During a recent “Capitol for a Day” appearance in Madison, Gov. Paul LePage told townspeople they’d be better off supporting a natural gas pipeline plan from Kennebec Valley Gas Co. than trying to do the project themselves. On Tuesday, Madison voters will again consider authorizing a $72 million pipeline bond, a plan they narrowly rejected last November.

LePage told his audience, “You want to make sure you get the most for your money, and … to me (that) would be having the private investor put the pipe in.”

But it’s not that simple.

For one thing, Kennebec Valley Gas is asking the 12 towns along the 52-mile pipeline route, from Richmond to Madison, to contribute $15 million in the form of 15-year tax-increment financing agreements. For another, the pipeline plan is facing resistance. Some towns and cities have granted TIFs, while two have voted them down, and Richmond is also balking. So the fate of the private proposal is far from assured.

Madison, which has one of only four municipal electric companies in Maine, sees natural gas as a desirable generating fuel. While municipal pipelines are rare, they do exist elsewhere. Both proposals would tap into the Maritimes & Northeast pipeline built in 1999 that runs from Nova Scotia, through Maine, to Boston.

One thing is clear: All parts of Maine would substantially benefit from access to natural gas, not just the coast. Our inordinate dependence on heating oil leaves us vulnerable to petroleum price spikes such as the one we’re now experiencing. Comparable natural gas supplies now cost 40 percent to 50 percent less. It’s vital to paper mills, but equally important to businesses and homeowners.

Madison and Kennebec Valley Gas have just announced an agreement that would allow Madison to distribute gas in town and would not require a TIF. If the company can obtain financing, that may be a reasonable compromise. But if it can’t, it would be unfortunate for the pipeline to fall by the wayside.

There’s at least one more possibility: Towns and cities along the route agreed earlier on a standard TIF format under the auspices of the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments. If they can reach that kind of agreement, they might also be able to cooperate on a plan modeled on Madison’s original idea of a publicly owned pipeline. It might involve help from the Maine Municipal Bond Bank and Finance Authority of Maine; FAME recently guaranteed a $7 million private bond for a natural gas line connecting a pulp mill in Baileyville.

Gov. LePage is correct that risk-taking is often more appropriate for the private sector. But the pipeline isn’t especially risky. It just has large up-front costs, while the benefits, though substantial, will take time to realize.

Bridging this financial gap is sound economic development that would benefit both businesses and homeowners. It’s worth a public investment, if that’s what it takes.

Douglas Rooks is a former daily and weekly newspaper editor who has covered the State House for 25 years. He may be reached at [email protected].