Maine Power for Maine People: clean, consumer-owned, local jobs
The Maine Power Delivery Authority (MPDA), a new consumer-owned utility, will give Mainers control of our energy future. Around the country, consumer-owned utilities (COUs) provide reliable electric power to three in ten American households. On average, customers of COUs like the proposed Maine Power Delivery Authority pay 13 percent less than households that buy their power from investor-owned utilities such as CMP and Versant (Emera).
What the Maine Power Delivery Authority will do:
Buy CMP and Versant
MDPA would purchase infrastructure now owned by CMP and Versant (Emera) using low-interest bonds, backed by MPDA’s revenue from delivering electricity. No tax money or state guarantees are involved. It’s like refinancing your mortgage at a lower interest rate.
Local Board Oversight
Decisions will be made by a nonpartisan, independent, 10-member board similar to the Maine Turnpike Authority. It will represent all geographic areas and customer classes. Board members will be Maine residents serving staggered terms of office.
Mainer Owned
MPDA would be a Maine utility owned by Mainers that reinvests its revenues in Maine. It will be transparent and responsive to us, not to investment-fund managers sitting in a distant corporate boardroom.
Transparent Decisions
Everyone can have a voice in MPDA’s decision-making. Its meetings will be open and transparent. All of its records will be available under Maine’s Freedom of Access laws.
Labor Contracts Honored
Current contracts for CMP and Versant (Emera) workers will be honored. New employees will be added to restore the levels of service, reliability and emergency response that we deserve.
Federal Funding Available
MPDA will be eligible for federal disaster assistance after major storms. In contrast, investor-owned utilities like CMP and Versant (Emera) charge their ratepayers for all the costs of repairing damage.
Letters of support
LD 1646 / Maine Power for Maine People
Jill Linzee
Jill Linzee, New Harbor “I write to express my strong support for L.D. 1646, a legislative bill to replace Central Maine Power and Emera with a consumer-owned utility (Maine Power Delivery Authority). There are so many reasons Mainers are unhappy with CMP and Emera. They charge some of the highest rates and have the lowest reliability rating in the country. Recently a business owner from Sanford reported that he was charged over $11,000 by CMP for just one day of power to run his company. When he challenged that bill, CMP admitted that the actual cost was $36. Many others are still fighting to fix their bills. https://freepressonline.com/Content/Default/Week-of-March-3/Article/Consumer-Owned-Utility-a-Good-Idea-for-Maine-/-3/1052/68596“
Marianne Hill
Marianne Hill, South Portland “The LEI report warns that litigation by CMP and Emera contesting a buyout could drive up transition costs and lead to higher rates in the short term. The Public Utilities Commission could set rules ensuring that shareholders and executives bear those costs, not ratepayers. Also, the PUC sets the rate of return for CMP and Emera, which affects their market value. A decision by the PUC to lower that rate due to CMP’s multiple failures could reduce the acquisition cost to a reasonable level rather than the inflated values that the LEI report assumes. https://www.pressherald.com/2020/03/02/letter-to-the-editor-study-overlooks-clean-energy-benefits-of-consumer-owned-maine-utility/“
Darien “Deke” Sawyer
Darien “Deke” Sawyer, Jackman “This week LEI released their long awaited study concerning LD 1646. What was obviously missing from the report is our current reality concerning delivery of power in the State of Maine! We already have some of the highest delivery rates in the country. The report was also quick to say that a new COU “could not guarantee better service.” What they ignored is that without a new COU we can guarantee more reliability issues. http://www.dailybulldog.com/db/opinion/the-rest-of-the-story-ld-1646/“
Dan Neumann
Journalist, Maine Beacon “Despite concerns from lawmakers about its impartiality, LEI’s study projects that ratepayers could expect to see significant cost savings. The study supports much of the core argument made by proponents of the consumer-owned utility that the more Maine invests in its electrical grid the less Mainers will see in overall costs. https://mainebeacon.com/consumer-owned-utility-study-shows-long-term-savings-for-maine-ratepayers“
Join and Support Maine Power for Maine People
Restore Local Ownership and Control of Maine’s Power Delivery Systems!