Green jobs bill gaining support at State House

Maine’s Energy Future Committee gets first look at legislation to add jobs and reduce state’s dependence on foreign energy sources

AUGUSTA – The committee hearing room overflowed Wednesday at the State House for the presentation of LD 1181, the “Green Jobs, Green Savings” initiative sponsored by Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham.

The bill, authored by Opportunity Maine, was presented to the Joint Select Committee on Maine’s Energy Future, which took public testimony on a number of bills related to Maine’s energy security and independence.

“Over the next 10 years, we can create thousands of good-paying, green-skilled jobs; develop a market for energy efficiency, green construction and renewable energy sources that will result in a $300 million industry; and drastically cut energy costs for businesses, industrial consumers and residential users,” said Rep. Sean Flaherty, D-Scarborough, a co-sponsor of the bill.

At present, Mainers spend about $3 billion annually on non-transportation energy supply.  The “Green Jobs” bill would re-channel 9 percent or less of that spending into purchasing efficiency, which energy professionals agree costs less than supply and generates more jobs.

Using what they call highly conservative numbers, the bill’s architects predict a net savings for Maine residents of roughly $10 billion due to the ten-year energy savings effort.  At the same time, they predict that the bill will easily generate over 10,000 lasting and well-paying jobs.

“Imagine what lower energy rates will do for small businesses,” said Flaherty.  “Think of the money households will save after their homes are weatherized.   Picture the economy that Maine can boast when dollars spent on energy go to Mainers instead of the Middle East.  All of this is possible, but it will take bold action.”

Measures would include free energy audits to all Maine homes, as well as professional weatherization grants and financing, technical assistance, green standards for new buildings and appliances, and specialized assistance to the industrial, commercial and low-income sectors.

In addition, the bill recommends enhanced workforce development funding and a unified state energy authority with bonding capacity and protected funding.  The efficiency entity’s core mission would be to ensure that all heating oil, gas and electricity customers could achieve the highest level of savings, with an overall energy reduction of 30 percent by 2020.

The bill will be discussed further by the committee later this month, with a decision expected in late April or early May.