Weekly Address: Hill says, “Recent decisions by the PUC portends a troubling new era”

Get ready for higher energy costs.

Good morning. This is State Senator Dawn Hill, the Assistant Democratic Leader.

Sen. Dawn Hill of York

This week, all the ratepayers in Maine got some bad news: the cost of energy will be going up–for everyone–from homeowners to small businesses to our large companies like paper mills.

Usually when energy costs increase there’s a global reason, like a hurricane that damages a power plant or political tension in the middle-east.

But this time, the reason is entirely homegrown, directly from Maine.

Here’s what happened: This past Tuesday, the Public Utilities Commission voted 2 to 1 to cut funding for Maine’s energy efficiency programs by more than half. The two commissioners who voted against energy efficiency are Governor LePage’s appointees, including one who was, until just a few weeks ago, his top lawyer.

Despite current law, the governor’s appointees voted to slash energy efficiency funding even though the law clearly directs them to do the very opposite.

Their rationale? A typo. Yes, a clerical, typographical error. One word, the word “and” was omitted from a 30 page, more than ten-thousand word document. Two of the three PUC commissioners, like tigers lying in wait,  pounced on this error to dismantle more than a decade of bipartisan energy policy. Isn’t this suspect? It has only been since Governor LePage took office that energy efficiency has come under constant attack.

What does this mean for you? Simply put, with energy efficiency programs slashed, Maine people and businesses will pay millions of dollars more on their energy bills.

The program that gives us affordable energy-efficient lightbulbs will be restricted; money that helps homeowners convert their old heating system to new more efficient, less expensive systems will be reduced; and similar programs that help businesses, big and small, will be cut–making Maine’s businesses less competitive.

Over the past decade Democrats and Republicans have worked together to reduce energy costs for Maine households and businesses. Together, we created Efficiency Maine; and together, we helped weatherize thousands of homes. And, together, we created energy efficiency programs to help our businesses – big and small – save energy and money.

Efficiency Maine is held up by Democrats and Republicans, homeowners and business owners, as a model for reducing Maine’s energy costs. Track records show, that for every dollar invested by Efficiency Maine $7 is generated in savings for Maine energy consumers.

However, recent decisions by the PUC portends a troubling new era; one in which data and common sense – and even current law – are upended to play politics with Maine people and their wallets.

As a member of leadership and a member of the energy committee, I promise you that we will be working hard to right this wrong–and follow the law.

Thank you for listening. This is State Senator Dawn Hill from York.

###