PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 9, 2023
Some are skeptical tone that changing to “green” energy would not be worth higher prices at the gas pump or on our utility bills. To object to curtailing fossil fuel use because of possible energy price increases is to overlook the rising costs our society is already paying in this climate crisis. In 2022 alone, the U.S. experienced 18 separate disasters where the economic damage exceeded $1 billion. Much of the $165 billion was borne by U.S. taxpayers. Also, there are the hikes in insurance rates that homeowners nationwide have experienced as insurance companies have sought to offset increased disaster expenditures. Regarding legitimate questions about affordability while transitioning to clean energy: visit the websites of Efficiency Maine and Rewiring America. ~ Tom Berry, Kennebunk