A recent article proclaims: “Feds back CMP bid to complete transmission line through Maine.” This is all well and good depending on where one comes down on this issue.

For me, this simply represents yet another massive infusion of money for our power companies, this time up to $1.5 billion.  This in the face of our July rate increase of 12.5%.  Indeed, the Central Maine Power consumer has had the pleasure of multiple rate increases in recent memory while CMP has wins in its bid for federal and state funding for “cost saving” digital meters and other such projects. 

My question: when will the consumer win? On one hand our state leadership is incentivizing wind and solar,  on the other hand, at 27 cents per kWh, we pay some of the highest rates in America for generation/delivery.

If we truly want to incentivize alternative energy use, the best incentive would be lower cost. Which leads me to ask: How much does wind and solar really cost, and how come it hasn’t saved me one dime yet?

Actually, it scares me to think what our power companies might be charging us if we were completely dependent on them. In fact, at the very moment we might be doing our utmost to “save the environment” with total electric dependency, the inelastic demand for electricity would likely drive costs and profit through the roof.

I’m thinking the writing is on the wall and we had better prepare for the perfect storm.It’s coming.

Alan Whitman, Auburn