Proposed Maine Solar Legislation Will Increase Access to Solar, Lower Electric Costs for All, Spur Job Creation NRCM news release Augusta, ME—Municipal, business, conservation leaders and others gathered at the State House today to describe the benefits of solar power for Maine, and urge lawmakers to take action to prevent Maine from falling further behind Read More
renewable energy
NRCM Testimony in Opposition to LD 791, An Act to Amend the Laws Governing Wind Energy Development Permitting
Senator Peter Edgecomb, Chair Representative Craig Hickman, Chair Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry My name is Dylan Voorhees and I am the Clean Energy Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine. Thank you for allowing us to present this testimony. Because this bill and LD 828 treat similar issues, we encourage Read More
Support of LD 1073, An Act to Lower Energy Costs and Increase Access to Solar Energy for Agricultural Businesses
Senator David Woodsome, Chair Representative Mark Dion, Chair 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. Thank you for allowing us to present this testimony. We also appreciate Senator Saviello’s leadership on this issue and were Read More
LePage Threatens Veto of Quick Fix to Efficiency Maine Funding Problem
He says the Legislature must approve his energy agenda before he will fix a clerical error that cut $38 million from energy-efficiency programs. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA – In case there was any uncertainty, Gov. Paul LePage made it clear Friday that he will veto a bill to Read More
LePage Indicates He Will Not Support Democrats’ ‘Simple’ Energy Bill Fix
By Christopher Cousins, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage said Friday that he doesn’t support a Democratic proposal that would fix what has been called a $38 million typo in a previously enacted energy bill that among other things provides almost twice that amount in funding for Efficiency Read More
Mistake in Efficiency Law Will Cost Mainers $250 Million in Higher Energy Bills if Not Corrected Swiftly
Hundreds of Energy Jobs Also at Risk NRCM news release Augusta, ME —Businesses and energy experts gathered today to inform Mainers that a one-word typographical error in the omnibus energy law passed in 2013 will cost Maine energy consumers $250 million if not corrected by the Legislature or the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The missing Read More
Lamey-Wellehan President Jim Wellehan Creates a Legacy of Advocacy and Fairness
by Dylan Martin MaineBiz news story Ask Jim Wellehan what it means to be a business leader, and for his initial response, you likely won’t hear him mention Lamey-Wellehan, his 100-year-old, Auburn-based family retail shoe business. Instead, he’ll bring up a word that means a great deal to him: community. “I love my community. I Read More
Putting the Value of Solar in Real Terms
So the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) did a study that concluded the “value of solar” is 33.7 cents/kwh. (The study was done in response to legislation last year that NRCM developed and led the passage of.) What in the world does that mean? Is that what solar is worth? What it costs? How does that Read More
Lawmakers Should Fix the Missing ‘And’ So Energy Efficiency Work is Not Cut Back
By The BDN Editorial Board Bangor Daily News editorial At $12 million per letter, a missing “and” in a state law has proven an expensive error now that the state Public Utilities Commission used inadvertently flawed statutory language to cut funding for Maine’s energy efficiency work by $36 million. The PUC earlier this week took Read More
