Maine appliance efficiency bill heads to governor’s desk

A bill that sets appliance standards (LD 1158) in Maine passed the State House and Senate this week. Because the bill been voted out of committee unanimously the bill was eligible to pass both floors though a mechanism called a Hammer Vote, which meant there was no discussion or roll call votes. Lawmakers were asked for any objections, there were none, so it passed. Now the bill moves on to the desk of Governor Mills for her signature.

The bill aims to implement energy and water efficiency standards for nine products sold in Maine starting on January 1, 2027. According to analysis from the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, if passed, the standards would:

• prevent 2 billion gallons of water from going wasted between now and 2050;
• prevent 286 tons of nitrogen oxide pollution from entering our air by 2050, and
• prevent 3 tons of sulfur dioxide pollution from entering our air by 2050,

If Maine enacts the legislation, it will join Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Colorado, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California, and Hawaii in adopting these product efficiency standards.

“Adopting appliance efficiency standards in Maine is a common-sense opportunity to reduce energy waste and make progress towards a greener healthier future,” Johanna Neumann, Senior Director of the Campaign for 100% Renewable Energy wrote in testimony in support of the bill.