Going green without green

A panel of lawmakers unanimously approved a proposal last week that allows municipalities to offer low-cost financing for home weatherization and commercial and industrial energy efficiency projects.

The measure, sponsored by state Rep. Patsy Crockett, D-Augusta, would allow for the creation of what are called Property Assessed Clean Energy programs. These programs allow cities and towns to raise money and lend it to property owners, according to a release from the House Majority office. The money would get repaid by the borrower through assessments on property tax bills.

Maine is slated to receive about $75 million in federal weatherization and energy efficiency grants that would be used as seed money for the PACE programs, according to the release.

The programs would be voluntary, with municipalities choosing whether or not to create one and property owners choosing whether or not to participate.

The legislation will be scheduled for votes by the full Legislature in the coming weeks.

Chem free

Recent action by the Maine Board of Environmental Protection moved the state’s comprehensive chemical policy law passed in 2008 closer to implementation. The panel voted last week to adopt the final regulations needed to move ahead with the first-in-the-nation policy, according to a release from the House Speaker’s office.

In 2009, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection completed a database of chemicals they determined to be unsafe in accordance with the law. DEP identified about 1,300 known carcinogens and reproductive or developmental toxicants and other chemical baddies.

The law allows Maine DEP to research the prevalence of these identified chemicals in children’s products and requires manufacturers to disclose if their products contain those chemicals, according to the release.

“Every day new studies are released linking toxins in everything from toys to shampoo to furniture to serious health impacts, especially for our kids,” said House Speaker Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven, in a statement. “We need to turn the tide and use safer alternatives to these chemicals, many of which are readily available today. These rules, over time, will help us accomplish this.”

Pingree was the original sponsor of the legislation.

For more information visit www.maine.gov/dep/oc/safechem.

Budget talks

The Appropriations Committee is continuing its work on balancing the state budget, which is sporting a deficit of more than $400 million.

So far, the committee has moved forward on issues where there is unanimous agreement, but most of the big ticket questions still remain, particularly surrounding cuts to education and health and human services.

On Tuesday, the committee is scheduled to receive an update from the Revenue Forecasting Committee. For most of last year, revenues came in under projections, leading to the current budget crisis, but in recent months the revenues have come in slightly higher than expected.

The committee hopes to complete its work in early March.

— Rebekah Metzler

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