In response to the letter dated Oct. 18 claiming that Pine Tree Power will improve reliability, let’s consider the facts.

Puerto Rico and Long Island are the only government-owned electricity grids in the country that are operated by a third-party, for-profit contractor. Both are rife with mismanagement and corruption. In Puerto Rico, electricity prices skyrocketed, and blackouts became far more frequent. Not only was the price tag higher and the service worse, but the top executive was labeled a “fugitive.” And wait, we have another example in Long Island. Their ratepayers have been on the hook for growing debt, major outages, numerous investigations, and higher electricity bills.

There are no case studies to support the claim that a politician-controlled utility will increase reliability. I have spent my career working at CMP, and I am proud of that. Pine Tree Power leaves politicians in control of our electricity grid. Not experts, but politicians. We cannot afford to roll the dice on politician-controlled electricity.

Jared Epperson

West Gardiner