WEEKLY SENATE UPDATE

WE NEED ALTERNATIVES

            In the past year, Americans have faced record energy prices. These prices have put an overwhelming burden on people across the country and especially on Mainers, who have had to contend with heating their homes as well as paying other rising utility bills throughout a long winter. In order to lower energy prices, I believe that our country should continue to invest in and explore alternative energy sources. As a state with an abundance of natural resources, Maine is uniquely poised to benefit from renewable energy sources such as wind, tidal, and biomass.

I have long been a proponent of alternative energy sources and I am a member of the Senate Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus. Last year, I co-sponsored legislation that would provide tax incentives to spur use of renewable energy resources. Because renewable resources are a fairly new energy technology, they are often not financially competitive with older, more established forms of energy such as coal and oil. Entitled the Renewable Energy Incentives Act of 2005, this legislation would provide a production tax incentive to help spur the development of solar, geothermal, wind and other renewable sources. By employing the tax incentives in this legislation, we can encourage the use and development of diverse and effective technologies. As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, the Senate committee responsible for tax law, I also worked with my colleagues to extend the biodiesel tax credit through 2008. This tax credit allows a $1 per gallon tax credit that will help to expand this industry in Maine and across the country. 

One type of renewable energy source that I am particularly excited about, and believe that Maine can contribute to substantially, is using wood to make ethanol, plastics, industrial chemicals and other products that are now made with oil. The University of Maine has recently received a $10.35 million grant to conduct research on this topic. Not only would this produce energy from a renewable, abundant source, but it would also provide jobs in many economically underserved areas since Maine’s pulp and paper mills would create the new goods using currently unused parts of the tree. This would give mills, such as the recently closed Georgia-Pacific plant in Old Town, a new lease on life as well as a way to reduce our country’s dependence on foreign oil.

Potato farmers can also contribute to our national energy needs. It has been demonstrated that canola, an oil producing crop that can be rotated with potatoes, is incredibly useful as a fuel. Canola contains about 40 percent oil and can be processed into something called biodiesel. The term biodiesel refers to vegetable oils or animals fats that are processed so that they can be used as fuel in diesel engines. Canola is the obvious choice for use in producing biodiesel in Northern Maine because of its high oil content and its compatibility with potatoes. It is also well adapted to Northern Maine’s climate and soils. Biodiesel is similar to petroleum based diesel but emits 78 percent less carbon dioxide than conventional diesel over its full life cycle.

Wind is yet another renewable resource that is prevalent in Maine; in fact, Maine is considered to be one of the top twenty states in the country for wind energy potential. Wind power is becoming increasingly popular due to the fact that it has little or no negative impact on the environment. There are currently plans to build a wind farm of 28 wind turbines on Mars Hill Mountain in Mars Hill. This would not only be an economic boon for the town, but it would also generate clean and abundant energy for the entire area.

Tidal power is a type of renewable energy that Maine is in a particularly good position to harness and use. Tidal currents are completely predictable and reliable and Maine’s long coastline would be perfect for trying out this type of energy. Tidal-flow technology uses large turbines that are anchored to the ocean bottom and depend on the free flow of the tides. The propellor-like turbines are similar to land-based windmills. This energy form also has very little environmental risk since the turbine would be anchored far below the surface.

The entire United States is heavily dependent upon imported petroleum products. However, as petroleum resources dwindle and our dependence on foreign oil increases, there is increased public pressure for the development of alternative fuels that can contribute to an energy strategy that both decreases negative environmental effects and increases our energy autonomy. Our nation has the means before it to become more energy efficient and independent and it is imperative that we diversify our energy production options to include renewable sources. Developing renewable energy sources can be an integral part of our comprehensive energy package- and Maine could be at the forefront of these new and promising technologies.