AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage’s initiative to overhaul Maine’s wind-energy production goals to require ratepayer benefits and manufacturing jobs gained tentative approval in the Legislature’s Energy Committee on Friday. But the bill, LD 1791, sponsored by state Rep. Lance Harvell, R-Farmington, saw significant revisions, including allowing a section of current law to stand, prior to […]
energy
Posted inBusiness
High court overrules PUC approval of wind energy deal
A 2012 deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars to expand wind energy projects across the Northeast was dealt a blow Tuesday by the Maine supreme court, which ruled that a state agency’s approval of the complex deal was invalid. The transaction included prominent wind developer First Wind, Maine utility companies Bangor Hydro and Maine […]
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Posted inBusiness, sj-web
LePage bill would remove wind energy goals
AUGUSTA — More than five years ago, Maine set ambitious goals to spur wind power development aimed at helping wean the state off fossil fuels. But now Republican Gov. Paul LePage says the targets don’t really help the state and are so far out of reach as to be meaningless, so why have them? A […]
Posted inBusiness, Lewiston-Auburn
Big stores struggle to meet demand for wood pellets
LEWISTON — A retail shortage of wood fuel pellets locally has less to do with a dwindling supply and more to do with a cold winter. Catherine Woodling, spokeswoman for The Home Depot, confirmed that her stores are having a difficult time keeping their shelves stocked with pellets for wood-burning stoves. “We are working with […]
Posted inMaine
Advocates push bill to restore solar rebates for Maine
AUGUSTA — Solar energy advocates, state lawmakers and companies that install solar-energy systems said Tuesday that Maine should catch up with the rest of New England. The group, including the Natural Resources Council of Maine, touted a bill that restores a $2,000 rebate for those who install solar-energy systems. But state Rep. Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, […]
Posted inMaine
As electricity prices rise, so do rate plans
With electricity costs on the rise and Maine’s supply standard offer scheduled to increase March 1, competitive energy providers — those companies that tout lower prices on your home’s power bills — are starting to adjust their rates. And, in many cases, adjust upward. Of the eight most popular residential competitive energy providers, known as […]
Posted inOxford Hills
Correction: SAD 44 loan, funds paid for project
BETHEL — A story about improvements at Telstar Regional Middle/High School published Thursday on Page B1 of the Oxford Hills edition and Page B3 of the River Valley edition should have said the project was funded by a low-interest loan and SAD 44 capital funds. It was an editing error.
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
New England governors ask for upgrages to energy infrastructure
AUGUSTA — The six New England states are requesting that the region’s power grid operator take action to diversify the region’s clean electricity portfolio and increase natural gas supply. ISO-New England administers the region’s energy market, including operation and maintenance of the physical infrastructure necessary to carry electricity to customers. Patrick Woodcock, director of Gov. […]
Posted inMaine
Bill pushes Maine to do more with solar energy; LePage takes shot at wind
AUGUSTA — Maine is lagging behind the rest of New England when it comes to generating electricity with solar power, and the state’s position has little to do with the climate. Lawmakers heard Tuesday that Maine gets 30 percent more sunlight each year than Germany, a European leader in solar energy. That’s why a bill […]
Posted inMaine
LePage continues effort to lower energy costs for Maine ratepayers
AUGUSTA — For the fourth year in a row, Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s administration is pushing to roll back or significantly change portions of Maine law aimed at boosting in-state renewable energy production. LePage says he wants to level the state’s energy-production playing field and open the door to cheap, renewable hydropower from Quebec and […]