After collecting enough signatures, a proposal that would authorize seizing the state’s electric utilities is likely to appear on the November 2023 ballot, creating billions of dollars in debt we would all have to pay off through our electric bills. The people pushing this proposal can’t say exactly how much it would cost, and they are asking us to write a blank check. Voters should know the price tag and get a chance to vote on that debt first.
Sign up to receive updates on the No Blank Checks referendum and our other efforts through the Maine Affordable Energy campaign to stop the government takeover of the grid on our dime.
Maine’s current $4 billion general fund budget includes all state funding for everything from healthcare and education to environmental protection and public safety.
The estimated $13.5 billion would be borrowed from big banks and paid off over decades through Mainers’ electric bills.