An Act To Establish a Green New Deal for Maine

As Congress considers “Green New Deal” resolutions sponsored by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey, some state legislators are proposing their own Green New Deal concepts. Newly-released legislation under consideration by the Maine State Legislature would establish a "Green New Deal for Maine". Here's a look at the bill known as LD 1282, An Act To Establish a Green New Deal for Maine.

LD 1282 includes four main parts:

• Part A amends the law establishing Maine's renewable portfolio standard, to require that by 2040, each competitive electricity provider must demonstrate that at least 80% of its portfolio of supply sources for retail electricity sales in Maine is accounted for by renewable resources. Part A also revises Maine's statutory goals for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to include a long-term goal of reducing emissions to 75% to 80% below 2003 levels by 2040.
• Part B establishes an 11-member "Task Force for a Green New Deal" to create a plan to advance environmental sustainability, renewable energy and economic growth for Maine. The law would require the plan to include a strategy to achieve the increased renewable portfolio standard specified in Part A, plus a strategy for job creation, retention, and training, and a residential energy strategy, each meeting certain defined criteria.
• Part C requires the Public Utilities Commission and the Efficiency Maine Trust to propose legislation to establish a voluntary, virtual net metering program to facilitate the installation of solar photovoltaic energy systems on kindergarten to grade 12 public school buildings, with the program to begin no later than December 31, 2021.
• Part D creates a new 13-member "Commission on a Just Transition to a Low-carbon Economy" to ensure that Maine's transition to a low-carbon economy "benefits all residents fairly and equitably, with consideration for their sources of employment, levels of income and historical experience." The new Commission would be required to submit an annual report examining "principles of environmental justice, information about income inequality as it relates to environmental harm, professional training opportunities and investments and racial-specific and ethnic-specific effects of past, present and future trends in energy production and consumption", as well as options for accelerating the transition to beneficial electrification in the rail and automotive sectors.

LD 1282's prime sponsor is Representative Chloe Maxmin. The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Shenna Bellows and Justin Chenette, and Representatives Seth Berry, Jeffrey Evangelos, Allison Hepler, Craig Hickman, and Henry Ingwersen. The bill has been referred to the legislature's Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology. As of March 13, 2019, the committee had not yet scheduled a public hearing on the bill.

Other states are considering their own Green New Deals through executive and legislative action. In January 2019, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his inclusion of a state-level "Green New Deal" in New York's 2019 executive budget; the Connecticut General Assembly is considering H.B. 5002, An Act Concerning the Development of A Green New Deal; and the Rhode Island House considered a resolution (H.R. 5665) to study the benefits of a Green New Deal for Rhode Island. While the details vary from state to state, common themes in these initiatives include increasing renewable electricity requirements, reducing carbon emissions, and promoting jobs and social welfare.