We can’t trust the utility’s publicists to represent correctly their own carbon emissions. by Bradford H. Hager, MIT earth sciences professor and a part-time resident of Mercer Portland Press Herald op-ed Hydro-Quebec’s claim that – as paraphrased by Portland Press Herald Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy – the electricity they would send south is “produced with Read More
Public Utilities Commission
Large Maine Solar Producers Win Exemption from Costly Meter Installations
Regulators saw little benefit to ratepayers from a requirement that companies with large solar arrays pay to have expensive meters installed. by Tux Turkel, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story Clean-energy advocates won a partial victory Wednesday when the Maine Public Utilities Commission agreed to exempt large electric customers from a recent regulatory policy that Read More
Maine Regulators Partially Undo Controversial Solar Metering Rule
By Fred Bever Maine Public news story Listen to full news story. State regulators are partially unwinding what they had hoped was a solution to inequities in the way solar power users are compensated for excess electricity they supply to the grid. Last year, after several legislative attempts to reform the state’s solar rules were Read More
CMP Transmission Proposal Puts Corporate Profits Ahead of Our Environment and Climate
The Natural Resources Council of Maine opposes Central Maine Power’s (CMP) massive, proposed transmission line across western Maine. It would harm Maine’s environment, economy, and way of life—and do nothing to reduce climate-disrupting pollution. It’s a bad deal for Maine. CMP proposes to build a 145-mile, high-voltage, direct current transmission line from the Quebec border Read More
Maine PUC Stops Tax on Medium & Large Customers Using Their Own Solar Power
Determines “gross metering” costs ratepayers too much NRCM News Release Today the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) granted a petition from Insource Renewables to suspend so-called “gross metering” for medium and large electricity users, citing excessive costs to all ratepayers to implement the policy. “Gross metering” was adopted by the PUC two years ago to Read More
Maine’s Solar Policy is More Costly than Expected. Lawmakers Can Lessen This Cost.
By Vaughan Woodruff, founder of Insource Renewables. He lives with his family in Pittsfield. Bangor Daily News op-ed During the past eight years, solar policy in Maine has been a polarizing topic in Augusta. Entering Gov. Paul LePage’s first term, solar rebates were available for residents and business owners. The state’s net metering policy, which requires Read More
Maine DEP Calls CMP’s Transmission Line Application “Insufficient” and “Incomplete” – CMP Timeline Delayed Even More
CMP’s Habit of Incomplete Filings Raise Serious Questions Statement of Sue Ely, Clean Energy Attorney, Natural Resources Council of Maine “Today, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), notified CMP that its application to build a massive 145-mile-long transmission line through Maine is still incomplete. The DEP said it cannot move forward with evaluating its Read More
PUC Won’t Decide CMP’s $950M Transmission Line Project until March
by Staff Mainebiz news story The three-member Maine Public Utilities Commission issued an order on Friday that extends its review of Central Maine Power’s $950 million New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line project into next year. In their procedural order — which follows an Oct. 26 order suspending three hearings originally scheduled to be Read More
Regulators Push CMP Corridor Decision into March
The Maine Public Utilities Commission has extended the process for deciding whether to award a permit needed for the 145-mile transmission project to move forward. Staff Report Portland Press Herald news story Regulators deciding whether Central Maine Power will get a key permit needed to build a 145-mile transmission corridor have extended their process into Read More
