
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine voters have turned down an attempt to oust the state’s corporate-owned electric utilities in favor of public power.
With 84% of the vote counted by Wednesday morning, 69% of voters in Maine voted against the public power proposal. The state’s two IOUs distribute 97% of its electricity.
Voters opted for the status quo over a referendum that would have marked the first time a state with existing private utilities discarded them all at the same time. The proposal called for dismantling Central Maine Power and Versant Power and creating a nonprofit utility called Pine Tree Power to govern the grid.
Supporters said there was little to lose because of the utilities’ poor performance. Critics said there’s no guarantee the nonprofit utility would perform any better, while the move could spark lawsuits, and buying out the existing utilities could cost billions — as much as $13.5 billion.
Willy Ritch, executive director of the Maine Affordable Energy Coalition, which opposed the takeover, said Maine voters “rejected billions of dollars in debt and they rejected the risk and uncertainty that came with it.”
In a statement issued Wednesday, Avangrid, the parent company of Central Maine Power, celebrated voter rejection of the “risky proposal.”
“In the face of climate change, meeting the needs of an increasingly electrified society is best done by those with the most experience,” Avangrid said in a statement. “Voters in Maine have spoken. The years-long debate over who is best suited to operate the grid does nothing to advance the solutions needed now, and it’s time to get back to work.”
The vote came amid intense criticism of Central Maine Power over its slow response to storm-related power outages, a botched billing system rollout, and perceived roadblocks to connecting renewable power projects to the grid, among other things.
“Our grassroots campaign has talked with thousands of Mainers — it is clear that CMP and Versant are hurting people,” said Al Cleveland, Pine Tree Power’s campaign manager, who also said the drive for a consumer-owned utility would continue.
A separate ballot question aimed at posing a hurdle to the creation of a new utility also was approved. The referendum requires voter approval for borrowing topping $1 billion, potentially crimping access to bonds that would be needed to buy out the existing utilities.