Advocacy

Peter Vigue, Maine business leader, urges approval of the Maine Power Reliability Program in a guest column published in the Portland Press Herald. The following is the complete text of Vigue's commentary:

PETER VIGUE December 8, 2009

PITTSFIELD — The staff of the Maine Public Utilities Commission recently released their analysis of Central Maine Power Co.'s proposal to invest in the state's electrical grid, a proposal known as the Maine Power Reliability Program (MPRP).

Many leading citizens are concerned that the staff's assessment might become the final say on the matter.

Cianbro is one interested party that would be very concerned if the staff's review of MPRP became the final decision of the commission. We are alarmed by the staff's apparent indifference to the needs of Maine's people and businesses.

Even during this painful recession, Cianbro believes that Maine can prosper in the global economy if the state plans ahead. But if Maine doesn't have a plan to develop a vibrant economy, then we won't have such an economy. The staff's assessment of MPRP is an example of a future without a plan.

The electrical grid that serves Maine is 41 years old. The traffic on the transmission lines has doubled since the grid was built. Upgrades are critical.

CMP began studying the needs of the grid three years ago. Some of the best engineers in New England have been involved in the studies. CMP has been planning ahead for Maine, including ensuring that MPRP meets new mandatory standards enacted by Congress for the nation's electricity grid after the serious blackout in 2003 that cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars.

Now we have the MPUC staff agreeing that the system needs work, but they also worry that CMP's plans are too big and too costly.

The irony is that the MPUC staff has designed a smaller alternative that will cost somebody less to construct, but may cost Maine ratepayers more.

Here's why: MPRP was designed to address the needs that were identified as part of a regional planning process, because Maine's electrical system cannot stand alone. The reliability of our electrical grid is dependent on the rest of New England.

The MPUC staff proposals don't address these regional needs. As a result, the costs of building the staff alternative might not be paid for by the region. Instead of the other New England states picking up 92 percent of the construction costs for MPRP, Maine ratepayers might be picking up 100 percent of the staff alternative.

The staff alternative is not a smart deal. The risk is that Maine will get less reliability and pay more for it.

Reliable energy is not a trivial matter to our business and the future economy of our state. Disruptions cost money and impact our ability to compete.

The apparent indifference of the MPUC staff to the economic impacts of an unreliable supply of electricity is an unfortunate example of bureaucratic shortsightedness, but not the only example. The most damaging result of a half-hearted approach to infrastructure upgrades is that Maine will not be prepared to design a brighter future.

Think of Maine's current dependence on expensive foreign oil to heat our homes and power our vehicles. If we are ever to free ourselves of the oil choke-hold, what alternatives do we have?

I believe electricity will prove to be the best alternative to oil. Electric cars are being manufactured as we speak, and an increase in their numbers will mean a greater demand for electricity. Regulators tell us, “We don't have the need today.” But how much time will pass before we see $4 per gallon fuel again?

When that day arrives, will Maine be ready with renewable sources of electricity, such as wind power, and a robust new network to get that electricity to our vehicles and electric heating systems? Or will a weak and unreliable grid force us to continue our expensive reliance on foreign oil?

Last month, global leaders in offshore wind from Norway visited Maine to learn of our vision of tapping the state's amazing offshore wind resources.

Will we realize the dream of creating offshore wind farms, where green power is delivered to markets via a modern transmission system? Or will investors continue to take their investment elsewhere, because Maine doesn't have the infrastructure or the plan to support a vibrant and growing economy?

It takes at least five years to develop a project like MPRP. Maine can't afford to wait any longer.

The Maine Power Reliability Program is all about positioning our state for a better future. Without action, we will remain isolated, left to cling to the bleak economic vistas of the past.