The owners of Maine’s largest power companies have spent more than $37 million to defeat Question 3, while the leading supporter of a public utility takeover has spent just over $1 million.
Versant Power
Posted inBusiness, Election 2023, Politics
Loss of property tax looms over mayors’ Question 3 concerns
The mayors of nine cities say they fear losing property taxes if Question 3 passes, despite language in the enabling legislation that should prevent that from happening.
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Posted inBusiness, Election 2023, Politics
Public power question sharpens voters’ concerns about what’s at stake
A proposal to take over the state’s two investor-owned utilities raises worries about reliability, politics, workers’ rights, lawsuits and costs. Some are still in the dark.
Posted inOp-eds, Opinion
Commentary: Question 3 aims to fix what’s wrong with CMP, Versant
Their rates are too high and their reliability is too low. And they’ve had plenty of time to fix both and haven’t.
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News
If there’s a new Maine utility, who will manage it?
Politics, qualifying credentials and managerial expertise collide in the debate over who would operate a publicly owned utility.
Posted inBusiness, Election 2023, Maine, Politics
Question 3: What you need to know about the Pine Tree Power referendum
The highly contentious question would establish the framework for a new utility to deliver electricity in Maine.
Posted inBusiness, Election 2023, Maine, Politics
Question 1: Voters would have a say in certain big spending
Conceived as a fail-safe in case Question 3 passes, Question 1 would require voter approval for certain government bodies to take on more than $1 billion in debt.
Posted inOp-eds, Opinion
Commentary: With so much uncertainty, Pine Tree Power is a bad deal for Maine
Do we really want to be on the hook for ensuing litigation and billions of dollars in unpredictable costs?
Posted inBusiness, News
Mills urges voters to reject public utility takeover
The governor cited uncertainty about the long-term benefits of Pine Tree Power, and its initial cost.
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News
Prices at smaller utilities work their way into debate over Maine’s energy future
Backers of Pine Tree Power tout lower rates at customer-owned utilities, but comparing those rates with investor-owned utilities is complicated.