Maine Weatherization Bill Passes House Without Heating Oil Surchage
Maine, prepare to be weatherized and get those air leaks sealed. (image: donerighthomeimprovement.com)
By the year 2030, every house in Maine and at least 50 percent of businesses will be fully weatherized.
So say the backers of an energy bill that the Maine House of Representatives passed last Friday. This bill will spend $79 million of federal stimulus money over the next two years on various energy conservation programs. Most of the money will be allocated to residents and businesses seeking to weatherize homes and buildings. Financial incentives will also be put in place for residents and businesses that purchase energy-efficient appliances and renewable power systems, according to the Portland Press-Herald.
The bill will also pay for expanded education and training for people interested in jobs weatherizing homes, installing alternative energy sources and auditing the energy usage of homes and businesses.
John Kerry, Maine’s energy director, reacted to the bill saying, “As a package, this is the most significant energy legislation ever initiated in the state of Maine.” And said a member of a Maine environmental advocacy group, “It’s a big step. It shows a profound awareness of our need to change energy supplies.”
Money for these programs will also come from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a cap-and-trade program that ten states in the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions belong to. The RCGI intends on lowering carbon emissions in these states by 10% by 2018.
Maine will also issue a $30 million bond to help pay for these programs.
According to the Portland Press-Herald, over 80% of Maine households use heating oil as their primary source of fuel, spending upwards of $1.5 billion per year. But poor insulation and older heating systems do not provide heating oil consumers with efficient home heating. One Maine assemblywoman says an estimated $400 million is wasted annually as a result.
Some lawmakers pushed for a provision that would place a surcharge on heating oil purchases in order to help pay for these measures. Legislators took this out before a final vote on the bill could take place. Maine legislators, however, are expected to take another look at a heating oil surcharge down the road.
Maine’s House of Representatives passed this bill unanimously. It will now go before the Maine Senate. After that, Maine governor John Baldacci must sign off on the bill to make it law.
