Maine legislative committee approves state-run power delivery authority

The Maine Legislature’s joint Energy, Utility, and Technology Committee has approved a bill that would replace the state’s investor-owned power provider with a state-run operation, a change that some estimate could run ratepayers several billion dollars before potential savings are realized.

The amended proposal, which the committee passed by an 8-1 vote recently, would create a task force to evaluate options for a Maine Power Delivery Authority to take over the assets of the state’s largest providers, Central Maine Power and Versant Power.