Gov. Janet Mills wants to create a Maine Department of Energy Resources similar to agencies in every other New England state.
A proposal in Mills’ two-year budget would recast the current Governor’s Energy Office into a cabinet-level Maine Department of Energy Resources. The change would be budget-neutral, according to the governor.
“By transitioning the energy office to a department, we can strengthen our ability to bring down the cost of energy, ensure that our energy infrastructure is strong and reliable for all Maine people, and have a greater say in our energy future,” Mills said in a press release.
Maine is the only Northeast state that doesn’t have a cabinet-level agency dedicated to energy matters. Instead, it is an office responsible for policy and planning that reports to the governor.
Moving to a state agency would align with the added workload lawmakers have put on the office in recent years. That includes steering more than $200 million in federal investment to grid improvement, energy efficiency and workforce development projects, the office’s director, Dan Burgess, said in an interview.
And a standalone department would have additional authority to guide competitive energy procurement as Maine tries to lower costs, improve reliability and hit clean energy targets, he added.
“A cabinet seat that’s focused on energy issues represents the importance of the issue and will put Maine in a stronger position to achieve those goals,” Burgess said.
The department would take over as the designated energy office in Maine and assume the current agency’s core functions, according to Mills. Those include handling issues such as energy policies, planning, resources, data, markets and energy security.
An energy department was last proposed by former Gov. Paul LePage in 2017. The plan needs approval from lawmakers.
This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
