Aroostook County ratepayers can’t afford another electricity bill increase, a handful of residents told members of the Maine Public Utilities Commission Thursday.
They spoke during the commission’s first public witness hearing on a proposed distribution rate increase by Versant Power that would take effect in April 2025.
An electricity bill contains both supply and distribution costs. Distribution includes infrastructure such as wires and poles for delivering electricity to customers. Supply is for generating the power sent to customers. Customers can choose either the standard offer supply or their own supplier.
Versant filed the rate increase request with the PUC on March 1, citing storm recovery, investments in technology and infrastructure, and higher labor and materials costs, according to the commission. Average residential customers would pay about $12 more a month if the PUC approves the change.
The hearing was originally scheduled at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle, but was switched to Zoom because of snow. The half-hour session drew six speakers. None of them specified where they were from.
“You guys are just slowly killing us, especially up here in northern Maine,” Kate Haines said. “I’m just upset. I don’t have any more in my budget for a higher electric bill.”
With prices of food, prescriptions, gas and other household expenses rising, the increases have to stop somewhere, Haines said.
Having seen a large bill increase, it feels like there’s no relief, Sabrina Bell said, adding even current rates are not sustainable.
Chris Patterson said he doesn’t know a single person who feels electric rates are affordable, and described a feeling of disconnect between Aroostook County and officials further south.
“Once you’re at the end of the budget, you’re at the end of the budget,” he said. “We’re all struggling here. I don’t feel like the people in Augusta know this.”
But it isn’t just residential customers who are affected, said Paul Towle, CEO of the Aroostook Partnership, a public and private collaboration dedicated to economic development in The County. Businesses are struggling, too.
Much of the region’s manufacturing is based on the natural resource economy and is based in forestry and agriculture, Towle said.
As even large businesses in northern Maine wrestle with rising costs, including electricity, he fears some manufacturers could go elsewhere. He talked about potato processing plants as one sector.
“If we lost one or more of these big plants up here, it would be really devastating to our economy,” he said, asking the commission to help fight against another increase.
It’s also devastating from a small business perspective, said LouAnne Deabay, who owns a convenience store.
Her costs have increased by 60 percent over three years even though her power usage was less, she said. She described bills showing that during one month in 2020, she used 2,575 kwh and paid just over $396. In that same month in 2023, she used 400 kwh less and paid more than $600.
“It’s getting harder and harder as a small business to keep going with all these rate increases,” she said.
The commission will continue gathering public input from other public witness hearings, said Commission Chair Phil Bartlett.
Sometime in early 2025, the three commissioners will deliberate and issue a rate decision, he said.
To submit comments, call the Maine PUC or visit its website and reference case number 2023-00336.
Enmax of Alberta, Canada, owns Versant Power. Versant serves both Bangor Hydro and Aroostook County’s Maine Public District customers.
