AUGUSTA – Gov. John Baldacci has given his Cabinet and staff until mid-July to come up with recommendations to tackle the growing energy crisis – from actions the governor could take by executive order to legislation that may require a special session of the Legislature this summer.

“I am looking at anything and everything,” Baldacci said in an interview Thursday. “Work rules, more use of car pools and van pools, telecommuting. I am looking at more public transportation, at more rail. I am looking at expanding LIHEAP [the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program], and I have asked the commissioners to look at everything. We can’t dilly-dally. We need to take action.”

Baldacci said he has reactivated the Pre-emergency Energy Assistance Task Force, which he created last fall to look at short-term issues of both price and availability of various fuels. The panel is to make recommendations to him by July 15.

At the same time, the governor’s staff and Cabinet have been charged to also look at longer-term issues of conservation, alternative energy sources and ways to meet his goal to reduce Maine’s dependence on oil for its energy needs.

“Stuff that needs to be done by executive order, I will do,” Baldacci said. “Stuff that needs to be brought before the Legislature, I will bring the Legislature in. It is that crucial.”

The governor said there are many programs available for individuals and businesses to reduce energy consumption. He pointed to Efficiency Maine, whose Web site is www.efficiencymaine.com. Administered by the Public Utilities Commission and paid for by an assessment on utility bills, it offers programs ranging from subsidies for compact fluorescent bulbs to energy audits for businesses.

“What we are developing is a new Web site that brings all the various programs onto one site with links to more information,” Baldacci said. “Now is the time to be taking steps to save energy next winter.”

He said existing programs are successful and may need to be expanded to meet greater demands as energy prices continue to increase.

The Efficiency Maine programs are costing about $14 million this year and are paid for by an assessment of .00145 cents per kilowatt-hour on both residential and business electric bills. That’s a little more than 7 cents a month on an average 500 kilowatt-hour light bill. PUC spokesman Fred Bever said the program has saved millions of dollars since it was implemented.

“Since its inception in 2004 and up until the end of 2007, Efficiency Maine had provided education, assistance and cash incentives for Mainers and Maine businesses and other organizations [including schools] which, over the lifetime of the programs and installations will save them $187 million in avoided electricity payments,” he said.

There are also energy loan programs available from both the Finance Authority of Maine (www.famemaine.com) for businesses and from the Maine State Housing Authority (www.mainehousing.org) for individuals. The governor said Mainers can use the loans to insulate their homes, replace windows and replace old heating systems and reduce their energy consumption.

John Kerry, director of the Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security, is leading the effort to coordinate steps the state may take to address its energy needs.

The task force Baldacci has reactivated has several subcommittees with broad responsibilities. They are reviewing potential programs that range from cleaning and tuning furnaces for low-income Mainers to a fundraising effort to provide additional assistance to LIHEAP recipients to pay for oil next winter.

One subcommittee is planning for any emergencies that may develop and another is looking at ways to finance “large-scale” energy-efficiency projects, such as the possible conversion of Katahdin Paper in Millinocket from oil to wood for its energy needs.

The subcommittees include lawmakers, state and local officials, and representatives of utilities, local oil companies and charitable and religious groups.

“I am also going to look at what we can do as a region to address this,” Baldacci said. “I will be convening a meeting of the New England governors on July 9 and 10 to look at what we can do as a region.”

Baldacci, who is chairman of the New England Governors’ Conference, said the Boston meeting will deal with energy issues ranging from the high cost of heating oil, which is used by most homeowners in the region, to electricity transmission lines.

“Energy is the top issue facing us,” Baldacci said. “We have to address this for now and for the future.”