Maine Energy Reform
Securing a sustainable and affordable energy supply for Maine’s homes and buildings is one of the state’s top priorities and biggest challenges. Especially when traditional fossil fuel supplies are exceptionally strained and expensive, as they are now, it is clear that there is an urgent need to improve the way the state purchases and uses energy.
Background
ENE is incorporated in Maine and regularly represents environmental concerns at the Maine Legislature and agencies such as the Public Utilities Commission, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Maine Forest Service, and also serves on numerous work groups, advisory boards and task forces related to our mission. One of ENE’s advocacy goals for Maine is to advance its energy reform platform as part of the state’s environmental and economic policy agenda, and ENE has made remarkable progress over the past few years. ENE helped incorporate significant reforms to energy resource planning and efficiency investments into the recent cap and trade bill (LD 1851). These measures built on precedents set by legislation and proposals that ENE advocated in the past, including the 2006 Act to Enhance Maine’s Energy Independence and Security, the establishment of a natural gas efficiency program, and appliance efficiency standards. ENE is now working with Maine to explore other energy solutions including expanding building energy codes, biomass, and incorporating efficiency into heating energy programs.
