AUGUSTA — The outgoing member of the Public Utilities Commission is concerned that the independent panel is being used as a “political arm” of Republican Gov. Paul LePage to thwart wind power contracts, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press through a Freedom of Access Act Request. The documents shed light on the conflict between […]
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Senate OKs Bruce Williamson to Public Utilities Commission
AUGUSTA — All three members of the Maine Public Utilities Commission will be Gov. Paul LePage appointees after the Maine Senate confirmed Bruce Williamson’s nomination to the board on Tuesday. The Republican-led Senate voted 25-10 in favor of Williamson’s nomination to the panel, which regulates utilities and shapes energy policy in the state. Williamson will replace […]
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Maine PUC keeps wind project contract negotiations alive
AUGUSTA — Utility regulators moved one step closer Wednesday to entering into a long-term contract with developers hoping to sell power generated by a wind project in Somerset County. The Maine Public Utilities Commission voted 2-1 to modify and approve the terms of an agreement with NextEra Energy Resources LLC to ensure that the state is […]
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Smart meter opponents file state supreme court challenge
PORTLAND — The debate over the safety of so-called smart meters installed by Central Maine Power is going back before the state Supreme Court, setting up a legal clash over regulators’ conclusion that they pose no risk. Opponents are challenging a December conclusion by the Maine Public Utilities Commission that 600,000 smart meters installed in homes […]
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Maine opponents of smart meters take case to court of last resort
PORTLAND — A citizens group is appealing a decision by the Maine Public Utilities Commission on “smart meters” to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. The Maine Coalition to Stop Smart Meters believes the PUC’s decision does not do enough to protect the public’s health and safety. It wants the high court to roll back installation […]
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Energy bill to fix funding typo easily passes Maine House
AUGUSTA — A controversial bill to fix a typo that could be worth roughly $38 million to the Efficiency Maine Trust sailed through the House of Representatives Wednesday on a 138-1 vote. Assistant House Majority Leader Sara Gideon’s bill, LD 1215, which inserts the missing “and” into the 2013 energy bill that included funding directives for […]
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Wind power proponents tout study showing positive impacts for Maine
AUGUSTA — Proponents of Maine’s wind-power industry Tuesday touted a new study showing positive impacts on health and the environment from the industry’s growth in the state. Meanwhile, a bill before the Legislature aims to “dismantle” the state’s wind energy sector, according to those who testified against the bill, also on Tuesday. “This study confirms […]
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Developer to build Maine wind farm for out-of-state ratepayers
AUGUSTA — A wind power developer is abandoning negotiations on a long-term power purchase agreement in Maine after regulators decided to reconsider the term sheet. Jeremy Payne from the Maine Renewable Energy Association said Monday that SunEdison decided to negotiate a long-term agreement with other states in New England. He stressed that the wind power project […]
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LePage nominates Tennessee economist to PUC
PORTLAND — Gov. Paul LePage has nominated a senior economist at the University of Tennessee’s Institute for Nuclear Security to the Maine state commission that regulates utilities. LePage announced Monday that he has nominated Bruce Williamson, a professor at the University of Tennessee’s Howard Baker Center, to replace Commissioner David Littell on the three-member commission. Littell […]
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Maine groups ask PUC to restore energy efficiency funds
AUGUSTA — Three groups are asking Maine utility regulators to reconsider a decision that will result in a loss of $38 million for energy efficiency programs. The Conservation Law Foundation, Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Maine Association of Building Efficiency Professionals filed their motion with the Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday. A sweeping […]