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<DIV>Good morning All, Many issues have come up this week that need quick
sorting out and I will prioritize them for Tuesdays meeting and get out an
agenda later on. This article in todays Press Herald on "green
standards" is timely to one of our planned topics.
Best, Mark</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 12pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> <A href="http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=61109&ac=PHnws"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt"><FONT color=#990000><< back to story
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 7.5pt 0in 0pt"><STRONG><SPAN class=hed9><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">State
urged to set rules for new-home energy efficiency </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></STRONG></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 7.5pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">State House: Advocates say
<st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State> is
way behind on standards that would save owners cash and cut pollution.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 7.5pt 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN class=author3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><EM>By JOHN RICHARDSON,
Staff Writer</EM></SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">February 1,
2008</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break" clear=all><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: right" align=right><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><IMG SRC="cid:X.MA2.1201867652@aol.com" height=401 alt="Jack Milton/Staff Photographer" width=300 border=0 v:shapes="_x0000_i1026" DATASIZE="71127" ID="MA2.1201867652" ><BR></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt; COLOR: #524d30; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Jack
Milton/Staff Photographer</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 12pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Mark James of WarmTech
Solutions sprays cellulose insulation into walls at Clearwater Bend, a
housing project in Westbrook. <BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"><BR style="mso-special-character: line-break"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 12pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><st1:State w:st="on"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Maine</SPAN></st1:State><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"> is the only <st1:place w:st="on">New England</st1:place> state without mandatory
<BR>energy-efficiency standards for new homes, but that may <BR>change
soon as lawmakers take up two proposals aimed at <BR>reducing the
financial and environmental costs of heating
<BR>houses.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">One proposal was
introduced Thursday in a report from <BR>several state agencies calling
for the adoption of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State>'s first <BR>statewide uniform
building code together with energy-efficiency
<BR>standards.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The other is a bill
that would establish minimum standards <BR>for insulation, energy-saving
windows and other things, and <BR>provide tax incentives for new homes
that are built to save even <BR>more energy. Environmentalists, and at
least some home <BR>builders, are backing the
effort.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"We have a lot of
builders out there who are still using <BR>insulation products that are
substandard for the kind of homes <BR>we want to build today," said Ashley
Richards, owner of <BR>construction and insulation businesses in Westbrook
and vice <BR>president of the Homebuilders and Remodelers Association of
<BR>Maine.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Energy-efficient
homes can save fuel and money the same <BR>way energy-efficient cars do,
he said. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"If you use a better
product and install it properly, you will <BR>actually be putting money in
your pocket," Richards said. "The <BR>rest of the country is 20 years
ahead of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State>."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Conservationists say
the code would save homeowners <BR>money and reduce global warming
pollution that is generated by <BR>burning oil, the heating fuel of choice
in eight out of 10 <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State> <BR>homes.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"We believe that
people deserve to know that their home <BR>meets some minimum standard,"
said Dylan Voorhees of the <BR>Natural Resources Council of
Maine.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">With heating oil
prices at near-record highs, advocates say <BR>the idea's time may finally
have arrived. It has been proposed in <BR>past sessions, but "there just
wasn't the momentum and <BR>attention to the issue," Voorhees
said.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">It's unclear whether
the idea will face any opposition this <BR>year.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The Maine Municipal
Association has objected to past <BR>efforts because of the cost and
enforcement burden it could <BR>place on small towns. Most <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State> towns have no
building codes <BR>and no code enforcement officers.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">A lobbyist for the
association could not be reached for an <BR>interview
Thursday.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The bill submitted
to the Legislature this week would set up <BR>a system to train and
register private inspectors. In towns with <BR>no code enforcement
officers, builders could hire the private <BR>inspectors to certify that
new homes meet the standards.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Because there are no
inspections now, it's unknown how <BR>many homes are built in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Maine</st1:State></st1:place> that do not
meet the <BR>standards.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"In southern
<st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State>,
probably very few developers are <BR>building them that would not be up to
code, but it can happen," <BR>said Sen. Philip Bartlett, D-Gorham, sponsor
of the bill. "We've <BR>certainly heard anecdotally that some (builders)
are."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The proposed
standards are considered minimal and are not <BR>expected to make homes
less affordable to buy. And, supporters <BR>say, they are sure to make
some homes more affordable to live <BR>in.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">"Sometimes it can be
done less expensively and the savings <BR>easily make up for any increased
mortgage payment," <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bartlett</st1:place></st1:City> <BR>said. "This is not a
high-end standard."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Agencies that build
affordable homes in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State>, including <BR>the Maine State
Housing Authority and nonprofits, have made <BR>energy-efficient
construction a major goal because it lowers <BR>housing costs over
time.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Clearwater Bend, an
affordable-apartment complex that's <BR>under construction in Westbrook,
is an example of housing <BR>that's already far more energy-efficient than
would be required <BR>under the proposed standards, according to the
builders.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Bartlett</SPAN></st1:place></st1:City><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">'s bill includes a state tax
incentive for homes that <BR>go beyond the proposed standards and meet
more stringent <BR>federal Energy Star efficiency guidelines.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">There already is a
federal tax credit, but such homes are <BR>rarely built in <st1:State w:st="on">Maine</st1:State>, compared with <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New Hampshire</st1:place></st1:State> and others <BR>states,
according to advocates.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">No hearing has been
scheduled yet on <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bartlett</st1:place></st1:City>'s bill.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The proposal
introduced Thursday is the product of a joint <BR>study by the State
Planning Office and other state agencies, and <BR>is expected to become
the basis of a separate bill.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The proposal, which
also includes a broader set of <BR>construction standards, does not
include tax incentives for <BR>energy efficiency or third-party
inspectors. It would impose <BR>energy-efficiency standards only on towns
with at least 2,000 <BR>residents - those that already are required to
have code <BR>enforcement officers. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">The proposal does
call for a state program to train local <BR>inspectors to enforce the
standards. The program would cost <BR>more than $200,000 a
year.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Any proposal that
requires money through the state's <BR>General Fund is sure to be a tough
sell this year. In this case, the <BR>money for training can be generated
through fees or other <BR>revenue rather than from taxpayers, said Sue
Inches, deputy <BR>commissioner of the State Planning
Office.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Staff Writer John
Richardson can be contacted at 791-6324 <BR>or at:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">jrichardson@pressherald.com<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P><SPAN class=fixedmd2><I><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana">Copyright 2008 Blethen
Maine Newspapers</SPAN></I></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana"><BR><BR><A href="http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=61109&ac=PHnws"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 7pt"><FONT color=#990000><< back to story
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P></DIV></FONT></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">Start the year off right. <A title="http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489" href="http://body.aol.com/fitness/winter-exercise?NCID=aolcmp00300000002489" target="_blank">Easy ways to stay in shape</A> in the new year. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>