Dear Editor:

Developing smart public policy can be a politically frustrating, messy and complicated process.

Good farsighted leadership is essential, as are honesty, integrity and intelligence.

The recent demise of comprehensive solar energy legislation (LD 1649) comes to mind.

Governor LePage was adamantly opposed to LD1649 and has openly admitted he does not like solar energy.

Our State Representative, Stephanie Hawke, supported the governor in voting against LD 1649 and then voting to sustain the governor’s veto of LD 1649. In Joe Gelarden’s recent column, she indicated her support for the governor on this issue because “I believe the (ordinary) electrical rate payers would be subsidizing the installation of the solar units. And, I believe lots of ordinary folks already have a hard time paying their electric bills.”

LD 1649 was based upon the lengthy deliberations of a broad cross section of special interests involved with solar energy. Despite this arrangement, consensus was reached. The resulting legislation was comprehensive and would have put Maine on a competitive economic playing field with other New England States already generating many solar energy jobs. It was estimated that the implementation of LD 1649 would have created 600 or so new, good-paying jobs. Apparently Representative Hawke does not want these new jobs.

During discussions on LD 1649, the LePage administration argued that solar-system owners’ receiving net energy billing for electricity increases the cost of electricity for non-solar ratepayers. The Maine Office of the Public Advocate found, however, that energy ratepayers would actually save $120 to $150 million over 20 years continuing net-metering solar energy. In addition, one should be aware that a study by the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) found the value of solar electricity to be 33 cents per kilowatt-hour. This is considerably above the current retail price of conventional power sources.

The argument that those installing solar energy systems would be subsided by non-solar users of electricity is also a myth. Maine has not provided a cash incentive (tax credits or rebates) to support a solar installation. There is a 30 percent federal tax credit currently in effect until 2029 to help encourage investments in solar energy.

Common sense and the facts relating to LD 1649 were apparently incomprehensible and all but ignored by Representative Hawke. I find this kind of public policy making unacceptable and certainly not worthy of her reelection.

Nicholas Barth

Boothbay