Hannah Pingree’s OpEd “Bold energy policies are critical for Maine,” (BDN, July 15) is just one more example of why nearly 16 years of Democratic leadership has taken this state into poverty and disarray. The state is broken and Ms. Pingree is advocating for more programs.

More government programs will mean more taxes for an already overtaxed population. This in turn will only add to the problem of few jobs. Maine has already built a reputation of being hostile to businesses. Increasing the tax burden will only make it worse. The answer to the pending energy problem this fall is not more government programs.

Alternative energy is a nice mantra but it does nothing to help the most needy in the state, or even the middle class for that matter. I checked into solar energy for my house. Granted, I am accepting what a single Maine company quoted me, but it would cost me $117,000 to put in enough solar to cover my electric bill, which is $130 to $200 per month. That would be without changing my lifestyle.

Now a liberal Democrat is going to accuse people like me of being the problem because I use too much electricity. That just avoids the issue. Even if I cut my electricity consumption, solar is not cost-effective. Solar doesn’t help the poor or even middle class because even if it worked in Maine, it is not cost-effective or affordable.

Why not try wind power? That would be nice and I am looking into options. So far I have learned that I have to get approval from the planning board to put up a windmill and then if anyone complains, and you know they will, I might have to fight in court to get permission. That would be a real cost-saver.

I also learned from one company, which no longer sells windmills in Maine, that the manufacturer of this particular windmill had more than 1,500 lawsuits against it for faulty products. I asked if there was anyone else who sells windmills in Maine, or a different brand. They said no. Maybe they just didn’t want to be helpful after I told them I couldn’t afford their solar product.

I have also learned that the productivity of a windmill depends on wind patterns. In order to determine if a windmill would provide any significant energy savings, a person should really have a wind study done. There are companies that do this, but I have not yet investigated the cost. My head is spinning just attempting to write about this, let alone figure out if it is cost-effective for me to do it assuming I had permission. My point: The poor and even the middle class in Maine cannot afford alternative energy either.

Hannah Pingree suggests a weatherization program. This is a nice thought. I did that, after a fashion. I built a brand-new home in 2006. Very tight, radiant heat in the basement, a 28-by-48-foot ranch with a daylight basement. I don’t like my house hot so I keep my thermostats set at less than 70, usually 65. I burned 750 gallons of fuel oil last year. At $5 a gallon that’s $3,755 to heat my house this coming winter, and I have a well-insulated and winterized home.

Trying to button up an old house would be the equivalent of spitting on a forest fire. Every little bit helps, but it doesn’t solve the problem. Let’s just pretend that the state is willing to pay $10,000 to button up an old farmhouse for someone who is poor. Let’s pretend they are able to have a fuel bill like mine. I don’t know many poor people who can afford $3,755 for fuel. Heck, I am lower-middle class and I am wondering how I am going to afford it.

So what can be done? First, the state has to do three things: lower taxes, become business friendly and stop environmental extremists from controlling Maine’s energy policies and job market. Second, our senators and representatives need to advocate for a national energy policy that allows all options, nuclear, wind, solar, tidal, coal and more drilling. It will be interesting to see how they vote now that President Bush has lifted the executive ban on offshore drilling. Finally, the people of Maine need immediate relief for this winter.

I am proposing to the Republican State Committee a resolution that I hope will be supported by Republicans and eventually endorsed, in a bipartisan manner, by the full Legislature for a “dollar for dollar” tax credit for those donating to help the poor with heating costs this winter. The details as to how this would work are only preliminary but the concept is solid. Mainers helping Mainers without creating more dependence on a government program. This winter, we are going to need each other, perhaps more than at any other time since the Great Depression.

Ben Redman, who lives in Marshfield, is a state committee member representing Washington County to Maine’s Republican Party. He operates a container redemption and rental businesses in Washington County.