by Maine Branch, Independent Socialist Group
On November 7th, Maine voters will be asked, “Do you want to create a new power company governed by an elected board to acquire and operate existing for-profit electricity transmission and distribution facilities in Maine?” The Independent Socialist Group supports the Pine Tree Power ballot question, and calls for a yes vote, but with the understanding that even if enacted, it will only be a step towards solving Maine’s power problems.
Pine Tree Power is a ballot question that proposes to do away with the private monopolies of Central Maine Power (CMP) and Versant, which control 80% and 13% of Maine’s electrical grid respectively. It would replace them with a public, non-profit power grid overseen by an elected board. It is intended to increase coverage and reliability to rural Mainers, and fight back against the arbitrary and drastic price hikes CMP has forced onto working people for years. This is not a new concept—much of Eastern Maine, as well as other towns across the country, have consumer-owned power. These changes may not fix all of the issues faced by Maine workers in these areas, but they help build an alternative to for-profit energy companies.
CMP is a prime example of the intentional dysfunction created by capitalism to raise profits. CMP and Versant are owned by a web of multinational, for-profit corporations that Maine workers have no control over. In the quest for profits they created a system of weak, dysfunctional power grids, and left many Maine workers priced out of basic electrical access.
Some families have reported hikes in cost from $200 to $800 or more per month with no notice and no option to not pay, leading many families to choose between groceries or electricity. In the midst of inflation and drastic reductions in state run benefits, CMP is running working people into the ground.
This is particularly dangerous for families with young children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Having their electricity turned off means that parents can’t cook for or bathe their children. It means that people with disabilities—who often live on a fixed income far below a liveable wage—are not able to use life-saving medical devices such as oxygen tanks.
State programs such as the “Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program” will not pay the full amount of a given electricity bill, and their ‘assistance’ will be exhausted after a three-month period. This means that workers can apply and qualify for the greatest amount of assistance possible from the state, and CMP or Versant will ultimately still shut off their electricity.
Across the rural parts of the state, the aging, poorly maintained power grid leads to frequent, multi-week blackouts, especially during the winter months when the bitter cold makes a lack of electrical heat and hot water extremely dangerous.
Any ballot questions that benefit workers—from hazard pay to rent control—will see the ruling class do anything in its power to roll back the win, no matter how popular.
To fight for what Maine workers need–public power, affordable housing, a living wage—we need to organize. We need to build a movement of union and non-union workers, relying on proven tactics, such as mass protests, picketlines, and strikes.
Utilities like power, water, heat, and internet should be a right, not a commodity. Public ownership would be a step forward, but utilities should be democratically run by elected committees of working class people instead of appointed corporate managers or government bureaucrats.
Independent Socialist Group 