Maine winters are not theoretical. There are propane tanks that need filling, heating oil deliveries budgeted months in advance and electric bills that spike during the deep freezes. Energy costs are already one of the most significant expenses for families across Maine.

That context matters when we talk about LD 1870, the so-called “climate superfund” bill.

The bill would require energy companies responsible for more than a billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions between 1995 and 2024 to pay into a state fund for climate adaptation projects. The intent may be well-meaning. But energy companies do not absorb new costs quietly. They pass them on, through the supply chain, and ultimately to the family in Aroostook County trying to keep the pipes from freezing in February.

That is not a talking point. It is how markets work.

Farmers, fishermen, loggers and manufacturers all need affordable, reliable energy. Policies that raise the price of that energy do not just inconvenience them. They threaten livelihoods.

Mainers want to be good stewards of our environment. But bills like this result in politicians running a virtue signaling victory lap while making heating your home more expensive.

Maine should lead on energy innovation, expand our generation mix and reduce dependence on volatile fuel markets, not layer new liability costs onto the supply chain and hope families don’t notice the hike in their bill.

State Rep. Laurel Libby
Auburn