I am writing to express my support for the Pine Tree Power campaign. This campaign will better sustain the state’s electric grid, and is the only way for Maine to reach its renewable energy goals. A winter in Maine is nothing to bat an eye at, and all Mainers deserve a grid that is reliable and an organization committed to restoring their power without a profit incentive as their motivation.

This initiative will benefit the economy, and save Mainers like you hundreds of dollars per year, while costing taxpayers nothing. The average Mainer pays 26 cents per kilowatt hour for their electricity, while the average American pays 17 cents. This difference will only rise due to the greed of CMP and Versant’s internationally based parent companies if we do not act this November.

Economists have found that this legislation would save Mainers over $300 per year, and generate nearly $9 billion by 2050. History supports these claims, too. In 1998, Long Island rates dropped 20% one day after removing its for-profit grid. In the 1940s, Nebraska abolished monopolized utilities, and now Nebraskans have some of the cheapest power and fewest outages.

Mainers have an amazing chance this fall to help each other out. The money saved will be put back into the pockets of hard-working Mainers, rather than being paid out to wealthy CEOs who care more about money than anything else. This November, vote yes on Pine Tree Power to save Mainers and to save Maine.

Jacob Turlo

Benton