AUGUSTA - In response to Gov. Janet Mills vetoing LD 1708, a bill to create the Pine Tree Power Company sponsored by Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, Berry has released the following statement:
"I'm not surprised, but I am disappointed in the veto. After winning bipartisan majority support in the committee, House and Senate, we had hoped the governor too would trust Maine voters to weigh in this fall. I want to thank all of the legislators in both chambers who supported LD 1708.
"In her veto letter, the governor stated that this bill was hastily drafted. But that couldn't be further from the truth. This bill is the result of three years of diligent work and was crafted by a diverse group of legislators, utility experts, economists, conservationists and many others to meet the complex and urgent needs of our energy future. We wouldn't trust a foreign-owned, for-profit monopoly to own and run our children's schools, hospitals or fire departments. So why should we trust them with our electrical grid? Consumer-owned electric utilities serve one in three Americans now, and it is a proven business model that is far better suited for a future of increased dependence on electricity."
The Legislature will have the opportunity to override the governor's veto when it reconvenes on July 19. If the House and the Senate vote with two-thirds supermajorities to override the veto, Maine voters will have the opportunity to replace Central Maine Power (CMP) and Versant with the Pine Tree Power Company, a consumer-owned electric utility, in a November referendum.
If the Legislature does not override the veto, a coalition called Our Power has promised to collect signatures to place the question on the ballot in 2022.
Berry's historic bill is a carefully crafted, bipartisan measure and is the result of three years of research and refinement by the Legislature. The bill's most recent amendment required the Pine Tree Power Company to pay property taxes, ensuring municipalities will continue to receive the same level of property tax revenue and that the state-level valuation will remain the same after the transition.
LD 1708 was enacted "under the hammer" in the House and by an 18-14 vote in the Senate. Earlier recorded votes in the House earned support from Republican, Independent and Democratic lawmakers. The bill's public hearing on May 20 drew strong bipartisan support from members of the public.
Maine endures the worst and longest outages in the nation and the 10th highest rates in the nation. Maine ratepayers send $150-$325 million per year to the owners of CMP/Avangrid/Iberdrola, and millions more to the owners of Versant. Versant is also Maine's most expensive mainland utility, and it now seeks a 25.4% rate hike. CMP also more recently announced a 25% rate hike of their own, which state regulators acknowledged they were powerless to prevent.
Maine's for-profit utilities, CMP and Versant, also rank at the bottom nationally for customer satisfaction, according to J.D. Powers authoritative survey of customer satisfaction for all large and mid-sized utilities. CMP is ranked worst of all 142 utilities in the survey, and Versant third worst.
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