This Essay was posted on 9/19/2025.
CMP wants to raise electric rates to pay for infrastructure improvements. The proposed rate increase is $35 over 4 years starting with a $17 increase in 2026. The rate increase applies equally to all accounts from the smallest user trying to make ends meet to the largest payer.
The lower usage ratepayers will be hit the hardest. If they pay $80 – $100 per month, a $17 increase would add about 20% to their bill. If they are a typical customer and pay $150 per month, a $17 increase would add 13% to their bill. And the percentage increase will keep falling with higher cost bills.
With global warming and a growing population, Maine will need more electricity in the next few decades, and the electric grid will need to be upgraded to meet the increased demand. How will the low-end electric users cope if they can’t pay their bills. Denying a rate increase aimed at needed infrastructure improvements isn’t an acceptable answer. A better solution would provide the money without burdening the people on fixed incomes.
CMP knows how much electricity its customers use, so it could establish a KWH surcharge rate based on KWH used that would cover the cost increases. The surcharge would apply to all bills, with fixed-income ratepayers seeing about the same increased cost percentage as the high-end users, and the wealthier customers who are more able to cover the bill would be paying more. In the end, it is a fairer solution.
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