I clearly understand columnist Bill Nemitz’s feedback (“Next up in Maine’s power struggle: A consumer-owned electric utility,” Nov. 7). There are a few good messages in his remarks. I truly believe the history of Central Maine Power, over the past 20 years, brought out the “yes” vote in many Mainers. It may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
However, Nemitz fails to acknowledge nor mention how environmentally friendly (or green) Question 1 was (or would have been).
In the meantime, Nemitz and Mainers should have looked at Question 2 more carefully. No one talks about, nor mentions, the amount of metric tons of carbon dioxide that will be produced as part of the infrastructure bond. If Mainers want environmentally friendly solutions, they need to pay closer attention to the totality of their decisions.
We are quick to take the $250 million from the federal government but then turn our heads when it comes to how the infrastructure solutions will be manufactured. There will be more greenhouse gases from concrete, steel and other energy-intensive construction materials, as well as fuel consumed by construction equipment in order to build roads.
From an environmental perspective, I believe Questions 1 and 2 were a test that we failed miserably. When it came to Question 1, people were willing to cut off their nose to spite their face because of CMP’s messaging and negative history. In reality, we should have spent more time reviewing Question 2 and the true impact on our global environment.
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