Maine Ratepayers’ Bill of Rights
Our energy bills are too expensive, our system is cumbersome, and our utilities and government have failed to drive down costs and boost reliability. I know we can do better.
Over the past decade, Maine retail electricity prices have grown at the third-fastest rate in the entire country, and they’re rising again in 2026.
Clean energy that can lower rates and reduce emissions has lagged, with key projects hitting delays and the Trump administration engaging in an all out, politically-motivated attack on this critical industry of the future.
As Governor, I’ll be focused each day on making energy cheaper, cleaner and more reliable, while holding utility companies accountable to deliver on lower rates and reliable service.
It’s time for big ideas and real results.
And I know it’s possible because it’s exactly what I’ve spent years delivering while building a renewable energy company in the heart of a gas utility right here in Maine.
Rather than follow the old, outdated playbook that would have seen us bogged down in bureaucratic delay and “we’ve never done that before,” we thought outside the box and built an innovative digester in Clinton that turns cow manure into energy, heating thousands of Maine homes and businesses, lowering emissions by capturing methane that otherwise would have gone into the atmosphere and creating good jobs in central Maine – all without increasing costs for Maine families.
It wasn’t easy – and at times it involved literally shoveling sh** all night to keep things going – but we showed what’s possible if we’re willing to work hard, find creative ways to get things done, and never quit when things look tough.
I’ve seen first hand how outdated rules and the same old thinking are leaving Maine behind and I’m determined to put that experience and the same fresh approach that built that digester into action to get a better deal for Maine families.
As Governor, I’ll create a clear, enforceable Maine Ratepayers’ Bill of Rights that will put consumers first to lower costs, boost efficiency, level the playing field, and ensure accountability for utilities across our state.
Look, I know that these days it can feel like we’ll never get anything done again, let alone something that could actually make your life better. But it’s at times like these that I always think about my old friend George Smith, and the person who once said to him, “George, I think we disagree on about 90% of everything.” And without missing a beat George replied “then let’s get to work on the 10%!”
In a nation so divided, that 10% has never been more important, because that’s where we can still find the common thread that binds us all together, and, if we look hard enough, the country we want to be. And on energy, we don’t need it to be partisan – I think we can all agree that we just need it to be cleaner, cheaper and more reliable – and we need the best ideas we can find.
I believe in that 10%. I believe that we can still get big things done. And I believe we can do it together.
Let’s build a better Maine,
Angus
Maine Ratepayers’ Bill of Rights
Under my administration, Maine families will have the right to:
- Lower Costs: We must modernize and streamline our regulatory and permitting processes and programs to reduce the cost of new clean energy, while still protecting our natural resources. Maine ratepayers can no longer be forced to bear the cost of endless delays from a system that simply isn’t working efficiently enough.
While our competitors across the globe are building solar 3x cheaper than in the US and more than 6x cheaper than some we’ve built in Maine, delays here have added hundreds of millions of dollars to projects. We must bring our regulatory efforts into the 21st century, making it more nimble, more modern and more responsive to the needs of today so we can bring cheaper, cleaner power online faster. - Accountability: Utilities must be held accountable to the Mainers they serve, so they prioritize quality, reliability and cost-reduction, not just building new power lines and passing on the costs to families. That must include enhanced performance-based rates that better incentivize lower costs that families can count on. If utility companies can’t deliver affordable and reliable energy, they should pay a price.
- Fairness: No Free Ride For Data Centers: Data centers must bring their own power and/or pay for all additional costs, and show they are bringing down costs for all other ratepayers.
- Efficiency: Utilities need to ensure we are using the grid we have as efficiently as we can before we build and pay for more, using innovation, technology and planning to improve reliability and reduce costs. Grid-enhancing technologies like dynamic line ratings can increase the power carried by existing lines by up to 30%, often far faster and cheaper than building new lines, while saving millions for ratepayers.
Maine also has one of the oldest housing stocks in the country, and we need to stay committed to helping families focus on weatherization and helping them save money by boosting efficiency, creating direct impacts that improve quality of life and lower costs. - A Better Deal: Maine has to negotiate better energy deals for our people. Net Energy Billing was unnecessarily expensive for Maine ratepayers and we must be smarter going forward. Solar and wind here can benefit New England, but they should benefit Maine first and foremost. We have the cheapest potential new renewable energy (northern Maine wind) in New England – let’s not give it away and use it instead to lower energy rates for our communities.
- A New Plan: Maine energy policy needs to be updated and tied together so that policies match our system and the needs of families, while protecting our communities and climate. For example, we’re letting a special rate for heat pumps go away in 2026 while we still use oil for too much of our electricity needs. Energy policy must be a consistent priority for Maine’s next governor so Mainers can trust that they have an advocate for lower costs, better reliability, and cleaner energy on their side.