(December 21, 2020) – Senator Harold “Trey” Stewart III (R- Aroostook) has been appointed to serve as the lead Senate Republican on the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology (EUT) as well as the Joint Standing Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services (HCIFS). These policy committees are important appointments for Aroostook County, given the County’s recent challenges with both energy prices and ongoing health care and insurance challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The EUT committee will be highly influential in dealing with the cost of energy, the possible connections of Aroostook County to the rest of the energy grid, the CMP corridor, and whether Maine should convert its electric utilities to public entities rather than private corporations. On the HCIFS committee, ongoing efforts to lower health care and prescription drug prices for Maine citizens will continue to dominate the 130th legislature.

Senator Stewart had the following response to his assignments:

“These committee assignments will finally allow northern Maine to have a meaningful seat at the table in the discussion around the future of energy access and pricing in our region. A seat on the HCIFS committee will allow me to be specifically focused on ensuring that cost savings in health care coverage and insurance are passed on to northern Maine, and in particular our vulnerable senior citizen population.”

“It’s a great honor to be selected as the lead Senate Republican on each of these major policy committees, and while I’ll be busy, I promise to continue to remain focused on my other legislative priorities as well, including strengthening our local economy and attracting young families to northern Maine, which will also be enhanced by these new roles.”

In November, Senator Stewart was elected to represent District 2 in the State Senate after serving two terms in the House of Representatives, including one as Assistant Minority Leader. Senate District 2 includes Amity, Bancroft, Blaine, Bridgewater, Carroll Plantation, Cary Plantation, Central Aroostook Unorganized Territory, Chapman, Crystal, Drew Plantation, Dyer Brook, Easton, Fort Fairfield, Glenwood Plantation, Hammond, Haynesville, Hersey, Hodgdon, Houlton, Island Falls, Kingman Township, Lakeville, Lee, Linneus, Littleton, Ludlow, Macwahoc Plantation, Mars Hill, Merrill, Monticello, Moro Plantation, Mount Chase, New Limerick, Oakfield, Orient, Patten, Prentiss Township, Presque Isle, Reed Plantation, Sherman, Smyrna, South Aroostook Unorganized Territory, Springfield, Stacyville, Twombly Ridge Township, Webster Plantation, Westfield, Weston, Whitney Township, Winn, and part of North Penobscot Unorganized Territory.