Maine Secretary of State Office Announces Ballot Numbers for Referendum Election; Pine Tree Power is Question 3

Mainers will have the opportunity to vote YES on Question 3 this November to create a consumer-owned power company that will replace CMP and Versant.

AUGUSTA, MAINE, USA, July 27, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- The Maine Secretary of State's office, under the guidance of Secretary Shenna Bellows and Deputy Secretary Julie Flynn, successfully conducted a lottery at the Secretary of State’s office to determine the order of questions on the ballot for the upcoming November 7 election. Mainers voting in the upcoming election will have the opportunity to vote YES on Question 3 to create a consumer-owned power company that will replace CMP and Versant.

If passed, the Pine Tree Power initiative will put Maine’s electric grid into the hands of local communities and elected officials rather than foreign investors. It could not be more timely. Today, Iberdrola, the foreign owner of Central Maine Power (CMP), reported a $2.78 billion and 21% increase in profit for the first half of 2023. At the same time, CMP sent out over 60,000 disconnection notices to Mainers struggling to keep up with skyrocketing rates.

Pine Tree Power will increase reliability, save Mainers money, and bring local control to our electric grid:

Reliability: As a consumer-owned entity, Pine Tree Power will prioritize the needs of Mainers, ensuring a reliable and stable power supply for all by expanding and improving upon already existing power grids.
Cost-Effectiveness: Pine Tree Power will save Mainers $367 per year. Maine will save $9 billion over 30 years with the creation of a consumer-owned utility.
Local Control: Under the guidance of an elected board, Pine Tree Power will be accountable to Maine leaders instead of corporate foreign shareholders.

Al Cleveland, campaign manager of Pine Tree Power says: “Mainers have the opportunity to vote out CMP and Versant this November 7 by voting yes on Question 3. With Pine Tree Power, we will increase the reliability of our electric grid, save Mainers money, and build a power company that is controlled by Mainers.”

Maine voters looking to vote YES on number 3 will see the following question:

"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?"

To learn more about Pine Tree Power and how it will empower Mainers and take money out of the hands of foreign investors, visit Pinetreepower.org

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Pine Tree Power is a grassroots coalition with members all the way from the coasts to the County. We are fighting for a utility that is owned and run by Mainers, for Mainers. By voting out CMP and Versant, we will bring back local control, save money, and reduce outages. It’s time to build power we can trust. For more information, questions, or interviews, please email al@ourpowermaine.org or press@sole-strategies.com.

Al Cleveland
Pine Tree Power
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