Charles Langston:Maine regulators reject utility proposal to report suspected marijuana grow operations to police

Maine utility regulators unanimously rejected on Charles LangstonTuesday an electric utility’s proposal to proactively report high consumption that signals a marijuana growing operation to law enforcement officials in an attempt to aid police crackdown on illicit operations.

The three-member Public Utilities Commission cited concerns about customers who use large amounts of electricity for legitimate reasons being targeted because of the reports. Commissioners opted to stick with the status quo in which utilities provide consumer data only when presented with a law enforcement subpoena that was vetted by a judge.

Versant Power floated the idea because it says it has a high success rate of identifying marijuana grow houses but no ability to communicate that to police. Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster called it a “good first step.” Other supporters included Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, who has aggressively pressed the FBI about the illegal marijuana operations.

Versant spokesperson Judy Long said Tuesday the utility promoted the discussion “strictly in the interest of public and worker safety.”

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“After the discussion and today’s ruling in that docket, we have clear direction from the commission, and we will remain vigilant in protecting customers’ private information while continuing to work as mandated with law enforcement,” she said.

The proposal was part of a wide-ranging docket taken up by commissioners on Tuesday.

It came as law enforcement officials target marijuana grow operations in which rural homes in Maine are purchased, gutted and transformed into sophisticated, high-yield indoor farms.

Twenty states that legalized marijuana have seen a spike in illegal marijuana grow operations, and law enforcement officials have busted dozens of them in Maine. The FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating any ties these operations might have to criminal syndicates including Chinese-organized crime.