The Rockland Energy Advisory Committee is in the early stages of developing an energy policy for the City of Rockland. To that end, on September 26, the Committee, consisting of Brooks Winner, chairman; Hannah Barrows, Nathan Davis, Peyton Feener, Gil Munden and Bill Pearce, hosted a well-attended community energy forum at City Hall at which a panel of experts discussed local energy policies in Maine and elsewhere.

The panel included Sharon Klein of the University of Maine, Kathleen Meil of the Acadia Center, Tyler Kidder of GrowSmart Maine, and Lucy Brennan of the City of South Portland. We thank our panelists who generously donated their time, as well as the enthusiastic and engaged audience. Watch the forum at https://tinyurl.com/rockland-energy-forum.

Among other topics, the forum covered energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, the limits imposed by current state law and regulation, and the policies and goals that other municipalities have set. Lucy Brennan, for example, shared how South Portland has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050, as well as some of the steps it has taken and will take to achieve that goal.

The committee wants to gather as much feedback from Rockland residents and businesses as possible about what they would like to see in an energy policy for Rockland. The committee invites them to take a short, simple online survey to share thoughts: https://tinyurl.com/rockland-energy-survey.

The process of developing an energy policy for Rockland will take months, and citizens will have many opportunities to offer input. The committee invites them to follow the process, make their voice heard, and help Rockland remain a leader in the world of Maine energy policy.

The Rockland Energy Advisory Committee