"Staying Warm" News Stories
From Maine Things Considered
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Task Force Sets Woodburning Goal
Reported By: A.J. Higgins Date Aired: 9/26/2008
A special study panel today presented its final recommendations for lessening the state's reliance on foreign oil. The governor's Wood-to-Energy Task Force is suggesting eleven policy actions and an overall goal of converting 10 percent OF Maine's heating oil customers to woodburning systems.
Energy Auditors in High Demand
Reported By: Anne Ravana Date Aired: 9/18/2008
The state's Home Performance Program reports that energy auditors around the state are at high demand. So today an oil company in Hampden announced it has expanded its services to include home energy efficiency evaluations.
Heating Oil Woes Increase
Reported By: Tom Porter Date Aired: 9/15/2008
Reports over the weekend that a Lewiston-based oil delivery service has gone out of business has led to renewed concerns that businesses as well as customers are going to be facing a tough time this winter.
Demand For Wood Pellets Raises Supply Worries
Reported By: Anne Ravana Date Aired: 9/11/2008
With the rising cost of oil prices, many Mainers are purchasing wood pellet stoves to warm their homes. But the sharp increase in demand for pellets has brought supply to a trickle in retail stores statewide, making some consumers worry that their orders won't be filled by the time colder weather arrives.
Heating Oil Companies Consider Their Options
Reported By: Keith Shortall Date Aired: 9/8/2008
With the hint of fall in the air, many Mainers are just now finalizing decisions about how they will heat their homes this winter. Oil? Wood? Wood Pellets? Maybe a combination of all three. The Maine-based companies that serve those consumers have also had decisions to make....whether to stick to what they know...or diversify into the less familiar forms.
Maine DEP Considers Outdoor Boiler Buy-back
Reported By: Anne Ravana Date Aired: 9/8/2008
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection estimates there are about 25 hundred outdoor wood burning boilers heating homes and businesses throughout the state. And some of the older models continue to emit potentially harmful chemicals into local neighborhoods. Now the DEP is considering a buy-back program to entice boiler owners to discontinue their use.
Energy Crisis of the 70s Remembered
Reported By: Mal Leary Date Aired: 9/2/2008
It was 1974; the United States was trying to cope with soaring energy prices triggered by an oil embargo in the wake of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. President Richard Nixon proposed, and Congress passed a national 55 miles per hour speed limit to reduce gasoline consumption.
High Oil Prices Spark Memories of 1979 Crisis
Reported By: Mal Leary Date Aired: 8/22/2008
There were reports of shortages of wood stoves, concerns over the high cost of gasoline, diesel fuel and home heating oil and the Governor established a special energy task force to recommend ways to move Maine away from dependence on imported oil. Sound familiar? There are similarities to this summer, but it was all happening in 1979.
Task Force Developing Energy Plan
Reported By: Anne Ravana Date Aired: 8/20/2008
A special legislative task force formed to develop a plan to help Mainers with heating costs this winter met at the State House today to gather information on the resources available through state agencies and what they may be lacking. As Anne Ravana reports, House and Senate leaders are still in the very early stages of putting together a bipartisan plan.
Governor Proposes $12.6 Million Energy Plan As GOP Repeats Call For Special Session
Reported By: Keith Shortall Date Aired: 8/15/2008
Governor John Baldacci today said that he will not call a special session of the legislature to deal with looming energy concerns this winter. Instead, he unveiled a multi-million dollar plan that he says includes investments in weatherization, fuel assistance, and transportation. GOP leaders, meanwhile, are repeating their call for a special session next week.
BioBricks Gaining Attention as Efficient Fuel
Reported By: Anne Ravana Date Aired: 8/12/2008
There's a home heating biofuel on the market that seems to combine the best qualities of cord wood and wood pellets. They're called BioBricks. They're made from compressed sawdust and wood waste and they're gaining a large following in Maine. Stores around the state are having difficulty keeping BioBricks in stock, and the manufacturer in Connecticut is hoping to open
production facilities in Maine.
A Call for Congress and the Legislature to Greatly Increase Heating Oil Assistance
Reported By: Susan Sharon Date Aired: 8/7/2008
With Maine and New England facing a major heating oil crisis this winter and Governor Baldacci contemplating the possibility of a special Legislative session to address it, community action agencies have come up with an action plan of their own. All ten agencies are asking Congress to appropriate five times as much heating oil assistance as they have in the past and they want Maine lawmakers to ante up another 20 million for emergency "no-heat" situations.
Preparations Underway To Help Cash-Strapped Mainers Heat Their Homes This Winter
Reported By: Keith Shortall Date Aired: 8/4/2008
It's still the height of summer in Maine, but the specter of the coming heating crisis this winter is looming large. The call is out for more help from Washington, while efforts are underway here in the state to help even those who don't qualify for low income programs.
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