Nov. 13 – The stakes could be high for Maine’s energy policy during a second Trump presidency.
From federal money to support electric heat pumps and electric vehicles to expanding a network of chargers and building a wind port on Penobscot Bay, the state is looking to Washington for millions of dollars to advance its clean energy and climate goals . Starting in January, the executive branch of the federal government, which controls billions of dollars in energy financing, will be led by newly elected President Donald Trump, who favors fossil fuels over carbon-free energy that he calls a “green new scam.”
The Trump administration’s biggest threat to Maine’s energy and climate policy could be its offshore wind energy initiatives, said Andrew Price, president and CEO of Competitive Energy Services, a Portland-based consulting group.
“The things that require the federal government to move forward — like offshore wind — that are climate-related, I think are in trouble,” he said.
Federal leases granted to Avangrid Inc. for approximately $22 million on Oct. 29. and Invenergy were auctioned in the Gulf of Maine must be approved after a “lengthy and arduous permitting process,” Price said.
“There are a lot of opportunities to throw sand in the gears,” he said. “I am very pessimistic about the impact of this on offshore wind energy, which is a major blow to climate goals for many states.”
Trump has criticized offshore wind energy, citing potential impacts on birds and whales, and vowed to disrupt President Biden’s goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030, a goal that is likely to happen regardless of the outcome of the election will not be achieved.
Trump’s new policy could take the form of requiring new studies and halting offshore wind permits.
Maine officials say they will continue to seek funding to build an offshore wind port on Sears Island after the federal government rejected an application for a $456 million grant. It is not clear that the Trump administration would approve the funding. Paul Merrill, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation, said state officials “will continue to evaluate funding options going forward.”
On another energy front, Maine is receiving millions of dollars to electrify the heating and cooling of homes and businesses and expand the state’s electric vehicle network. Gov. Janet Mills has promoted electric heat pump installations and millions of dollars have been spent over the past decade to subsidize heating and cooling equipment for homes and businesses. She announced in July that Maine will receive between $45 million and $72 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to install electric heat pumps and heat pump water heaters.
And $35 million from the U.S. Department of Energy for heat pumps is already coming into Maine. A second round of $35 million is expected to start in Maine in January, according to Efficiency Maine Trust, the quasi-state agency leading energy efficiency policy.
Additionally, Mills announced in June that the state will add 52 high-speed electric vehicle charging stations over the next year at 17 locations, many in rural areas, supported by $8.6 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan governor. , which is funded by COVID-era federal American Rescue Plan money, and a settlement with the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission project.
Michael Stoddard, executive director of Efficiency Maine, said he doesn’t expect federal support for EV chargers and electric heat pumps to end. The financing is under contract and reserved, he said.
He cautioned that “someone more knowledgeable about federal procurement rules” might have better information, but he doesn’t believe it would be easy for the executive branch of the federal government to recover funding going to Maine. And he said federal money for electrification projects is only part of the funding available, with money also coming from taxpayers and other sources.
State law requires Maine to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 45% by 2030, from 31.4 million metric tons to 17.3 million metric tons. According to the latest available data, Maine had achieved a 30% reduction as of 2021. Hannah Pingree, director of the Maine Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, said this is the result of weatherproofing homes, installing heat pumps and promoting renewable energy such as solar and wind.
Dan Burgess, director of the Governor’s Energy Office, said he couldn’t speculate on what might happen for further federal funding for offshore wind energy or for subsidies to electrify buildings and install electric vehicle chargers. In an emailed statement, he said the state expects federal energy and environmental policies to change with the new administration, although the “exact nature of that change remains to be seen.”
Biden has tried to spur a massive expansion of carbon-free energy generation with the Inflation Reduction Act, which authorized nearly $800 billion in spending, loans and tax credits to spur the development of solar, wind, energy storage and other carbon-free energy sources. .
IMPACT DOWNPLAYED
Trump, by contrast, has pursued targeted policies to limit tailpipe emissions intended to boost electric vehicle sales, pledged to increase natural gas and oil drilling on public lands and offshore areas, pledged to end a moratorium on the Biden administration on new permits for the export of liquefied liquids. natural gas and pursuing other policies through executive order or legislation.
The American Clean Power Association, which represents energy storage, wind, solar, hydrogen and transmission companies, on Wednesday downplayed the negative energy policy implications of a second Trump presidency.
“Our industry grew by double digits every year under the first Trump administration and has accelerated that pace since,” the industry group said.
In an effort to shore up Trump’s geographic support, the report said private sector investments in non-fossil energy “provide jobs and economic opportunities to small towns and rural communities across the country.”
Price said he sees little opportunity for the Trump administration to pull the plug on funding for battery factories and other clean energy projects paid for by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and that have congressional support.
“I’m not completely ignoring the impact on the IRA. I think it will be a little bit harder,” he said.
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