Congressman Mike Michaud

FEATURES

A Costly Heat Wave

Summers in Maine are widely celebrated for their relaxed pace, stunning scenery, and moderate temperatures.  Unfortunately, Mainers have recently found themselves sweltering under the heat wave that is burning across the country, and instead of enjoying our beautiful outdoors we find ourselves in front of fans and air conditioners.

After toughing through a cold winter, Mainers are usually able to look forward to a more pleasant summer — and one that is a lot easier on our wallets.  But this year, our energy costs may be just as high for summer cooling as for winter heating.  The energy used to power fans, air conditioners, and other summer appliances has dug a hole even deeper into Mainers’ budgets — budgets that were already depleted by the skyrocketing price of gas for our cars. 

I have been working for policies to help lower the prices of gasoline and energy, both in the short term and in the future as well.   I have cosponsored several pieces of legislation in Washington.  One is a resolution demanding that the President take a number of steps to lower the price of fuel, including seeking an immediate increase in the production of oil by OPEC.

Another is a bill to create a tax credit for working families of up to $500 per household in years when gas prices increase rapidly, like this year. While not offsetting all of the increased costs, this would be a welcome piece of financial relief for those who are hardest hit by high prices.  I have also supported legislation to force the Federal Trade Commission to punish price gougers.

Finally, given the immense profits that energy companies are making, it is time to repeal the billions of dollars in subsidies and other giveaways to the oil companies that the Congressional Leadership forced through the Congress last year. Last year, ExxonMobil’s $36 billion profit set an all-time record in United States corporate history.  Americans are paying twice as much for gasoline as they paid in 2001, while oil companies are making triple the profits of 2002.  They don’t need more of these corporate subsidies.

Of course, in the long run, the more enduring solution to high energy costs is to develop alternative fuels using biomass and renewable energy sources like solar power.  We also need to increase energy efficiency in our country through steps like increasing the minimum standards for gas efficiency in our cars.

I am hopeful that some of this legislation in Congress will be passed soon and will help to bring down prices.  In the meantime, there are some small steps that we all can take to lower our energy costs.  Creating ventilation in attics allows heat to escape, cooling the house.  Shading windows, both inside and out, is also helpful for reducing interior temperatures — this is most effective using outside shutters, but indoor curtains work as well.    These steps help us to use less air conditioning and lower costs.

Also, for new home buyers or people who are remodeling, choosing energy efficient appliances whenever possible can produce savings on energy costs in the long-term, and usually pay for themselves. There are also low-cost changes that we can make, like installing programmable thermostats that reduce air conditioning during the day and using fluorescent light fixtures. 

More energy conservation tips can be found at the Maine State Energy Program at: http://www.maine.gov/msep.         

The whole delegation is working hard to address the high cost of energy.  In the meantime, we can all take small steps to cut our own costs, and to try to beat the heat.

8/3/2006 1:07:21 PM