Advocacy Alert | L.D. 2077- An Act Regarding Customer Costs and the Environmental and Health Effects of Natural Gas

From the Maine State Chamber's Advocacy Team  |  Thursday, January 18, 2024

Please contact your State Senator and State Representative today and urge them to OPPOSE L.D. 2077 Legislation Seeking to Limit Natural Gas Use Will Put Maine at a Severe Competitive Disadvantage

On Tuesday, January 23, 2024 at 1:00PM the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee is holding a public hearing on L.D. 2077, An Act Regarding Customer Costs and the Environmental and Health Effects of Natural Gas. While the title may sound good, the implications of this policy would be extremely prohibitive to Maine residents, energy-intensive businesses, and communities as it seeks to limit natural gas use within the State of Maine.   It prohibits costs associated with new gas mains and service lines, for commercial and residential use, from being included in rates. Residents, businesses, and communities will have to bear infrastructure costs. This will increase construction costs and housing affordability and discourage new manufacturing in the State of Maine.   The legislation will not enable new clean energy technology, from geothermal and hydrogen, putting the state’s clean energy goals at risk. The legislation also provides that beginning January 1, 2025 the Public Utilities Commission may not approve any gas utility to supply and deliver services to a customer in a municipality that is outside of the gas utility’s service area as of June 30, 2024. The legislation:   Disincentivizes competition within the natural gas sector.   Prohibits the expansion of new gas distribution infrastructure. Natural gas has been an essential lifeline to America’s manufacturing growth and this legislation would put Maine, a heavily manufacturing-based economy, in a severe competitive disadvantage for new investment.  L.D. 2077 will make it incredibly difficult for the business community while failing to enable the technologies that will allow Maine to meet decarbonization requirements.   Please contact your State Senator and State Representative today and urge them to OPPOSE L.D. 2077.