AUGUSTA – The committee hearing room overflowed Wednesday at the State House for the presentation of LD 1181, the “Green Jobs, Green Savings” initiative. Local Reps. Alex Cornell du Houx, D-Brunswick, and Peter Kent, D-Woolwich, were among the almost 100 co-sponsors of the bill sponsored by Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham.

The bill, authored by Opportunity Maine, was presented to the Joint Select Committee on Maine’s Energy Future, which took public testimony on a number of bills related to Maine’s energy security and independence.

“With the Brunswick Naval Air Station closing we are actively working to transition the base into a vibrant facility that centers around workforce development in the green industry, which is a critical part of this bill,” said Cornell du Houx in his testimony on Wednesday. “This bill will help Maine become a leader in the green economy and promote economic development through workforce education and regional implementation.”

At present, Mainers spend about $3 billion annually on non-transportation energy supply. The “Green Jobs” bill would re-channel 9 percent or less of that spending into purchasing efficiency, which energy professionals agree costs less than supply, and generates more jobs.

Using what they call highly conservative numbers, the bill’s architects predict a net savings for Maine residents of roughly $10 billion due to the ten-year energy savings effort. At the same time, they predict that the bill will easily generate over 10,000 lasting and well-paying jobs.

“Maine needs to take these steps to reduce our long-term energy costs and increase our energy independence,” said Kent. “As a small business person and a home builder an initiative like this couldn’t come at a better time.”

Measures would include free energy audits to all Maine homes, as well as professional weatherization grants and financing, technical assistance, green standards for new buildings and appliances, and specialized assistance to the industrial, commercial and low-income sectors.

In addition, the bill recommends enhanced workforce development funding and a unified state energy authority with bonding capacity and protected funding. The efficiency entity’s core mission would be to ensure that all heating oil, gas and electricity customers could achieve the highest level of savings, with an overall energy reduction of 30 percent by 2020.

The bill will be discussed further by the committee later this month, with a decision expected in late April or early May.