Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

Well, we're making pretty good progress shifting to other sources of energy to heat our homes, but Maine is still one of the most heating oil dependent states in the country. This reliance on heating oil makes us very vulnerable to shifts in global energy markets that drive up costs for Maine people and businesses. Maine people know firsthand that oil and kerosene, for instance, are some of the most expensive energy sources for home heat.

In 2022, oil reached a price of nearly $6 a gallon and kerosene went over $7 a gallon. All that money goes right out of state into the pockets of big oil, money that could be spent here at home on things you need.

While energy prices this winter are expected to remain similar to last year, volatile global markets and weather can still have a significant impact on heating bills here in Maine. My administration is doing everything we can to help Maine people save money on heating costs and stay comfortable in their homes this winter.

We're offering rebates to every Maine household that wants to install heat pumps, for instance. And this week, we released our annual winter heating guide. That winter heating guide has all the information you need to save money on your energy bill.

Are you interested in exploring heat pumps or using wood or propane to heat your home instead of oil or kerosene? Are you curious about energy assistance programs that could help you weatherize your home?

Do you need contact information for local community action agencies, MaineHousing, or EfficiencyMaine? People are out there waiting to help you make sure your home is tight and efficient before the coming winter hits you hard.

You know, we have one of the oldest housing stocks in the country here in Maine. I know what that's like--my house is pretty old as well. To weatherize these homes, it takes a lot of work, but there are rebates out there and help available to make you make your home tight and comfortable.

Our winter home heating guide has all the key information you need, as well as helpful tips, contact information and links to online resources.

You can view and download our 2024 Winter Heating Guide on my Energy Office's website at maine.gov/energy. That's maine.gov/energy.

As the weather gets colder, I encourage all Maine people to see how they can save money and stay warm through the winter by using our 2024 Maine Winter Heating Guide.

As I said, you can view that guide at maine.gov/energy.

I'm proud to say that thanks to our investments in clean energy between 2022 and 2023, Maine's reliance on heating oil has declined by more than 6%, and that's the largest yearly drop since at least 2010. In fact, the share of Maine's homes using heating oil has sharply declined from 70% in 2010 to just over 50% in 2023.

That's still a lot of homes who are sending money out of state to big oil companies to pay to heat their homes. Let's do it differently. Let's do it smartly.

My administration will continue to make it as affordable as possible to transition to efficient, clean energy sources like heat pumps, to save people money and make sure that we're not impacted by unstable global energy markets or extreme weather in the future.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

Well, when I took office in 2019, Maine was one of the most heating oil dependent states in the country. We were sending $4 to $5 billion a year out of pocket and into the pockets of big out-of-state oil and gas companies. I promised to change that, in part by helping Maine people transition to heat pumps instead of costly, inefficient, and harmful heating oil.

In 2019, with the support of the Legislature, I signed a bill that set a goal of installing 100,000 heat pumps by 2025. Well, in 2023, we met that goal two years early, and we became a nationwide leader in the installation of heat pumps. That is thanks to you, the Maine people who recognize the value of these products. And that's thanks to all the hardworking installers across the state, who know that distributing and installing heat pumps does provide a good living with good benefits.

I'm proud to see that our efforts are paying off, with our reliance on heating oil continuing to decline across Maine as more and more homes than ever are adopting heat pumps for affordable heating and cooling.

In fact, I'm proud to say that between 2022 and 2023, Maine's reliance on heating oil declined by more than 6%. That's the largest yearly drop since at least 2010. In fact, the share of Maine's homes using heating oil has sharply declined from 70% in 2010 to just over 50% in 2023.

Maine people know firsthand that oil and kerosene, for instance, are some of the most expensive energy sources for home heat. In 2022, oil reached a price of nearly $6 a gallon and kerosene went over $7 a gallon. Maine people who are making the switch to clean energy are saving money and helping our state cut greenhouse emissions at the same time.

As I mentioned earlier, the demand for heat pumps is also sparking a demand for installers and distributors and sellers, which is creating good paying jobs. Maine's clean energy economy and our clean energy workforce is now the fastest growing in New England, and it has grown more than three times faster than our overall economy.

