Latest news with #LD810
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Maine lawmakers move forward with changes to 2021 transmission line referendum
A Versant Power technician energizes a line at the Tremont, Maine substation. (Photo courtesy of Versant Power) Though initially divided, lawmakers decided to move forward with a proposal to modify the law born out of a 2021 referendum question requiring the Maine Legislature to approve any new high-impact transmission lines. Although some legislators who worked on the campaign argued the proposal would clarify the law, LD 810 initially fell short of passage in the House of Representatives. After the Senate voted to pass the bill last Wednesday, the House ultimately decided to change course and passed the bill Monday by a one-vote margin. 'I'm shocked that we are being faced with this bill so soon after the historic and controversial battle,' said Rep. Elizabeth Caruso (R-Caratunk) during the House discussion last week. Caruso recounted the efforts by volunteers to gather signatures for the referendum question and the overwhelming support from roughly 60% of voters. The ballot question drew passionate grassroots support and overcame over $60 million in opposition spending fueled mostly by international energy companies. Therefore, the proposal before the Legislature to reform the law 'opposes the will of the people and the vote,' Caruso said. Approving it would send a message to voters that citizens' initiatives 'are a joke,' she added. Rep. Melanie Sachs (D-Freeport) said she was one of those Mainers who stood outside L.L. Bean to collect signatures for the campaign and was proud to vote 'Yes.' Though she still supports that referendum, Sachs also backed LD 810 because it 'is clarifying, not repealing.' Rep. Chris Kessler (D-South Portland), who sponsored LD 810, said he was also among the voters who supported the referendum, but argued his bill is meant to clean up the unintended consequences of the new law. Sen. Nicole Grohoski (D-Hancock), who worked on the referendum campaign, said while it is important to offer constituents legislative approval as a backstop on transmission lines proposed by private corporations, the current statute creates higher scrutiny for lines proposed by the Legislature than those from the private corporations. More specifically, the bill seeks to clarify that when the Legislature is seeking to develop a new transmission line, that project should not need to come back to the Legislature for approval after the Public Utilities Commission's review process. During committee hearings, the Office of Public Advocate, Maine State Chamber of Commerce and multiple environmental organizations agreed the duplicative process can deter developers, drive up costs for ratepayers and stand in the way of meeting climate goals. However, Sen. Matt Harrington (R-York) argued in favor of the current model because it gives the Legislature another opportunity to weigh in on a line after a route has been determined. This could be important because constituents could have issues with a line's route that wouldn't be known at the time of initial approval. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Legislative recap for Wednesday, June 4
Members of the Maine House of Representatives during the first session of 2024 in the State House in Augusta. Jan. 3, 2024. (Photo: Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star) Lawmakers are divided on what to do with a proposal to modify the law born out of a 2021 referendum question requiring the Maine Legislature to approve any new high-impact transmission lines. Although legislators who worked on the campaign saw it as an effort to clarify the law, LD 810 fell shy of passage in the House of Representatives on Tuesday with lawmakers voting 72-75 before ultimately killing the bill under the hammer. However, the Senate passed the bill 18-16 on Wednesday. It is now up to the House to determine if it will hold its ground or join the Senate in supporting the bill. With papers shuffling between chambers this week, Maine Morning Star has compiled a slightly more pared down roundup for Wednesday, forgoing the list of all bills voted on and focusing on the biggest items of debates as well as legislation and issues that we've followed all session. Here's an overview of what happened Wednesday. Both chambers The Maine House of Representatives and Senate have now backed LD 1668, which would change the voting requirements to extend the data of adjournment for the Legislature. Currently, a two-thirds vote in each chamber is needed to do so. The bill would change it to only an affirmative vote of a simple majority in both chambers. After the Senate voted 20-14 in favor of the bill on Monday, the House narrowly voted 72-71 in favor on Wednesday. Both chambers also passed a bill that would expand summer school programming, LD 1624, with the Senate approving it without a roll call after it passed the House with a 75-71 vote on Tuesday. The Senate also followed the action taken by the House earlier this week to reject LD 1982, a late-session bill that wanted to change how perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are defined in state law. (Read more on that proposal here.) After the House backed it, the Senate approved LD 1248, a bill proposing to loosen the restrictions on restraint and seclusion in schools. (Read more about restraint and seclusion here.) Both chambers have also now passed LD 437, which would develop a pilot program to place child care facilities in a few school districts statewide. Legislation (LD 10) that would