Heather Sanborn, former state legislator and co-founder of Rising Tide Brewing, has been nominated by Gov. Janet Mills to serve as Maine Public Advocate. (Official photo)
As a child, Heather Sanborn remembers her mother counting every cent that their family spent. She would clip coupons and turn the thermostat down to save money on bills.
Sanborn said she will bring that frugality that she learned as a child — which she also attributed to being a Mainer who values Yankee thrift — with her into the role as the state’s next public advocate.
At a hearing before the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee, Sanborn, a former state legislator and co-founder of Rising Tide Brewing in Portland, shared how her varied professional experiences and ability to dig into the nuances of policy will help her advocate for utility customers. Referring to the statute that governs the job, Sanborn said her focus would be stabilizing and lowering costs for ratepayers, with a primary focus on low-income customers.
“My role as public advocate will be to zealously represent the voices of low-income Mainers who are paying more than they can afford,” Sanborn said.
The committee spent almost an hour asking Sanborn questions about her prior experience as a state legislator, where she stands on certain forms of energy generation and where she thinks the state has opportunities to reduce costs for ratepayers. After the robust questioning and testimony from members of the public, the committee voted 7-5 in favor of her nomination. Sen. Nicole Grohoski of Hancock County was the sole Democrat to vote against Sanborn’s nomination.
Though she served in the Maine House of Representatives and Senate as a Democrat, Sanborn said the role of the public advocate requires independent judgement, which she believes she can uphold because lowering and stabilizing costs are not partisan issues, adding that she would wager that everyone serving in the Legislature, regardless of political party, would agree that energy should be affordable.
Whether it be before the Public Utilities Commission or conversations to reduce net energy billing charges, Sanborn said, “if there are opportunities for us to save ratepayers money and there are specific policy proposals that are brought forward or conversations or convenings where that is being discussed, I will be at that table.”
The committee’s recommendation will go to the Maine Senate for final approval. Republican and Democratic state senators testified in favor of Sanborn’s nomination at the meeting Tuesday afternoon.
Gov. Janet Mills nominated Sanborn in early December to succeed outgoing Public Advocate Bill Harwood, who announced he will retire at the end of January.
While serving in the Legislature from 2016 to 2022, Sanborn championed legislation to reduce energy costs and help the state reach its energy efficiency goals. She supported inflation relief checks to help Mainers with rising prices and voted to improve heating assistance programs by making it easier for people to apply.
“Through her combination of legislative, legal and business experience, Heather has demonstrated her ability to navigate challenges with common sense and creativity,” said Dan Burgess, director of the Governor’s Energy Office, at the committee hearing.
The Office of the Public Advocate represents Maine’s utility customers by advocating for rates, services and practices that benefit ratepayers. This work takes place in regulatory and court proceedings, most of which are before the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
The office also testifies before the Legislature on matters affecting utility customers, intervenes on federal regulatory cases and works with ISO New England, the regional electric transmission grid operator.
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