While Maine is highly dependent on fossil fuels, we'll continue to leverage unprecedented investments in clean energy from the Biden-Harris Administration to bring down energy costs and create good paying jobs for Maine people. This year alone, we've received and benefited from more than $115 million in new federal support for heat pump adoption, weatherization, and energy efficiency across Maine. For example, just last month, we announced a new rebate program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and administered here in Maine by the Efficiency Maine Trust, and that program will cover between 85% and 100% of the cost of installing heat pumps in low income manufactured homes and in new affordable multifamily housing units to benefit about 3,000 residences here in Maine.

High-performance heat pumps are affordable. They're efficient. They're easy to use. And they're accessible. They work well in cold climates like ours, and they're much more efficient than window air conditioning in the summer months when they're used for cooling. Well, to see if you're eligible for a rebate program or other energy efficiency measures, please visit Efficiency Maine's website at EfficiencyMaine.com.

I encourage all Maine people to look at energy efficiency measures, including heat pumps, and insulation, and weatherization, that could save you money on your heating costs and support our growing clean energy economy.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening, and stay warm. 

WHEREAS, the logging industry has served as an economic driver and cultural tradition in Maine for centuries; and

WHEREAS, the logging industry creates rural jobs and provides revenue for local communities, contributing $582 million to the state’s economy annually; and

WHEREAS, loggers provide renewable material for products used by people in Maine every day; and

WHEREAS, loggers are the root of Maine’s $8.1 billion forest economy; and

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

You know, some years ago, there was a young woman who dated a man who was handsome and charming and smart, and she was in love with him. That man was also an alcoholic, as it turned out. And one night, in a drunken rage, that man held a gun to her head. The gun did not go off. She packed her bags and left that place and never turned back.

The rest of the story is that that young woman went to law school. She became a prosecutor, later the Attorney General of her state. And now she is the Governor of the state of Maine.

Yes, I was one of the lucky ones. But many others who experienced domestic abuse are not so lucky, as headlines from Bangor this week cogently remind us.

I want to make sure that Maine people who have experienced or who are experiencing domestic abuse know that they are not alone and know that escape from violence is possible, so I've declared October to be Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Maine.

Here are some of the things you ought to know about domestic abuse and domestic violence:

• Domestic abuse affects people in families of all races, ages, genders and income levels. Rural and urban.
• Nationwide, one in four women and one in seven men has experienced abuse or violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
• In Maine, nearly half of all homicides are related to domestic abuse every year.

We can prevent domestic abuse and domestic violence in Maine by spreading awareness, by improving public policies to better support people affected by abuse, and by holding perpetrators accountable.

Prevention is important too, every day, but especially during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

May we all do our part to spread awareness, to talk about it, and to challenge the behavior of abusive people, and to stand up for survivors of domestic abuse, whoever they may be. Together, it is our individual actions that will put an end to domestic abuse in the State of Maine.

So, if you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, please call the statewide domestic abuse helpline at 1-866-834-HELP. That's 1-866-834-HELP.

If you or someone you know is deaf or hard of hearing, please have them call 1-800-437-1220. That's 1-800-437-1220.

Look, you are not alone, and escape from violence is possible.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, the State of Maine Office of Information Technology plays a vital role in identifying, protecting, and responding to evolving cyber threats that can significantly impact the State's information systems and our collective safety, security, and privacy; and

WHEREAS, October 2024 marks the 79th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month; and 

WHEREAS, workplaces across our state that are welcoming of the talents of all people, including people with disabilities, are critical to healthy communities and a strong economy; and

WHEREAS, while the employment of persons with disabilities ages 16 to 64 in Maine has seen significant gains, it is still far less than the percentage of Maine people without disabilities; and

WHEREAS, every child in Maine should be able to attend a safe, modern, efficient, and accessible public school, regardless of where they live;  

WHEREAS, the Mills Administration, in partnership with the Legislature, has made record investments in the construction and renovation of Maine schools, providing $580 million since 2019 to finance the renovation or construction of new schools and to provide debt service for school construction loans;