Voters in Maine on Nov. 7 rejected a ballot proposal that would have replaced investor-owned utilities in Maine with a statewide, consumer-owned utility called Pine Tree Power.
“Thousands of Mainers are ready for public power. While we couldn’t overcome being outspent 37:1, we started a critically important conversation that does not end today,” said Pine Tree Power in a news release on Nov. 7. “Our grassroots movement educated thousands about the savings, reliability, and climate benefits of consumer-owned utilities.”
With 86% of the vote reported as of Nov. 8, the proposal was losing 69% to 31%.
There are a number of ongoing efforts to form public power utilities across the U.S. including in Ann Arbor, Mich., Rochester, N.Y. and San Diego, Calif.
