http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060216power.shtmlAUGUSTA — A bill that allows the Maine Public Utilities Commission to pull Maine out of the New England power grid won endorsements from several large manufacturers at a legislative hearing Wednesday, but opponents warned that it could hurt Maine consumers in the long run. Maine is now battling with southern New England over a rate increase to be imposed later this year by ISO New England, which manages the flow of electricity on the region's 8,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines. The not-for-profit agency also oversees the region's wholesale electricity market.
The increase would cost Maine electricity users $300 million to $400 million over the next four to five years. It is a payout to power companies so they'll stop legal challenges to a new system for expanding the region's electrical capacity, according to Kurt Adams, chairman of the commission.
<more>