ASSOCIATED PRESS • January 24, 2023
Republicans in Maine said Tuesday they will propose a host of legal changes to try to cap the surging cost of home heating in the state. Maine is heavily dependent on heating oil, and the cost of that has doubled over the past two years, Republican members of the state Senate said. All told, electricity rates have increased 165% in recent years, the senators said. Republicans are planning bills to promote use of geothermal exchange heating and cooling systems, allow a variance for outdoor wood boilers, remove a 100-megawatt limit on hydropower, and ensure more transparency and accountability during the bidding process used by the Maine Public Utilities Commission.