As energy costs rise, Maine lawmakers consider new plan to ease ratepayers’ pain

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 15, 2022

Maine lawmakers grappled Tuesday with a vexing problem that’s emerging as a top concern among residents this winter: how to pay soaring energy bills. Especially high rates this winter are socking it to middle-income and working families . And costs could also rise in the years ahead, as the state moves to electrify its economy to meet climate goals. That will require modernizing the electric grid to phase out fossil fuels in favor of renewable power. To tackle both these immediate and future threats, Maine needs to take a holistic, strategic look at how to target relief now, and also ensure that electric rates are affordable for all households and businesses during the coming transition.