add political affiliation as a protected class to the Maine Human Rights Act. The House voted against it on Wednesday, after the Senate did on Tuesday. (Read more about this bill here.) The chambers can't agree on LD 1960, which would exempt electronic smoking devices or other tobacco products containing ingestible hemp from the tax imposed on tobacco products. The House voted against the bill on Wednesday after the Senate voted for it on Tuesday. The chambers also still can't agree on a bill submitted by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (LD 402), which would move the Natural Areas Program from the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, among other technical tweaks. Earlier this week, the House passed the bill with one amendment, while the Senate passed it with another. On Wednesday, the House and Senate insisted on their positions, essentially killing the bill. On Wednesday, the House also insisted, 81-61, on its vote against LD 544, aimed to create parity in the taxation of medicine by exempting sales of cannabis for medical use. This position is counter to the committee recommendation and Senate vote in favor of passage. With the Senate insisting on its position Wednesday, this bill is also essentially dead. With a narrow 72-71 vote, the House did change its position on LD 588. The bill seeks to grant agricultural workers the right to engage in concerted activity. After initially voting against its passage, the House on Wednesday receded and concurred with the Senate, which passed it. The bill now heads back to the Senate. Though the Housing and Economic Development Committee was evenly split, the Senate passed a proposed pilot project that would allow 30 small businesses from the farming, fishing and logging industries to set aside up to $250,000 of revenue, sheltered from income tax, to use for capital expenses in the future. Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook) said he introduced this bill again this session because it could provide flexibility for the most critical components of Maine's economy: its heritage industries. LD 195 includes a sunset date of 2029. Sen. Jeff Timberlake (R-Androscoggin),whose family has been farming in Maine since 1803, encouraged his colleagues to let the state try this out because it could help counter the year-to-year financial swings farms experience. The Senate voted 17-16 to reject a bill (LD 1535) that would require the Public Utilities Commission to gather a group of municipal, police and fire officials to discuss the high electricity usage related to illegal cannabis grows in the state. While Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec) agreed the state should look into that issue, he said the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee is carrying over legislation into the next session that could provide a more comprehensive approach, including this sort of study. The House passed a bill, LD 957, that would require Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander history to be included in the next review of content standards and performance indicators. (Read more about this bill here.) The House passed and enacted LD 1664, a proposal to amend the Dirigo Business Incentives program, which offers eligible businesses the opportunity to greatly reduce state taxes for up to five years. While the bill initially sought to repeal the program, the amended version passed would only change some program criteria. LD 613, a bill supported by the Maine Medical Association that allows terminally ill patients to waive the current 17-day waiting period for access to life-ending medication, also the House 74-64 Wednesday. Several members shared stories about their loved ones' end-of-life care. However, Rep. Kathy Irene Javner (R- Chester) argued the bill 'removes the very pause that gives patients, families and physicians, the opportunity to reflect, to seek counsel to consider alternative palliative options.' After a lot of discussion, lawmakers voted 72-70 to pass LD 1036, which would prohibit landlords from refusing to rent to tenants solely because they rely on programs such as General Assistance or housing vouchers. Some lawmakers objected to the restrictions the bill would put on landlords, but others, including bill co-sponsor Rep. Cheryl Golek (D-Harpswell) said many residents relying on General Assistance are rejected from renting because of stigma, which the bill aims to address. (Read more about the proposal here). 'We as a state can only create fair housing once we take the steps to remove the discrimination within the housing opportunities,' Golek said. 'Protection from source-of-income discrimination, protection is one significant way we can apply and protect this to people.' The House also passed an amended version of LD 396 that would establish a grant program to encourage schools to adopt start times at 8:30 a.m. or later. A heavily amended version of LD 1787, passed the House. The bill initially sought to allow candidates for district attorney, sheriff and county commissioner to participate in the Maine Clean Election Act, but the version now being considered was amended to increase the contribution limits for gubernatorial seed money donations. (Read more about other proposals related to changing Maine's clean elections here.) The House also passed an amended version of LD 1726, which seeks to improve planning for the future of the energy grid, with a 75-69 vote. Legislation (LD 1900) to grant authority to certain Wabanaki Nations to develop tribal power districts and recognizes the authority for child support enforcement passed the HOuse fter heated discussions about the effectiveness of masks in schools during which Rep. John Eder (R-Waterboro) asked Speaker Ryan Fecteau if he would like to apologize for mandating masks, the House voted 73-69 to reject a proposal (LD 1461) to prohibit school boards from instituting future mask mandates. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Maine Legislature advances bill to tweak provisions of 2021 transmission line referendum
