AUGUSTA - Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, House chair of the Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee, issued the following statement in response to Central Maine Power's announcement that Joseph Purington will assume the role of president and CEO of the company:
"I welcome the news and look forward to meeting with Mr. Purington to hear his thoughts on CMP's worst-in-nation customer satisfaction and obstruction of local renewables, as well as Maine's tenth-highest electricity rates, and our most-frequent and second-longest outages in the nation."
But Purington's real challenge is that today, CMP's managers are marionettes. CMP's captive customers are now just 2% of Iberdrola, whose distant owners call all the shots because they own 100% of CMP's voting shares. As a local decision-maker, CMP does not exist.
"In 50 years, I hope our children and grandchildren will look back and say Mr. Purington was an effective leader during Maine's transition to a proven, superior utility business model, and to a full, fast and fair transition to clean energy independence."
Berry represents House District 55: Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Swan Island and most of Richmond. He previously served from 2006-2014, the final two years as House majority leader, and returned to the House in 2016.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Berry], c .812-1111