A look at the secretive, expensive campaign to turn Maine voters against Pine Tree Power

In Nov. 2021, Portland-based Sea Salt and Spruce Consulting was promoting essential oils and various wellness and social media tips. Less than two years later, the same company is a significant recipient of campaign cash in a referendum that will determine the fate of Maine’s two largest electricity utilities. Why the company was chosen as a vendor and how it spent nearly $800,0000 remains a closely guarded secret, yet it’s part of a sprawling, $32 million effort by Central Maine Power and Versant Power to defeat Question 3 on the November ballot. While much of the utilities' campaign spending is visible to voters through a barrage of television and online ads, a more opaque influencing operation churns through social media, state house lobbyists, consulting firms and paid politicians.