A citizen initiative to create a consumer-owned utility will move forward now that the required number of signatures have been certified.

The petitions for “An Act to Create the Pine Tree Power Company, a Nonprofit, Consumer-Owned Utility” contained 69,735 valid signatures, well more than the 63,067 required, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Our Power, a coalition that includes the Sierra Club, Environment Maine, and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, wants to create the Pine Tree Power Company. It would be a nonprofit, consumer-owned utility that would take over for Central Maine Power and Versant Power.

Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill to create the Pine Tree Power Authority in July 2021, which forced the group to gather more than 60,000 signatures to call for a statewide vote.

Vaughan Woodruff, former CEO and founder of Insource Renewables and a former chairman of a solar industry trade group, said in October that CMP and Versant monopolize the market to the detriment of consumers.

“We have government regulated monopolies and the government has not done its job to regulate the monopolies in a manner that serves us, the ratepayers of Maine,” he said.

Earlier this week, a Central Maine Power-backed group called Maine Affordable Energy put out a press release saying that the 6,000-member Maine State Building and Construction Trades Council opposes the consumer-owned utility.

“Our affiliated unions work every day to build and grow Maine and its middle class,” Jason Shedlock, council president, said in a statement. “We heard all sides of the issue. We appreciated a thoughtful and lively debate. But in the end, there was little doubt that the proposed takeover of our power grid would not only cost Maine taxpayers $13.5 billion but also functionally cost workers their voice on the job.”

The legislation now moves forward to the full Legislature, which can enact the bill as is or send it to a statewide vote in November 2023.