I grew up in Maine, and while this may not be surprising, the opt-opt program deals a tough blow to what would have been a major infrastructure upgrade for the state. According to a friend involved with Central Maine Power and the installation opt-out rates are extinguishing a lot of the benefits that federal stimulus dollars are going towards since much of the overhead is paid for up front.
I worry more, however, about what this says about the future of smart grid technologies elsewhere when those ignorant of the science are allowed to have such strong influence in this policy.