[Local-Maine-Schools] Fw: Baldacci's legacy in the making

[skip greenlaw]

Here is another sad story about our government in Maine.

Skip
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Ralph Chapman 
To: skipgreenlaw 
Cc: rchapman.cea at gmail.com 
Sent: Saturday, October 24, 2009 11:56 PM
Subject: Baldacci's legacy in the making


Skip,

I've often wondered how our Governor could mess things up worse.  The big three citizen concerns are health care, education, and energy.  He started out with the Dirigo Plan which shut down the significant drive toward a single payer plan.  Then he bungled the school consolidation.  Now he has succeeded in making a serious mess out of energy conservation services.

I could provide you details of his plan (enacted by the legislature) to consolidate energy conservation services (home weatherization, for instance) in a non-governmental entity called Efficiency Maine Trust.  But the news I got today (I still haven't confirmed the rumors) is that the MaineHousing trained and certified energy auditors are not being recognized by the ARRA-funded statewide weatherization program being launched by Efficiency Maine.  Hundreds of people who paid to get the training and who bought the equipment are shut out.

A flavor of the problem can be seen in the text of an email I got today as part of a list of MaineHousing trained energy auditors.  I have pasted it below.

I bring this to your attention because sentiment about school consolidation is not so strong in areas relatively unaffected by it, whereas some may be able to understand the problem in connection with our Governor's other missteps.

--Ralph Chapman
rchapman.cea at gmail.com



Today I attended a series of short talks at the Unitarian Church in Ellsworth.  One of those speaking was Richard Bacon of Efficiency Maine.  Efficiency Maine is taking over the Energy Auditor Certification.  He said that they're going to have a program to encourage energy efficiency improvements for middle income households.  

WE'RE NOT INVITED.

They will only use BPI Certified Auditors.  This will cost additional money to get certified.  You want to play?  You have to pay off the new bosses.  The new course is $1500.  No grandfathering us in.  

Over 600 people were certified by Maine Housing, because Gov. Baldacchi said we'd be needed.  Now I guess they don't need us any more.  600 Times $550 for the course is a third of a million dollars.  Ten percent of us buying a blower door and a camera each is about another half million.  And we're shut out.

It's official.  I'm angry.



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