PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 2, 2023
For 11 years I served on the board of ISO New England, including 5 years as chair. As New England’s “independent system operator,” it was our responsibility to oversee the grid in our six states to ensure reliability, plan the system and administer markets. The prospect of elected Pine Tree Power board members with no experience in utility policy in charge is, to put it mildly, concerning. The reliability and economics of our grid are complex and changing rapidly and our economy is built on our grid. The ISO-NE board included experienced engineers, system planners, economists and finance experts. None of those independent board members would have served if they had been required to run a political campaign to be a board member. The predictions of bargain basement interest rates by the Pine Tree Power proponents are hopelessly optimistic. They are also promising policies that would likely drive current high interest rates even higher. Let’s not take chances. ~ Philip Shapiro, former board chair of ISO-NE, Biddeford