Heather Sanborn, Maine’s new Public Advocate, is focusing on assisting low-income electricity ratepayers in her new role. With around 100,000 Maine households paying some of the highest electricity bills in the U.S., Sanborn is looking for funding to help these residents pay their bills. She is urgently working on the low-income assistance program for ratepayers, as the current funding is set to run out at the end of the fiscal year.
Sanborn is also addressing the contentious solar subsidy program in Maine. She will not take a stance for or against legislation seeking to eliminate the program, which she previously supported as a lawmaker. The program allows generators to receive credit for renewable power they produce and send to the electric grid. Republicans argue that this program is costly for ratepayers and should be replaced with more economical options, such as Canadian hydropower.
Sanborn leads the Office of the Public Advocate, representing Maine’s utility ratepayers before regulators. She is also preparing to address the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee regarding the solar subsidy program. Sanborn believes that deleting the existing rules for net energy billing is not good policy making, as it has been a part of Maine’s economy. Despite the Republican push to end the program, Sanborn is focused on finding solutions to ensure low-income assistance while also considering the future of solar energy in Maine.
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