States are struggling to reach their clean energy goals because of a backlog in transmission capacity that's keeping wind and solar projects off the grid. (Charles Rex Arbogast/The Associated Press) Lawmakers on the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee voted to advance a bill that would modify the law born out of a 2021 referendum question requiring the Maine Legislature to approve any new high-impact transmission lines. The committee voted 7-4, along party lines of those present, to recommend the passage of LD 810 with some small changes. The legislation is meant to clarify that when the Legislature asks for a new line to be developed, that line should not come back to the Legislature for approval after the review process performed by the Public Utilities Commission. Democrats who were present for the vote supported the bill from Rep. Chris Kessler (D-South Portland), while Republicans voiced concerns about repealing the rule. 'This is appropriate and good public policy to ensure that we are having at least a lower cost of building transmission in the state and ultimately with the goal of reducing costs for ratepayers but not abdicating our responsibility for a thorough review of these projects,' Kessler said, noting that current statute could lead to developers sinking millions of dollars into a project that could ultimately be voted down by lawmakers. 'Not good public policy': Bill would roll back some provisions of 2021 transmission line referendum In 2021, Maine voters approved a ballot question to increase legislative oversight on new transmission lines in a campaign that drew passionate grassroots support and over $60 million in opposition spending fueled mostly by international energy companies. The question was largely seen as a vehicle to stop the controversial 145-mile transmission line through western Maine known as New England Clean Energy Connect. Despite the political and legal hurdles, Central Maine Power's corridor project is expected to be completed later this year. Having worked closely on the 2021 referendum, Sen. Nicole Grohoski (D-Hancock) said the intention was to give the public a way to debate the merits of a line being proposed by an entity other than the Legislature. Given that, she feels LD 810 provides a 'really helpful clarification of the intent of the referendum.' She went on to say that this is an 'opportunity to make it crystal clear that a line that's authorized by the Legislature is different than a line that's being proposed by a for-profit entity.' Rep. Steven Foster (R-Dexter) said he isn't comfortable repealing it because, as it stands, the rule allows those who live in the path of these projects and could face eminent domain takings to appear before the Legislature, rather than receive notification by mail. 'It gives us one more chance to debate, discuss and either approve or not said line,' Foster said. Before casting a vote against, Sen. Matt Harrington (R-York) said he was 'highly conflicted' about the bill. While he believes businesses that want to invest large sums of money in Maine should not have to come before 'this highly emotional group of people we call the Maine Legislature anymore than possible,' he acknowledged that more often, the general public doesn't have concerns about such projects until after the route is determined, which normally comes after preemptive legislative approval. Before the committee voted, Kessler proposed amending the bill to insert the word 'statutory' to clarify that transmission lines proposed by agencies with the statutory authority to do so will be deemed to have the necessary legislative approval. The legislative analyst said she could come back to the committee with further language suggestions to better define when an agency has that sort of authority. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Not good public policy': Bill would roll back some provisions of 2021 transmission line referendum
Maine needs to expand its transmission system in the coming years to meet the needs of increased electrification, while ensuring there is enough clean, affordable energy, said Caroline Colan, the legislative liaison for the Governor's Energy Office. (Photo by) Rep. Chris Kessler voted for the 2021 referendum question that created the requirement for the Maine Legislature to approve any new high-impact transmission lines. 'This referendum was intended to give the public a greater voice in the development of major transmission lines,' Kessler said of the ballot question that drew passionate grassroots support and overcame over $60 million in opposition spending fueled mostly by international energy companies. Since casting that vote, the Democrat from South Portland said he has had a change of heart and no longer believes it is good public policy, as he told the Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee Tuesday afternoon. That rethinking led Kessler to introduce LD 810 to streamline the approval process without repealing the entire policy born out of the people's vote. The proposal seeks to clarify that when the Legislature asks for a new line to be developed, that line should not need to come back to the Legislature for approval after the review process performed by the Public Utilities Commission. In 2021, Maine voters approved a ballot question that increased legislative oversight on new transmission lines. The question was largely seen as a vehicle to stop the controversial 145-mile transmission line through western Maine known as the New England Clean Energy Connect. Despite the political and legal hurdles, the Central Maine Power corridor project is expected to be completed later this year, Maine Public reported. Rep. Sophie Warren (D-Scarborough) asked Kessler and others who supported the bill to address the fact that the proposal would scale back a policy that was supported by nearly 60% of Maine voters. 