EFFICIENCY MAINE FIX UNANIMOUSLY ENACTED BY SENATE

AUGUSTA – The Senate passed a bipartisan measure that fixes a printing error in the 2013 omnibus energy law and reverses the resulting $38 million funding reduction for Efficiency Maine with unanimous consent “under the hammer.”

Sen. Dawn Hill of York

“Efficiency Maine has been held as a model for reducing Maine’s energy costs by Democrats, Republicans, business owners and homeowners. I am pleased that we are continuing that legacy of working together to pass bipartisan energy policy,” said Assistant Democratic Leader Dawn Hill of York, who serves on the state’s Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee. “Today, we are one step away from ensuring savings and energy efficiency for our state’s businesses from our mom and pops to our big industry businesses and our homeowners.”

LD 1215, “An Act To Provide Lower Energy Costs to Maine Businesses and Residences by Carrying Out the Legislature’s Intent Regarding Funding of the Efficiency Maine Trust,” simply restores the dropped word “and” in a section of the omnibus energy law. The Public Utilities Commission relied upon that omission when it lowered the funding cap for Efficiency Maine from $60 million to $22 million.

The House has already passed the measure with a vote of 138 to 1.

The measure now goes to the governor for his consideration. Gov. LePage has until midnight on June 23rd to veto the bill. A vote of two-thirds is needed by both bodies to override a veto.

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