By Darren Fishell, BDN staff Bangor Daily News news story Cianbro’s 57-acre solar farm in Pittsfield has cleared its major regulatory hurdles toward getting the $24.2 million project in partial operation by December. Environmental regulators last month cleared the project for construction and the Maine Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday gave the company the go-ahead Read More
Clean Energy & Efficiency
Maine Group Calls for Clean Air Act Improvements
by BDN staff writer Bill Trotter Bangor Daily News news story ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, Maine — A group of environmental advocates met Tuesday at the summit of Cadillac Mountain to draw attention to what they say are needed improvements to the federal Clean Air Act, according to a statement released Tuesday. Representatives of the Natural Read More
Federal Officials Update Energy Efficiency Standards on Four Commercial Appliances After Missing Deadline
Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine â Maine Attorney General Janet Mills on Monday lauded the U.S. Department of Energy for agreeing to update energy efficiency standards next year for four commercial appliances commonly used by businesses. The decision will help reduce energy consumption; save U.S. consumers millions of dollars each month; and reduce Read More
Energy Bill Also Increases Funding for Efficiency Programs, Commits to Lower Greenhouse Emissions
by Andy O’Brien Freepressonline.com news story Not all environmental groups opposed the omnibus energy bill. Support from the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) hinged on increasing funding for the Efficiency Maine Trust and finalizing an agreement for Maine’s continued participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a regional cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse Read More
Maine Senate Must Decide Crucial Energy Questions
Analysis: The conflicting interests of users, LePage, companies and others emerge in debate on an omnibus energy bill. by Tux Turkel, staff writer Portland Press Herald news story Is it worth risking the health of Maine’s paper industry to clarify the state’s ocean energy policy? Is it worth risking hundreds of millions of dollars in Read More
LePage Vetoes Sweeping Maine Energy Bill, but House Overrides Him
The bipartisan bill, which would help lower energy costs for Mainers, must pass a veto override in the Senate before becoming law. By Michael Shepherd, State House Bureau Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA â As promised, Gov. Paul LePage vetoed a sweeping energy bill that had bipartisan support in the Maine Legislature late Wednesday Read More
LePage Vetoes Energy Bill with Initiatives He Proposed, House Quickly Overrides It
by Matthew Stone, staff writer Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine â Gov. Paul LePage vetoed a comprehensive energy bill late Wednesday night aimed at expanding New England ‘s natural gas infrastructure, boosting funding for energy efficiency, directly lowering businesses’s electricity costs and making it more affordable for residents to abandon oil heat. The Read More
Ambitious Energy Bill Moves Forward in Senate
by Tom Bell, staff writer Kennebec Journal news story AUGUSTA â An ambitious energy bill aimed at lowering Maine’s high electricity and heating costs is moving quickly through the Legislature with bipartisan support. The Maine Senate on Thursday voted 28â7 to pass L.D. 1559, the Omnibus Energy Bill. The vote followed Wednesday’s initial unanimous support Read More
Senate Passes Energy Bill in 28-7 Vote After Rejecting LePage-backed Amendments
by Matthew Stone, BDN staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine â The Maine Senate gave overwhelming support to a comprehensive energy bill Thursday, voting 28-7 in favor of a far-reaching measure aimed at expanding New England ‘ natural gas infrastructure, boosting funding for energy efficiency, directly lowering businesses’s electricity costs and making it Read More
