Costly power grid upgrade to boost renewables will test Maine’s commitment
It s becoming clear that achieving Maine s climate goals is going to require a makeover of its electric grid on a scale that hasn t happened since the 1970s.
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Maine’s ambitious goal of cutting carbon out of its economy by the mid-21st century is facing a harsh reality: The network of wires and substations built to feed power from central generating stations to homes and businesses isn’t up to the job of handling the two-way, intermittent flow of energy from solar and wind farms to electric vehicles, heat pumps and giant storage batteries.
The column by David Flanagan, Central Maine Power’s chairman, that recently ran in your paper (“CMP is on the team for Maine’s renewable-energy future,” Feb. 23) was truly something else. My first thought, when reading it, was “Dear God. They can’t manage the grid they have now, yet they want to cut our state in […]
State of Maine COVID-19 Response
My Administration has sought to do its part to protect the lives and livelihoods of Maine people. With help from the Maine Legislature last spring, we began rallying the forces necessary to help people who were suffering job losses, to get food to school children and to build out our team of health professionals to protect Maine families from this dangerous virus.
My Administration implemented public health and safety measures, dialing them up and then scaling them down when we believed the circumstances demanded it. We directed people to wear masks in public, much the same as they would wear a hard hat at a construction site or safety glasses and ear protectors in a paper mill. We asked you to watch your distance and avoid large gatherings. And you did.
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LEWISTON A citywide revaluation is likely coming soon, and its final impact on taxpayers could depend on the outcome of the New England Clean Energy Connect project.
But, according to City Assessor William Healey, a revaluation is on the horizon regardless of what happens with the planned converter station in Lewiston.
A revaluation, typically implemented every 10 years, is done to assess the proper value of all real estate and personal property. Lewiston has not done a full revaluation since 1988, and a planned one in 2006 was tabled due to the recession.
According to up-to-date numbers from Healey, Lewiston homes, on average, are assessed and taxed at 76% of their full market value, while commercial and industrial properties in Lewiston are assessed and taxed at 81% of their value. A revaluation would equalize those values, shifting the tax burden slightly away from businesses and toward residential property owners.