By Darren Fishell, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story PORTLAND, Maine — Two conservation groups and a building contractors association have petitioned the state’s utilities regulators to reconsider a decision to set a cap on state energy efficiency funding at the the lower of two possible levels. The 2-1 decision hinged on the absence Read More
electricity
CLF, NRCM, MABEP Petition PUC to Reverse Decision to Cut Energy Efficiency
Chance for PUC to Undo its Plan to Ignore & Subvert Legislative Intent News release Augusta, ME – Today the Conservation Law Foundation, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, and the Maine Association of Building Efficiency Professionals filed a motion with the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to “reconsider” its recent Order that would dramatically Read More
New Maine Law Aims to Boost Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Senate Democrats say there are only 30 electric vehicle charge stations in Maine. The Associated Press news story AUGUSTA — A new state law is designed to help increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations in Maine. The bill was signed by Republican Gov. Paul LePage last week. It will go into effect 90 Read More
Maine Lawmakers Hear Proposals to Return Missing ‘and’ to Energy Law
by Scott Thistle, State Politics Editor Sun Journal news story AUGUSTA — Maine lawmakers Wednesday took the first steps toward fixing what’s become known as a $38 million typographical error in a law that funds the state’s energy-efficiency programs. But looming over any potential fix is the less-than-subtle hint that Republican Gov. Paul LePage will Read More
Friction Surfaces Over Fixing Costly Efficiency Maine Error
Concessions and a promised veto loom over competing proposals to correct an error that could cost $38 million in energy funding. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA – Lawmakers heard four hours of testimony Wednesday on competing proposals to fix a one-word clerical error potentially worth $38 million for an Read More
Hearings on Dueling Efficiency Maine Fix-it Bills Draw Crowds
By Mal Leary MPBN news story AUGUSTA, Maine – Members of the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee heard more than four hours of testimony on two bills aimed at fixing a one word mistake in the Omnibus Energy bill. The mistake in the bill passed last year had the effect of reducing the amount Read More
Legislators Meet to Fix Efficiency Maine Funding
WCSH-6 TV news story AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — The Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee heard testimony Wednesday on two competing bills that would restore funding to Efficiency Maine. The word “and” was left out of the 2013 law in a drafting error. That error allowed regulators to slash $38 million dollars for energy efficiency Read More
Withholding Bonds an Attack on Maine’s Democracy
By Ann-Marie Mastraccio, William Noon and Patricia Hymanson Seacoast Online news story In 2010 and 2012, Mainers voted to approve over $14 million in bonds to fund projects by the Land for Maine’s Future program. These projects involve nearly 50,000 acres of conservation land used for recreation, agriculture, water access and wildlife preservation across the Read More
Car Dealers Have Integrity Where Lawmakers Don’t
By Adam Lee, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed Last year, my employees shook more than 10,000 hands with the words, “thank you, we have a deal.” Typically this is followed by a lot of paperwork, but the handshake seals the deal. If on the original copy of the paperwork there is one Read More
