AUGUSTA – Legislation sponsored by Rep. Kilton Webb, D-Durham, to develop a renewable energy construction project database was advanced by the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee Wednesday.
The amended measure would direct the Governor's Energy Office (GEO), in coordination with relevant state agencies, to create and maintain a database of construction projects to help better identify renewable energy trends. The database would be updated every 30 days and would be publicly accessible. Further, LD 1850 would require the GEO to submit an annual report with energy trends to the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee.
A regularly-updated database that could be accessed by the public would help those engaged in energy policy to better identify where there are holdups in the renewable energy construction process – from permit requests to the final product.
“Having this type of database to track clean energy projects from the moment they start sending electrons to the grid will really shape our state’s energy planning process,” said Webb. “Further, LD 1850 would help strike a balance between the development community's desire for a rationalized, predictable and more efficient permitting process with the need of state agencies to have reliable information to create good public policy. As an electrician, I’ve helped to build some of these projects myself, and I know that they create thousands of good-paying jobs for Mainers across the state.”
The bill faces votes in the House and the Senate in the coming weeks.
Webb is serving his first term in the Maine House and represents House District 98, which includes Durham, Pownal and portions of Lisbon, Bowdoin and Topsham. He serves on the Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee.
Contact:
Brian Lee (Webb) | 305-965-2744