Letter to the editor: Misunderstanding or misdirection?

2 mins read

I just read the opinion piece by William D. Jennings attributing the energy price increases we’re all suffering through to CMP. This is so far from reality I can’t believe it has been written.

If you read your power bill carefully you will see you’re paying more for “supply” not “delivery.” CMP is responsible for the latter. The former is the responsibility of energy generators. CMP acts as the biller for them but isn’t responsible for the prices they set. That falls on suppliers like NextEra Energy Marketing, New Brunswick Energy Marketing, and Constellation Energy Commodities.

This is important. If you don’t understand how and why government divided these responsibilities you are going to do more harm than good. Attacking the institution responsible for maintaining the grid is not going to reduce the cost of energy. The only way that comes down is if the cost of generating electricity falls or competition drives them down. Stopping us from bringing energy in from Quebec didn’t help any there.

Those who failed to understand what CMP is responsible for and what generators like NextEra Energy Marketing, New Brunswick Energy Marketing, and Constellation Energy Commodities are preventing us from accessing an energy source that would have buffered the increases these providers attributed to rising natural gas costs.

These misinformed reactions need to stop. Do some research. You’ll find that what I say here is true and that those energy generators who paid to defend their share of the New England energy market last November alone can be blamed for using an increase in energy “supply” prices to recoup their investments.

Jamie Beaulieu,
Farmington, Maine

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