PORTLAND, Maine — Maine Gov. Janet Mills' proposal to place new regulations on electric utilities was in limbo after failing to win enough support in the House.
LD 1959, An Act to Ensure Transmission and Distribution Utility Accountability, sponsored by Sen. Stacy Brenner, would bring new accountability to Central Maine Power and Versant Power by establishing new performance measures and adding financial penalties for failure to meet the benchmarks. In extreme circumstances, the utilities could be sold for repeated violations.
The bill passed in the Maine Senate, but it was tabled Tuesday in the House. That could spell the end of further attempts to regulate the utilities during this legislative session.
Rep. Nicole Grohowski, D-Ellsworth decried the lack of teeth in the final proposal, and referred to efforts to put “lipstick on a pig.”
“I will not go home to my constituents and say that I supported this bill and that they can look forward to better than worst-in-the-nation service and high rates because that would be a false promise,” she said.
When announcing the bill in a news release issued Feb. 2, Mills described a need for change in reliable utility services.
"Whether it's poor customer service, billing problems, or extended power outages, the issues experienced by Maine people over the past several years have made clear that Maine doesn't have the tools it needs to hold our utilities accountable. It's time for that to change," Mills said.
Several energy and environmental organizations in Maine also voiced their support of the bill during its announcement.
"To achieve Maine's climate objectives, we need our electric utilities to provide a modern, reliable, and clean power grid," Phelps Turner, a senior attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, said. "This bill is an important step toward ensuring that our utilities improve their performance."
