“Catastrophe” Awaits Maine: Angus King

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://ellsworthmaine.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15203&Itemid=232

“Catastrophe” Awaits Maine: Angus King

Written by Tom Walsh
Thursday, June 19, 2008

New Energy Sources Urgently Needed

...

“This is a human catastrophe coming at us in the state of Maine in terms of energy supply and costs,” King said last week at a daylong seminar on harnessing tidal energy and offshore wind to confront runaway energy costs, costs he sees as a direct threat to Maine being habitable.

“This winter, the cost of fuel oil is going to more than double,” he said. “What’s being quoted now is $4.96 — $5 a gallon. That’s $1,000 to fill up your tank in the basement one time, and most people are going to have to fill up their tank six times.

“How is somebody who is making $350 or $400 a week going to pay to fill up the tank to keep warm? How are they going to pay to fill up the truck to get to work? This is, I think, the most serious crisis to ever face the state of Maine.”

...

King told an audience of 120 state, regional and national experts on alternative energy concepts that the time for talk is over and that solutions need to be found and implemented. An investor in an onshore wind farm in western Maine, King said the greatest and most reliable source of wind energy is in deep water, some 25 miles offshore. Although the technology for harnessing that wind energy has yet to be developed outside of Europe, it better be soon, he warned.

...

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I am very glad to hear Gov. king speaking out about this, because he is right.

[seemunkee]

2. I was talking to my oil supplier today.

Last fill in April up was 3.90 per gallon. Currently it is 4.85. I'm looking at close to $1000 per month for Dec, Jan and Feb. Looking into alternatives, at minimum a newer more efficient oil furnace, possibly geothermal.

[lazyriver]

9. Have you checked out these guys...

Their heat pumps are less expensive alternative to geothermal and they're right here in Bangor, Maine. My neighbor just signed up to have one installed in his home later this summer. He's waiting for them to release their new smallest version.

http://www.gotohallowell.com/index.php

[seemunkee]

10. Thanks

I'm in MD not ME, but the local company that installs geothermal also carries those heat pumps. I'll check all my options before making any changes

[kestrel91316]

11. Take in a boarder and charge enough monthly rent to offset

the increased fuel costs?

[melody]

3. This is just the beginning

We really need to put together some kind of grass roots effort to help people like this.

[roguevalley]

8. I hug you, Melody. you have a big heart. I also agree. we have to

make change from the bottom up. We need a day a month when the entire nation abstains from buying petrol.

[eShirl]

4. k&r

[rosesaylavee]

5. Massachusetts is like that too.

Just found out my family there uses oil for winter fuel. Amazingly expensive. They are upper middle class and may be fine this winter - if the price continues into the next winter, not good. And they live in a modest-sized home.

[AndyTiedye]

6. Most People Heat With Oil in New England

It used to be the cheapest way to heat your home.

[NNadir]

7. You mean that in Maine 357,580 > 586,156?

First off, you're being ridiculous. Maine is 100% powered by renewable energy.

I read it right here on the E&E forum from a Mainer and a Maine sockpuppet.

The idea that Maine went from being a state where 77% of the electricity was produced by climate change gas free energy in 1990 to a state where 49% of the electricity is produced by dumping dangerous fossil fuel waste into the atmosphere.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/st_profiles/sept05me.xls

For the last six years I've been hearing how wonderful renewables in Maine are and how Maine is not a dangerous fossil fuel waste dumping state.

The numbers seem to tell a very different story. But don't worry, a fundie here told me that the numbers from the EIA don't count because they don't say what the fundie wants them to say.