If today’s drivers contributed as much as their grandparents, there would be no problem. Portland Press Herald editorial Maine has a free-rider problem when it comes to infrastructure, but it’s not the one they are talking about in Augusta. Gov. LePage and his allies in the Legislature want to charge an annual fee to the Read More
Governor Paul LePage
Plan to Allow Alewives, Eels in Sheepscot Pond Might be Delayed Again
State lawmakers said they want to see management information before the fishway at the Palermo lake is opened. by Jessica Lowell, staff writer Central Maine newspapers news story AUGUSTA — People who live around Sheepscot Pond lined up last week to tell state lawmakers that the lake should not be opened up to migrating alewives Read More
2018 Legislative Priorities for Maine’s Environment
The 2018 legislative session is well underway. This is the “short session” of the Legislature, which means the pace is fast as lawmakers attempt to adjourn by the end of April. It is also an election year for every House and Senate seat, and it is Governor Paul LePage’s final year in office, adding an Read More
Should Hybrid Owners Pay More for Highways?
The proposed tax would be $150 a year on hybrids and $250 on electrics. by Don Carrigan NewscenterMaine news story AUGUSTA (NEWS CENTER Maine) — Legislators may be hearing some tough talk from their energy-conscious constituents. The LePage administration is proposing a special tax on hybrid and electric vehicles, to raise more money for repairing Read More
LePage-backed Bill would Slap Extra Annual Fee on Electric, Hybrid Cars
The transportation department says owners don’t pay enough gas taxes to the highway maintenance fund, but environmental groups and drivers say the state should find another way to fill the gap. by Peter McGuide, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story The LePage administration is proposing to make it more expensive to own a hybrid Read More
Wind Power Moratorium Reignites Tourism vs. Clean Energy Debate
by James McCarthy Mainebiz news story Gov. Paul R. LePage issued an executive order Wednesday putting the brakes on the state’s permitting of new onshore wind projects. In doing so, he’s renewed the longstanding debate over whether there’s greater value in Maine’s scenic mountains for tourism than for wind energy. His order also created the Read More
NRCM Statement on LePage Wind Power Moratorium and Secret Panel
Statement by NRCM Climate and Clean Energy Director Dylan Voorhees “Today, Governor LePage told clean energy investors that Maine is ‘Not Open for Business.’ LePage placed an open-ended unilateral moratorium on development of wind power in Maine. LePage created a secret panel with enormous power to prevent wind power from being developed in Maine. He Read More
LePage Rightly Opposes Biomass Subsidy Bond
Maine should be looking to the future for forest products, not clinging to the past. The Editorial Board Portland Press Herald editorial Maine lawmakers faced a crisis in 2016: Subsidize the biomass industry or see hundreds of jobs vanish. It wasn’t much of a choice, following the shutdown of paper mills in Madison and Bucksport, Read More
Opposition to LD 1632, An Act to Establish the Manufacturing Jobs Energy Program
Senator Woodsome, Representative Berry, and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities & Technology, my name is Dylan Voorhees and I am the Clean Energy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM). Thank you for allowing us to present this testimony. NRCM supports the development of policies that increase availability of Read More
