AUGUSTA
More than a hundred people rallied at the State House on Thursday for a solar bill sponsored by Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, co-chair of the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee.
Organized by the Natural Resources Council of Maine, activists gathered in front of the Cross Building at the Capital wearing yellow, chanting and singing a rousing rendition of “You Are My Sunshine.”
Berry’s bill, “An Act to Protect and Expand Access to Solar Power In Maine,” establishes net metering into law, a policy that the Maine Public Utilities Commission wants to wind down over the next 15 years. The proposed legislation would ensure that individuals and businesses with solar equipment can sell energy back to the grid. It also removes a current rule that limits the number of investors in a solar farm to 10 people.
“I believe firmly that we can win on this bill this year and we can do what we were so close to a year ago,” said Berry.
“The bill that so many of you have been working so hard on, as you know, is a win for Maine’s economy,” he added. “It’s a win for jobs. It’s a win for our environment. It is a win for rates. And that will be argued today.”
Woolwich Selectwoman Allison Hepler also spoke at the rally about a solar farm that that the town is working to build in Woolwich, which was approved at the town meeting on Saturday.
“Woolwich is a town that is slow to embrace change, and I couldn’t be more proud of our decision last Saturday,” said Hepler. “And with this we’ve made an investment in our future.”
“If Woolwich is taking this step, the rest of Maine must be ready,” she continued.
Following the rally, Berry returned to the State House to cast votes while many activists prepared to offer testimony at a public hearing for the bill later in the afternoon.
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