Fuel prices and electric rates are going up for the second year. There are no quick fixes. World events set the market.
Natural gas prices are up but, more importantly, there is a pipeline bottleneck in Southern New England that limits supply to Maine. Several years ago there was a gas price spike that by itself forced the paper mill I worked at to run in the red all winter.
Oil prices are up, with two key regional refineries shut down recently. Renewables are coming on line, but slowly.
Perhaps most significantly, the New England Connect project is in the courts because of one mile of disputed right of way. We voted against hydro. The Lewiston substation sits idle, and we have a price to pay.
“This Week in Petroleum,” posted at eia.gov/petroleum/weekly, is a good source to track energy prices and issues.
Batten down the hatches.
David Griswold, Auburn
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