BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 12, 2026
Mainers pay some of the highest electricity rates in the country, driven largely by our dependence on out-of-state fossil fuels, particularly natural gas. Lowering electricity costs and meeting our climate goals can go hand in hand. Maine has abundant, low-cost clean energy waiting to come online, but transmission and other infrastructure upgrades are needed to deliver it. The New England Clean Energy Connect (NECEC) is now delivering clean Canadian hydropower to New England, displacing fossil fuel generation. Its completion should be a point of pride. Instead, years of lawsuits and political battles added more than $500 million to its cost — a burden that ultimately falls on ratepayers. ~ Don Parent, Cumberland