A $3 million program that would cut power rates for energy intensive manufacturers will not dispense money to the northern Maine counties of Aroostook and Washington, according to the Bangor Daily News.
Regulators ruled Wednesday that the new program will only include parts of Maine that pay a premium on electricity to help reduce carbon emissions, the newspaper said. The program will be limited to the regional ISO-New England grid.
The BDN said McCain Foods did try to have businesses attaching to the northern Maine grid be part of the program.
Patrick Woodcock, head of the Governor’s Energy Office, wrote in an email to the BDN that the decision “is a difficult policy call,” adding that some proceeds from a regional cap-and-trade auction do benefit northern Maine through other programs.
