Question 3: The Most Important Climate Vote in the U.S.
Editor’s note: On Tuesday, November 7th, 2023, Question 3 was defeated with 68 percent of the vote.
By Seth Berry
-WEN file
Speaking in Portland just weeks before Maine voters decided Question 3, leading national climate activist Bill McKibben urged us to vote “yes” – calling it “the most important thing on a ballot anywhere.”
Question 3 would replace CMP and Versant, Maine’s two investor-owned utilities (IOUs), with the Pine Tree Power Company, a utility that is publicly owned and not-for-profit.
Maine spends $5 billion annually on fossil fuels.
This is changing as consumers choose EVs and heat pumps – swapping gasoline and oil bills for a higher CMP bill. But will we all? Can we all trust our utility and afford it? For too many, the answer is no.
Our pole-and-wire network is no longer a necessity. Today, it is our lifeline to a livable planet.
Pine Tree Power will replace Maine’s dysfunctional IOUs, CMP and Versant, paying them what they’re worth and refinancing that value at a lower carrying cost. At present, we pay back the full depreciated value of the grid over twenty years at higher annual rates. We also pay our IOUs for all their expenses and taxes – and even for their legal fees when they argue for higher rates.
Others have made this transition, too, despite huge misinformation campaigns just like the one we’ve seen in Maine. These wise leaders include the state of Nebraska; Massena, NY; Winter Park, FL; Jefferson County, WA; water utilities and others. Where people had the courage to move ahead, the ads proved false. Rates went down, reliability improved, and pride emerged in what the community had achieved.
Are elections scary?
We could eliminate them all, but it would not be wise. And Portlanders already elect utility board members. Your Portland Water District trustees serve eleven communities and about one in seven Mainers, doing an excellent job without fanfare or fuss.
Question 3 is endorsed by 350, Sierra Club, NRCM, Maine Youth for Climate Justice, solar businesses, several municipalities, leading Maine economists, the Maine nurses’ union, MOFGA, the Penobscot Nation, and many others. In 2021, a majority of the Maine House and Senate supported an almost identical bill after years of study.
To dig out from the avalanche of “no” ads, visit pinetreepower.org and for more detail ourpowermaine.org. With your “yes” vote on Question 3, Maine can truly lead on climate.
Seth Berry served seven terms in the Maine Legislature, including as House Majority Leader and three as House Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Technology. He lives in Bowdoinham.
Question 3: The Most Important Climate Vote in the U.S.
We’re All in This Together
Question 3: The Most Important Climate Vote in the U.S.
Editor’s note: On Tuesday, November 7th, 2023, Question 3 was defeated with 68 percent of the vote.
By Seth Berry
Speaking in Portland just weeks before Maine voters decided Question 3, leading national climate activist Bill McKibben urged us to vote “yes” – calling it “the most important thing on a ballot anywhere.”
Question 3 would replace CMP and Versant, Maine’s two investor-owned utilities (IOUs), with the Pine Tree Power Company, a utility that is publicly owned and not-for-profit.
Maine spends $5 billion annually on fossil fuels.
This is changing as consumers choose EVs and heat pumps – swapping gasoline and oil bills for a higher CMP bill. But will we all? Can we all trust our utility and afford it? For too many, the answer is no.
Our pole-and-wire network is no longer a necessity. Today, it is our lifeline to a livable planet.
Pine Tree Power will replace Maine’s dysfunctional IOUs, CMP and Versant, paying them what they’re worth and refinancing that value at a lower carrying cost. At present, we pay back the full depreciated value of the grid over twenty years at higher annual rates. We also pay our IOUs for all their expenses and taxes – and even for their legal fees when they argue for higher rates.
Others have made this transition, too, despite huge misinformation campaigns just like the one we’ve seen in Maine. These wise leaders include the state of Nebraska; Massena, NY; Winter Park, FL; Jefferson County, WA; water utilities and others. Where people had the courage to move ahead, the ads proved false. Rates went down, reliability improved, and pride emerged in what the community had achieved.
Are elections scary?
We could eliminate them all, but it would not be wise. And Portlanders already elect utility board members. Your Portland Water District trustees serve eleven communities and about one in seven Mainers, doing an excellent job without fanfare or fuss.
Question 3 is endorsed by 350, Sierra Club, NRCM, Maine Youth for Climate Justice, solar businesses, several municipalities, leading Maine economists, the Maine nurses’ union, MOFGA, the Penobscot Nation, and many others. In 2021, a majority of the Maine House and Senate supported an almost identical bill after years of study.
To dig out from the avalanche of “no” ads, visit pinetreepower.org and for more detail ourpowermaine.org. With your “yes” vote on Question 3, Maine can truly lead on climate.
Seth Berry served seven terms in the Maine Legislature, including as House Majority Leader and three as House Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Technology. He lives in Bowdoinham.