Troy Jackson says Mainers feel broke. His energy record helps explain why. | Opinion
Maine Senate Pushes to Repeal Net Energy Billing Law Amid Rising Energy Costs
Portland, ME – A bipartisan effort in the Maine Senate to eliminate the state’s net energy billing law was stalled this month, drawing criticism from Senate Republican leader Harold “Trey” Stewart III. The proposal, originally passed by the Democrat‑controlled House, aimed to curb a subsidy that has been blamed for higher electricity rates for residents across the state.
The net energy billing scheme, enacted in 2019, guarantees a return on solar and wind generation that is almost four times the price the state pays for regulated electricity. According to an independent public advocate, the program was projected to cost Maine’s ratepayers about $275 each in 2025, with the annual burden reaching roughly $220 million—a figure that would rise annually. Critics argue the subsidy disproportionately benefits wealthier households in suburban Portland while raising rates for all customers.
Sen. Stewart, who represents District 2—encompassing Aroostook and Penobscot counties—co‑sponsored the repeal bill in 2023. He said the legislation was a “common‑sense, bipartisan approach to lowering energy costs” and stressed that Mainers should not be forced to pay more for renewable energy when cheaper alternatives exist. “We can support environmentally friendly options without mandating that all Mainers pay more to subsidize them,” Stewart told reporters.
The bill passed the House but failed in the Senate, where then‑Senate President Troy Jackson, a former Senate President and current U.S. Senate candidate, exercised his leadership to block the repeal. Jackson’s tenure as Senate President was marked by the defeat of 20 bills that sought to curb the net energy billing policy. In addition, Jackson’s leadership political action committee received more than $110,000 in contributions from the solar industry during the same period.
“Under Troy Jackson’s leadership, the government in Augusta continued to purchase electricity at inflated, arbitrary prices, even when doing so hurt Mainers’ pocketbooks,” Stewart said. He noted that the state’s average retail price for electricity has risen at the third‑highest rate in the United States—more than twice the national average—over the past decade.
Stewart also criticized Jackson’s approach to cost‑saving initiatives, arguing that the former Senate President’s “blind party loyalty kept costs high and kept Mainers broke.” He added that Jackson’s actions had “made Maine less affordable for the very people he claims to represent.”
The net energy billing law has drawn support from renewable energy advocates, who argue the subsidies help accelerate clean‑energy development. However, the proposed repeal has gathered signatures from across the political spectrum, with many arguing that the law’s cost to ratepayers outweighs its environmental benefits.
Maine’s electricity market remains a contentious issue ahead of the 2026 election, as voters weigh the trade‑offs between renewable energy incentives and rising utility bills. The Senate is scheduled to revisit the repeal proposal in the coming months, with the outcome likely to influence both policy and campaign messaging for the next election cycle.
