© 2024 Maine Public | Registered 501(c)(3) EIN: 22-3171529
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scroll down to see all available streams.

Bill to Restore Energy Efficiency Funding Sent to LePage

AUGUSTA, Maine - Maine lawmakers have given final approval to a bill that would fix a typo in a 2013 law that caused regulators to cut funding for energy efficiency programs.

The bill was sent to Gov. Paul LePage's desk on Thursday.

The Republican has threatened to veto it unless it included other provisions he wanted. He sought to make the Governor's Energy Office a cabinet-level agency and wanted the power to nominate the head of Efficiency Maine Trust.

Assistant Democratic Leader Sara Gideon's bill passed Thursday would restore a missing word in the complex funding formula for Efficiency Maine Trust. Because of the typo, regulators interpreted the law to mean that one source of funding should be capped at $22 million while it was intended to be about $60 million.