AUGUSTA, Maine - Lawmakers are preparing to begin examining two competing proposals to restore funding for energy efficiency programs.
The Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee is holding a public hearing Wednesday on the bills that aim to fix a drafting error in a 2013 law that caused regulators to slash funding for Efficiency Maine Trust.
House Republican Ken Fredette's bill would not only fix the error but bring significant changes to state government by creating an energy commissioner and giving the governor the power to nominate the head of Efficiency Maine Trust.
Meanwhile, Assistant Democratic Leader Sara Gideon's bill, which is being backed by some Republican lawmakers, aims to simply restore the funding to the independent agency. They say taking advantage of the error by tying it to other changes is inappropriate.