Central Maine Power’s proposed 145-mile powerline is a bad deal for Mainers. It’s for CMP and Avengrid’s profits, and its construction would detract from the real public need of providing reliable electric service.

I am one of thousands that have had issues with recent CMP bills. I was recently on the phone for an hour trying to correct three unrelated errors on one bill. I was told to trust that it is correct and pay the bill and that it would take up to eight weeks to fix. That was on Aug. 7; to date it is still not fixed.

CMP needs more employees at their call centers. They need to get their billing straight and we need to figure out why people’s rates have skyrocketed. They should be focused on these issues, not destroying thousands of acres of wilderness area to make Maine a power conduit for other states.

While we are waiting on hold being told by a robot how important our call is, James Torgenson, CEO of Avengrid, the parent company that owns CMP, collects $2.5 million in annual salary.

We wait on hold because they say they can’t afford to hire more people. CMP is currently not doing a good job of providing power and service to Mainers.

Maine should not be an energy corridor for other countries and states. We should produce renewable power here in the state and consume it here, and any profits should go toward building better infrastructure and paying people who work in Maine. This plan is designed to make out-of-staters rich and doesn’t benefit our state or the people that live and work here.

Adam Turner

Augusta