Energy office still strapped for plan Officials aim to lead state policy

AUGUSTA – In the year since it was formed, the state energy office has doubled the number of hybrid vehicles in the state fleet and begun using a new kind of heating oil in some office buildings. It has shut off lights at the Capitol and helped Mainers learn more about gasoline and heating oil costs.

But the energy office is still trying to figure out its mission.

When Beth Nagusky started her job as head of the office a year ago, she faced a stack of laws, regulations, executive orders and departmental goals that address energy issues. But there was no comprehensive plan.

Parts of the state’s energy policy exist in more than 100 different places, according to an independent study released last year. Various laws focus on efficiency, affordability, conservation, renewable energy use, and economic development.

“We don’t have one statute that sets forth a state energy policy,” said Nagusky, director of the Office of Energy Independence and Security. “But we have pieces of statutes, and from that you can glean this is our energy policy.”

State Rep. Kenneth Fletcher, R-Winslow, is a member of the Legislature’s Utilities Committee, the body that reviews proposed energy legislation. He said working without a comprehensive energy policy is like building a house without a blueprint.

“What we got into a lot this year was dealing with little pieces, and [they] never really came together as far as a coherent, comprehensive strategy,” he said. “One of the real opportunities is really putting an energy strategy together for the state of Maine.”

In her first year, Nagusky increased the state’s purchase of renewable power, started using a blend of vegetable oil and petroleum diesel to heat some government buildings, and launched a study of laws that encourage sprawl.

With gasoline and home heating oil prices on the rise, her office has become a key player in state government. Throughout the summer, she monitored gasoline prices and offered tips on how to reduce reliance on the fuel.

Mark Hays of the Natural Resources Council of Maine said the Baldacci administration took a big step forward by creating the energy office.

He said the state has paid close attention to transportation costs and mandated that new and retrofitted state buildings meet energy-efficient standards. The state is also buying much of its energy through “greener” power sources, he said.

“The state has done a really good job putting its own house in order. But now it needs to turn its focus outward and look to showing more leadership on developing statewide energy policies,” Hays said.