Background
The Committee on Energy, Utilities, and Technology will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, March 13, 2025 at 1:00 PM at
📍 Cross Building, Room 211, 111 Sewall St., Augusta, to discuss LD 342 "An Act to Include Nuclear Power in the State's Renewable Portfolio Standard" and LD 343, "An Act to Direct the Public Utilities Commission to Seek Informational Bids Regarding Small Modular Nuclear Reactors in the State."
If you want to read LD 342, click here: https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?PID=1456&snum=132&paper=&paperld=l&ld=342
If you want to read LD 343, click here: https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?PID=1456&snum=132&paper=&paperld=l&ld=343
If you pick through the left side menu, you can find all kinds of good info!
In lieu of personally testifying in support of this bill, you may testify via Zoom, or by online testimony using the following link: https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/. Do this prior to the public hearing.
⚠️ Note: You really only need to submit testimony for one of the bills, as long as you reference both LD numbers. But, feel free to submit testimony to each one.
See below for EVERYTHING you're going to need to get this done, including testimony!
🔹 Steps to submit testimony online:
1️⃣ Click: "Public Hearing".
2️⃣ Choose a committee: "Energy, Utilities and Technology" - using the drop-down menu.
3️⃣ Choose date: March 13, 2025, 1:00 PM - using the drop-down menu.
4️⃣ Click: LD 342 (or 343, if you want to provide testimony for both separately)
5️⃣ Enter your testimony in the box (or click the checkbox if you want to testify via Zoom).
6️⃣ Complete your contact information.
7️⃣ Click: "I'm not a robot"
8️⃣ Click: "Submit/Register".
Action Time-Window
⚠️ Please consider taking action by March 11, 2025.
Template
The below is a community member's testimony. Feel free to use it, something of your own, or something as simple as "I support LD 342 and LD 343, and "it ought to pass." To get other wording ideas, as online testimony is submitted for this bill, you can see it here: https://legislature.maine.gov/ctl/EUT/03-13-2025?panel=0&time=0&sortdir=0&sortby=2 after clicking on the bill number.
I support LD 342 “An Act to Include Nuclear Power in the State's Renewable Portfolio Standard” and LD 343 “An Act to Direct the Public Utilities Commission to Seek Informational Bids Regarding Small Modular Nuclear Reactors in the State.”
By what I understand, LD 342 includes a source of electrical generation relying on a nuclear power plant constructed after January 1, 2025 in the definition of a renewable capacity resource and a renewable resource. Renewable capacity resources are Class I resources for the purposes of the portfolio supply source requirements applicable to competitive electricity providers in the State.
Also, LD 343 requires the Public Utilities Commission to annually issue a request for informational bids for the establishment in the State of a small modular nuclear reactor, which is a nuclear reactor that has a rated generating capacity of no more than 350 megawatts, is capable of being constructed and operated at a single site on its own or in combination with one or more nuclear reactors and is required to be licensed by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
We as electricity ratepayers throughout the state are paying several hundred dollars more per year for our electricity, to subsidize solar or otherwise “green” energy initiatives. As I see it, we are subsidizing the Chinese solar panel industry, and out-of-state solar panel installation companies, with little to no benefit to us as ratepayers.
With the extremely high cost of our electricity supply, and with Central Maine Power periodically increasing our electricity delivery rate, our state should be working tirelessly to reduce our electricity costs, not watch them continuously go up. I believe nuclear electricity generation is much more efficient and affordable than either solar or wind.
Let’s drive those electricity costs down, not up!
Again, I support LD 342 and 342, and they “ought to pass.”
Credit for the above goes to our community member Danny (@DannyEmerson61) from the South Berwick Republican Committee (@BerwickSouth).
Disclaimer
A community member has shared this personal template for those who wish to express their views on LD 342 and LD 343. This template is not an official PTP position, and using it is entirely up to you. Pine Tree Patriots encourages civic participation but does not endorse or support specific actions or policies. Please remember this is an individual initiative.
Create Your Own Website With Webador