Maine's Secretary of State has validated a citizen's initiative, backed by the parent company of Central Maine Power, that aims to prevent the creation of a publicly-owned power company in Maine.The "No Blank Checks" campaign wants any consumer-owned utility to receive voter approval before taking on more than $1 billion in debt through revenue bonds. The petitions for "An Act to Require Voter Approval of Certain Borrowing by Government-controlled Entities and Utilities and To Provide Voters More Information Regarding that Borrowing" were submitted in late December.It would allow Maine voters to approve or reject certain expenditures in a separate vote.The Act was written in direct response to the Pine Tree Power campaign, which aims to replace privately-owned electric utilities with consumer-owned Pine Tree Power.In July 2021, Gov. Janet Mills vetoed the bill passed by the legislature that would have created Pine Tree Power. She said that bill was hastily drafted and amended in the legislature, but she acknowledged that Maine's utilities need to perform better. Officials with the 'No Blank Checks' campaign wrote Thursday, "they have done everything they can think of to keep Mainers from knowing the true cost of their proposal and are trying to stop us from having a say on whether they can put us billions of dollars in debt.”Willy Ritch, executive director of the No Blank Checks campaign, called Pine Tree Power an "expensive, risky scheme."Secretary of State Shenna Bellows worked with Maine's Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions to certify the 93,837 signatures. 68,807 were found to be valid, passing the minimum needed (10% of the total votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election). The validation sends the initiative to the Legislature for consideration, where it can be enacted as written or sent to a statewide vote in November.