PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 15, 2025
When Central Maine Power recently asked the Maine Public Utilities Commission for a massive rate hike — just three months after its previous rate increase kicked in — Mainers responded with disbelief. Many struggle to pay surging utility bills amid a flood of rising living expenses. Now CMP wants everyone to cough up another $420 per year on average. CMP says it wants to make the grid more resilient. As Maine’s Public Advocate put it, “While CMP claims that its plan is designed to provide ‘price stability,’ it is actually asking for greater profits and large, automatic rate increases over the next five years.” The PUC should reject CMP’s rate hike request. First, CMP is asking for too much profit. Second, two summers ago, the MPUC asked the company to submit a 10-year, detailed roadmap for how it will improve Maine’s grid. As of late August CMP was still in the “needs assessment” phase. Contact the PUC and tell it to say “No” to the rate hike. ~ Ed Geis, Camden