CMP Sues Maine Regulators Over Law Targeting $4.6 Million Incentive
The utility and Maine Electric Power Co. argue the state overstepped federal authority over transmission rates approved by FERC.
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Central Maine Power sued the Maine Public Utilities Commission, the public advocate and the Department of Energy Resources on Oct. 9 to halt a state law that would strip the utility of a $4.6 million boost to its investment return, The Portland Press Herald reported.
The law, LD 2038, requires Maine transmission owners — CMP, Versant Power and Maine Electric Power Co. — to belong to ISO New England, the regional grid operator. All three already participate voluntarily, which qualifies them under a 2005 federal law for an extra 0.5% return on equity. By making membership mandatory, lawmakers aimed to end that federal incentive.
MEPCO joined the suit; Versant did not. CMP argued the state law conflicts with federal authority over transmission rates already approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Maine regulators and the Office of the Public Advocate filed a complaint with FERC on Sept. 1 seeking to end the adder, and three other New England states joined weeks later. Maine ratepayers paid roughly $700,000 extra in 2024 because of the incentive, that complaint said.
CMP's broader rate case, including a proposed increase worth about $18 a month for an average household, remains pending until the spring.
This story was first reported by The Portland Press Herald.
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