SEARSMONT — State senator and independent candidate for governor Rick Bennett unveiled a four-point plan Thursday for addressing one of Maine’s most pressing problems — high energy prices.
At Robbins Lumber in Searsmont, which uses wood chips to generate electricity, Bennett said he wants to trim electric company profits, help heritage industries, increase efficiency and create a new authority to look to the future.
“When energy costs rise, everything becomes more expensive,” he said. “Families feel it every month as they struggle to make ends meet.”
Bennett, a former Republican who dropped his party affiliation last year to run for governor, said he’s frustrated with the Maine Public Utilities Commission for allowing electric companies to earn a 9.35% return on investments in infrastructure.
He said even a small decrease would help lower electric bills.
Bennett also supports a $30 million state borrowing package that would pump additional money into weatherization efforts, saying there’s currently more than 2,000 families on a waiting list for the program.
“We can get the work done and get people in safe houses,” he said. “All these issues are related. When people can live in a safe home, they can also think about selling that home and finding something better for themselves.”
Bennett is one of our independents who may run in the November election.
It’s not yet clear how many will qualify for the ballot. The signature deadline is June 1, with party primaries following eight days later.
On the energy front, Bennett is proposing to create a Maine Generation Authority to develop renewable energy. He noted that most of Maine’s current power supply comes from “out-of-state fossil fuels subject to volatile global pricing markets.”
“Nearly 40% of Maine households are struggling to afford the basics,” he said. “Most of them are working families working above the poverty line who still can’t cover housing, childcare, transportation, healthcare and energy in the communities where they live.”
In recent weeks, the Maine Democratic Party launched a new website targeting Bennett, criticizing him for supporting President Donald Trump in 2016, serving as party chairman during Gov. Paul LePage’s tenure, and questioning his votes on reproductive rights and MaineCare expansion.
“Rick Bennett isn’t an independent voice for Mainers, he’s a Republican in sheep’s clothing,” Devon Murphy-Anderson, Democratic party executive director, said in a statement. “Rick Bennett wants Mainers to believe he’s something different — but the receipts tell the real story.”
When asked about the criticism on Thursday, Bennett said he thinks the website indicates he’s a “threat to the status quo.”
“I’m sticking to the substance,” he said. “I think Maine people are tired of that kind of approach to politics. They are tired of negativity.”