Maine Climate Council’s Third-Year Action Plan Progress Report Issued

TL/DR –

The Mills administration, three years into its four-year climate plan, issued a progress report. The report showed that it exceeded its target of having 100,000 heat pumps installed by two years and set a new target of 175,000 more by 2027. However, there was only modest growth in registered battery and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, reaching just over 12,000, far from its goal of more than 200,000 by the end of the decade.

Maine’s Climate Action Progress: An Update

Maine’s Mills administration recently published a climate plan progress report as it enters the fourth year of its environmental initiative.

Council co-chair Hannah Pingree, of Maine’s Policy Innovation and Future office, acknowledged increased state and federal funding as a significant factor enabling the plan’s ambitious goals.

Pingree cited the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act as crucial for boosting the green energy market, electric vehicles (EVs), and infrastructure funding.

The council reported an achievement of a milestone two years ahead of schedule: installing over 100,000 heat pumps. The new target is 175,000 additional installations by 2027.

However, the uptake of battery and hybrid plug-in EVs showed modest growth, with registered vehicles reaching just over 12,000, a figure far short of the 200,000 goal for this decade.

Pingree expressed optimism that numbers would improve with the expansion of the state’s charging network and increased availability of EVs.

“Significant market changes will influence Maine’s success in achieving our environmental objectives,” Pingree said.

The state’s climate progress is continually monitored and updated on an online dashboard.

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