighborhood? This issue has been identified as a priority in meetings and planning efforts for years. Yet very little has changed. New developments are approved without accommodations for pedestrian safety. A drive-through coffee shop is about to be approved in the heart of our village area for which every planning effort in the last decade has said should have a walkable main street feel. Instead, we’ll end up with a traffic nightmare. Why? Our zoning code still doesn’t reflect the intent of those years of planning efforts.
Concerned about tax increases? The 2018 comprehensive plan defined our growth area where the increased tax revenue exceeds the added cost in town services. Every new development outside that area costs us money every year. Changes are needed now to our zoning code to ensure that growth occurs in the growth area.
It’s the Planning Board’s responsibility to update our zoning codes to conform with our comprehensive plan and subsequent detailed planning efforts. However, at every opportunity the
Planning Board has backed away from adding any real requirements that would bring us closer to the vision of the town laid out in more than a decade of planning efforts. The Planning Board is appointed by the Select Board. The priorities for the town are defined by the Select Board. If you want real change in Topsham you need to vote for new leadership. I suggest you vote for Yvette Meunier this November. Yvette is not afraid to tackle hard projects. She has the experience and dedication to see them through. When it really matters she considers every option to get it done. Check out her platform at facebook.com/YvetteForTopsham.
Victor Langelo,
Topsham
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
