BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 27, 2021
One resounding success here in Maine is the increased number of air source heat pumps that are beginning to take a real bite out of our dependence on fossil fuels to heat our homes and businesses. Of course, the success of heat pumps is a major concern of those who profit by extending our dependence on this polluting and climate damaging fuel. So, it was no surprise that Maine’s oil dealers last week called for a moratorium on the programs that have so successfully supported the conversion to heat pumps. These merchants of oil attempt to associate heat pump usage with the recent fuel supply concerns. While ISO New England has raised concerns about supplies of electricity, its concerns have nothing to do with states’ efforts to install more heat pumps. Rather, the concerns stem from issues around the fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. While Maine still has a way to go to kicking our addiction to heating oil we are making steady progress to meeting the goal of installing 100,000 heat pumps by 2025, a cornerstone of Maine’s Climate Action Plan. ~ Sean Mahoney, Conservation Law Foundation