Gov. Janet Mills on Friday announced a new $15 million program to help schools, municipalities and other public buildings improve energy efficiency and reduce costs.
The announcement came during an 11-minute speech at the Maine Climate Council’s “Communities Leading on Climate” conference at the Augusta Civic Center. Hundreds of state, municipal and tribal officials attended, as well as U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat representing the 1st Congressional District.
Mills said the $15 million in federal funding expands the mission of Efficiency Maine, which will begin offering $8 million for school energy projects on Monday. A second, $4 million phase for municipal offices should go online in August and the final phase of $3 million for nonprofit residential facilities will come this fall, according to the governor’s office.
“If we’re going to combat the global threat of climate change, we have to unite to preserve our precious common ground, common waters for our common planet in uncommon ways,” Mills said. “That starts here at home.”
In December 2020, the Maine Climate Council released a four-year plan called “Maine Won’t Wait” to help the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. Mills said a record number of heat pumps have been installed in the last three years — 60,000 — and that a record number of electric vehicles have been registered.
White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy delivered the keynote address via Zoom, saying the Biden Administration has been working to put in place initiatives to get the country to net zero emissions by 2050.
She said 56 million homes are powered by clean energy and that last year, the country set records for wind and solar production. Off-shore wind efforts are underway, vehicle emission standards have been strengthened and work continues to clean up Superfund sites, she said.
“It cannot be about what we need 20 years from now,” McCarthy said. “It has to be about how we can provide benefits today. Families need to save money. We need less expensive energy.”
In response to McCarthy’s appearance, the Maine Republican Party released a statement calling her “Gas Tax Gina McCarthy” and characterized the state plan as “Janet Mills’ crazy climate plans.”
“Janet Mills has lost sight of what Mainers are struggling with,” said Maine GOP Executive Director Jason Savage. “Mainers sick of high energy costs need to get rid of Janet Mills and Joe Biden.”
In addition to Pingree, who outlined ways the federal government is working to help states, Sen. Angus King, an independent, delivered video remarks and representatives for Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, and Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat, addressed the crowd.
Pingree said the delegation is united in its commitment to tackling climate change.
“We cannot wait,” she said. “It is not impossible to fix it, but we have to act now.”
The daylong conference featured breakout sessions focused on ways to reduce emissions at home, understand social vulnerability, address transportation needs and launch community action plans. Officials from Kittery, Norway, Dover-Foxcroft, Eastport, Portland, York, Limestone, Rockland, Machias, Bar Harbor and the Penobscot Nation were among those who shared ideas and success stories from across the state.
Steve Reiter, chairman of the Biddeford Climate Task Force, said his group has been working for 18 months on a plan, holding events to spread the word throughout the community and partnering with nearby cities and towns in a regional collaboration.
“We can, we must and we will succeed,” he said.
