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“According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the share of Maine households using oil as their primary source of heat dropped more than six percent between 2022 and 2023, the largest decrease since at least 2010.
In 2010, about 70 percent of Maine households were reliant on oil as their primary heating source compared to just over 50 percent in 2023.
Gov. Janet Mills (D) connected this change to the rise in heat pump usage during her administration.”
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“In 2023, Mills touted that Maine had met her goal of installing 100,000 heat pumps in the state two years ahead of schedule.
In light of this, she instituted an updated benchmark of having an additional 175,000 heat pumps installed by 2027.
‘Since taking office, Governor Mills has prioritized action against climate change in Maine through reducing carbon emissions, transitioning to renewable energy, and making Maine communities more resilient to climate effects,’ the Mills administration said of the accomplishment in a press release.
Shortly thereafter, the United States Climate Alliance — of which Mills is a co-chair — announced a new commitment to increasing heat pump usage nationwide four-fold by 2030.”
Launched on June 1, 2017 by the governors of Washington, New York, and California to help fill the void left by the previous administration’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, the Alliance has grown to include 24 governors from across the U.S. representing approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population. Governors in the Alliance have pledged to collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025, at least 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030, and collectively achieve overall net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as practicable, and no later than 2050.
The Alliance’s states and territories continue to demonstrate that climate action goes hand-in-hand with economic growth, job creation, and better public health. While reducing collective greenhouse gas emissions by 19%, Alliance members increased their collective GDP by 30%. The coalition’s states and territories are employing more workers in the clean energy sector, achieving lower levels of dangerous air pollutants, and preparing more effectively for climate impacts and executing more pre-disaster planning than the rest of the country.
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