Does energy policy get you charged? Are you humming over power lines near your property? Would discussion of electromagnetic fields make you electrified? Do grids make you grin, groan?

Monday night, Nov. 24, is for you.

At 6 p.m., the Maine Public Utilities Commission is holding a public witness hearing at Lewiston City Hall on the Maine Power Reliability Project, the $1.5 billion plan by Central Maine Power Co. to upgrade transmission lines.

This region is the heart of the plan. A 345-kilovolt transmission line is proposed to run from Yarmouth/North Yarmouth into Pownal, Durham, Lisbon, Auburn, Lewiston, Greene, Wales and Litchfield, toward Augusta.

A smaller 115-kilovolt transmission line is proposed to start in Lewiston, go through Greene, Livermore, Livermore Falls, Jay, Canton, Peru and end in Rumford.

CMP is pushing this project to ensure reliability of its electrical grid, which hasn’t had significant overhaul in four decades. This plan would also increase capacity, to accommodate existing and anticipated future electrical demand.

The PUC is tasked with evaluating whether this project is necessary and whether feasible alternatives exist. This meeting Monday night is an occasion for interested people to give testimony – either sworn or unsworn, of their preference – to the PUC about their concerns or thoughts.

It’s a golden opportunity to be heard on this important proposal.

Maine’s universe of energy policies is under harsh review; the transmission project is crucial to future development of alternative energy in this state, as well as the reliability of electrical delivery.

It’s one of three major electrical decisions the PUC now faces: The others are whether to remain with the New England power grid, ISO-NE, join New Brunswick’s grid or be self-managed, and evaluating another transmission project that would connect the Maine Public Service grid in northern Maine to the rest of the state.

Though all three decisions are interrelated, and interdependent, the matter for Monday is transmission lines. The PUC can hear testimony, but it cannot answer questions or offer opinions.

This is the public’s chance to talk to the judges.

Anyone with thoughts or concerns should voice them. This decision affects everyone who pays an electrical bill, as 8.5 percent of the $1.5 billion project would fall to Maine ratepayers, if nothing changes from today’s grid financing structure.

Abundant project information – maps, projections, data, arguments, counter-arguments – is available online:

• www.mainepower.com is the official project Web site, or call 1-866-914-1944;

• the city of Lewiston has a project page at www.ci.lewiston.me.us/administration/power-reliability/index.htm;

• the PUC is www.maine.gov/mpuc, or 287-1387; and

• the Maine Public Advocate, who represents ratepayers, is www.maine.gov/meopa, or 287-2445.

The meeting will also be broadcast live on local access television.

By no means is CMP’s proposal final; one of the PUC’s tasks is examining every alternative, either for routing the transmission lines or reducing the demand on the existing lines to improve their reliability, without replacement.

But the agency can’t reach conclusions on its own. The public must help.

Monday night is a powerful chance to comment on current events.