Right now, every Maine electricity customer pays a hidden charge on their monthly bill to cover the cost of the state’s Net Energy Billing (NEB) solar subsidy program. These “stranded costs” — currently around $220 million per year — show up as a line item on your electric bill whether you benefit from solar or not. LD 1223 would move those costs off your electricity bill and into Maine’s General Fund starting in 2027.
While lower electric bills might sound appealing, this approach simply shifts the burden from ratepayers to taxpayers without solving the underlying problem. Instead of eliminating the generous subsidies that force Mainers to overpay for solar power, the bill would bury these costs in the state budget where they’re less visible to the public. Maine taxpayers would still be on the hook for the $4 billion in overly generous solar contracts already locked in, but paying the bill through taxes instead of utility bills.
The real solution isn’t moving these costs around, it’s eliminating the subsidies and mandates that create them in the first place. Maine families shouldn’t have to pay extra for solar developers’ profits, whether through their electric bills or their tax bills.