AUGUSTA, ME – Governor Paul LePage issued the following statement regarding Janet Mills’ hypocrisy on CMP’s proposed rate increase:

“In May I said a proposed CMP rate increase was unacceptable. Mainers are still struggling to pay their electric bills as they absorb the 80% increase in generation cost which went into effect some months ago. These rate increases come on top of the massive spikes we have seen in the cost of home heating oil, kerosene, and propane.

“I’ve been saying for months that Janet Mills’ and the Democrat-Majority Legislature’s energy policies are determined to destroy Maine’s economy. They care more about virtue signaling than lowering costs for Maine’s families and businesses. Our electricity rates keep going up, because Democrats are playing favorites with major energy companies, including those in the solar business.

If Janet Mills truly cared about lowering electricity rates, she would follow my lead by:

– lifting the 100 MGW cap on hydropower
– reforming the Maine PUC subsidies
– repealing net metering; to create a level playing field. As far back as 2020 the PUC noted that net metering was cost-shifting solar-panel costs onto all electricity bills. For CMP it was estimated then to be up to $90 per year for the average residential bill.

LePage continued, “Maine’s senior citizens, families, and small businesses cannot afford higher electricity bills. I am only concerned about the Maine people and lowering costs for Mainers, so we move Maine Forward.”

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