PORTLAND — Environmental groups say an energy efficiency settlement plan approved by the Maine Public Utilities Commission doesn’t go far enough to save Mainers money.
The state’s Efficiency Maine Trust had originally submitted a three-year plan with projected lifetime savings of $875 million. The approved plan saves about $250 million less.
In a statement, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, which signed onto the settlement, said it is glad efficiency programs won’t be disrupted. But the group said the commission worked to reduce energy efficiency spending by reducing a Legislature-approved cap on such spending by millions and relying on “confidential energy price forecasts” instead of a regional estimate used by other New England states.
The settlement says the commission used a different set of models supported by two reports prepared by consultants.
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