BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 1, 2025
Maine is facing a growing energy affordability crisis, and one of the root causes is policy. Time and again, decisions from the Maine Legislature made energy more expensive. For example, Maine first began trying to import clean hydropower from Canada in the 1980s. The New England Clean Energy Connect Project is close to coming online to deliver 1,200 megawatts of Canadian hydropower to the New England grid in Maine. Yet this, and projects like it, have been met by fierce resistance, fueled by misinformation and political rhetoric. Then there’s Maine’s net energy billing program, which enables residents and businesses to offset electricity costs with solar generation. This program has been subject to constant legislative changes. Finally, there’s the mother of all legislative blunders — the decision to deregulate Maine’s electricity markets. Maine’s energy future depends on cooperation — not conflict. ~ Scott Strom, Waterville, former state representative