'This is not a comfortable position for me to be in,' Kessler said in his testimony, but the policy has created unintended consequences. 'It may be an unpopular position to have but I think it's not good public policy,' he added. While Kessler argued the Legislature lacks the technical expertise to sign off on the details of a transmission line, representatives from the Office of Public Advocate, Maine State Chamber of Commerce and multiple environmental organizations agreed the duplicative process can deter developers, drive up costs for ratepayers and stand in the way of meeting climate goals. Several of the groups voiced support for removing the legislative approval requirement entirely. Public Advocate Heather Sanborn said a second round of approval for projects requested by the Legislature is not necessary. 'Such a requirement will have the direct effect of costing ratepayers additional money by introducing additional risk and delay that must be priced into the modeled costs of the project from the beginning,' she added. Maine needs to expand its transmission system in the coming years to meet the needs of increased electrification, while ensuring there is enough clean, affordable energy, said Caroline Colan, the legislative liaison for the Governor's Energy Office. Colan testified neither for nor against the legislation, but she echoed what others said about it adding financial risk and driving up developer bids, which ultimately fall on Maine ratepayers. The Maine Public Utilities Commission is responsible for conducting a thorough review process for petitions from developers to construct new transmission lines capable of 69 kilovolts or more, as required by state law. The petition needs to include information about why the line is needed, why it should be built along that particular route and how it will affect public health, safety, as well as the scenery and environment, among other considerations. The commission holds a public hearing as part of the petition process and is tasked with determining whether the new line is needed. Because of the 2021 referendum, in addition to that process, the Legislature must give its approval of the project. However, Kessler pointed out what he sees as a flaw in the referendum language, which does not specify when in the process legislative approval should occur. Opposing the change, Tanya Blanchard, founder of Preserve Rural Maine, argued that if the Legislature is knowledgeable enough to propose a transmission line, it should be able to approve one. Blanchard founded the group in the summer of 2023 in response to a proposed transmission line through more than 40 rural communities. She fears that bypassing the legislative review could not only weaken public trust, but also lead to projects being approved without fully considering the effects on local people, wildlife and natural beauty. The intention is not to stop transmission lines, but 'get them right the first time,' Blanchard said. Legislature approval can provide that assurance, she added. Kessler's bill was one of four that the committee heard Tuesday related to transmission lines in the state. LD 596 sponsored by Sen. Mark Lawrence (D-York) would provide a vehicle for the Legislature to consider the construction and operation of a transmission line to connect renewable energy resources in northern Maine with the regional electric grid. While it does not give preemptive approval, the bill serves as a placeholder in case the Public Utilities Commission moves forward with soliciting new bids for the renewable energy project and transmission line in northern Maine. The Legislature passed a law in 2021 calling for this project, but would still need to sign off. The commission selected bids for a wind farm and transmission line in early 2023, but those contracts were later terminated due to delays and other changes that increased the costs of the projects. Sen. Scott Cyrway (R-Kennebec) introduced LD 197 to direct the Governor's Energy Office to study the state's future electric transmission infrastructure needs with a report on the findings to be submitted by September 2026. Colan testified neither for nor against the bill, but said the office is already working on a 'thoughtful, comprehensive, forward-looking strategy to address the full range of long-term transmission-level needs expected in Maine.' The bill from Sen. Joseph Martin (R-Oxford), LD 469, would require that 50% of electricity carried on any new lines originating in Canada would need to be consumed in Maine. It would also require a variety of reports and efforts to reduce costs amid increased electricity consumption. While the committee raised a number of technical questions about the bill, Martin said the intention is to control the supply and demand to benefit Maine ratepayers. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
