Long Islander's Blog – March 2026 Archive (11)

Maine Public | By Peter McGuire

Published March 30, 2026 at 7:03 PM EDT

New England electric customers including Maine ratepayers could get more than $1 billion in refunds after federal energy regulators ruled this month that transmission utilities were paid inflated profits for years.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission draws to a close a case against the utilities that was first filed in 2011, said Maine Public Advocate Heather Sanborn.…

Maine Public | By Peter McGuire

Published March 24, 2026 at 2:52 PM EDT

A new Maine law will require state utility regulators to focus on lowering consumer energy costs.

"An Act Regarding Energy Fairness" comes at a time when Maine households are struggling with high electric bills.

The…

NPR | By Tamara Keith

Published March 24, 2026 at 5:00 AM EDT

The high cost of power bills is shaping up to be a political issue in this year's midterm elections. But when it comes to generating electricity,…

Over half a million balsa hardwood trees are being illegally logged in the Amazon rainforest every year to feed the massive demand for wind turbines in many parts of the world. Balsa is a lightweight but strong wood that is commonly used in the core of giant turbine blades. It can make up around 7% of the blade and each set of three can use up to 40 trees.

Given what is known about annual balsa production, the scale of illegal logging and the demands of wind…

Maine Public | By Peter McGuire

Published March 16, 2026 at 7:42 PM EDT

A planned 10 megawatt, gas-fired power plant to provide electricity and heat to a major redevelopment on the Portland waterfront is stoking opposition from neighbors and climate activists in the city.

Barbara Vestal, who lives on Fore Street near the proposed development said she and others were shocked and surprised to learn about developer PF Land LCC's plans for the power plant. The company…

By Tux Turkel

Published on: March 13, 2026

EXCERPTS

Maine and New England must choose between two divergent paths for how to generate electricity in the coming years, according to two noteworthy reports released this winter that come to very different conclusions.

Despite their differences, both reports agree on one thing: New England’s already high…

EXCERPTS

The plant would be built next to the densely populated Munjoy Hill neighborhood, raising concerns about emissions, exhaust stacks and other environmental impacts.

March 14, 2026

Portland officials learned this month that the developers of the city’s eastern waterfront — a 10-acre project that’s been in the works for over a decade — plan to build a natural gas-fired cogeneration plant to provide electricity, heat and hot water to the…

By Libby Palanza

March 6, 2026

Maine’s Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee has unanimously voted to reject a proposal that would have overridden local ordinances on renewable energy development.

Originally introduced as an entirely different measure, a sponsor’s amendment shared last month overhauled LD 2174 by striking and…

As described last week, the Maine PUC issued a second request for proposals that would essentially allow other New England states to buy into Aroostook Wind on the same terms as Maine utilities. Giving away much of Maine’s most valuable renewable energy resource will be unacceptable to most Mainers, and we thus can’t rely on the PUC regulatory process to create maximum public benefits.

For that we need a public agency using tax-free bonds that significantly lower project costs, not to…

A ‘drafting error’ in a 2025 law could force dozens of residents to forfeit investments in community solar. Lawmakers are working on a fix.

March 3, 2026

Daniel Kool

Staff Writer

Gregory Anderson thought he’d done everything right.

In 2021, the Litchfield resident bought shares in a community solar development from ReVision Energy. With a one-time investment of about $16,000, he was able secure about 2.5 kilowatts, enough to cover nearly…