Maine Legislature Sustains Mills’ Veto Of Consumer-Owned Utility Bill

The Maine Legislature has sustained Gov. Janet Mills’ veto of a bill that would’ve asked voters to buyout the state’s two largest utilities and replace them with a consumer-owned electric company.

The House voted 68 to 65 to override the governor’s veto, but that was well short of the two-thirds support needed.

Advocates for the consumer-owned utility say they’ll now take their proposal directly to Maine voters by collecting signatures to put the bill on the ballot next year. They say the Versant Power and Central Maine Power have failed their customers with poor reliability, increased rates and and management that prioritizes investor earnings over customers. Opponents, including the governor, say that the proposal was drafted too quickly and lacked proper vetting.

Megan Diver

Megan has worked in Maine politics for more than ten years and all of her professional career, having served in many roles for elected officials (including former Secretary of State Charlie Summers), in-house with the Maine Association of REALTORS®, legislative specialist at Pierce Atwood LLP providing lobbying services and support to Pierce Atwood’s government relations clients and most recently senior government relations specialist at the Maine State Chamber of Commerce. Megan currently is the Vice President at the Maine Energy Marketers Association, utilizing her vast knowledge and legislative experience at the State House to represent MEMA on policies relating to the Association and its members.