AUGUSTA — The controversy over a $3 million energy grant that went to a politically-connected group may lead to a new law to subject state and federal grants to a competitive process. On Tuesday, the legislature’s government oversight committee voted unanimously to begin the process of writing legislation that would make it hard to awardMore

AUGUSTA — A state audit has found that the agency in charge of all of the state’s energy programs gave a $3 million grant to a startup non-profit that was incapable of taking on the responsibility of the contract. And while the audit found no misuse of funds, it concluded that Efficiency Maine Trust shouldMore

AUGUSTA — Lawmakers Wednesday strongly condemned the potentially illegal leak of parts of a confidential state investigation of a now-defunct energy group, the Maine Green Energy Alliance, and its state sponsor, the Efficiency Maine Trust. They also said the leak was designed to cast both organizations in the best light possible before the formal releaseMore

AUGUSTA — The head of the state’s accountability agency promised a legislative committee on Friday to “follow the money” as she investigates the $1.1 million grant that went to a now defunct energy group. The bipartisan Government Oversight Committee voted unanimously to not only order the probe by the Office of Program and Government AccountabilityMore

Sparks flew, the gavel banged and tempers flared Friday as lawmakers debated whether to have the Legislature’s watchdog agency conduct a formal inquiry into the now-defunct Maine Green Energy Alliance. Despite the rancor between the top Republican and Democrat on the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, committee members — who have spentMore

The energy group with strong ties to the Democratic party that won — and then forfeited — a $1.1 million stimulus grant spent $6,000 for a database from a technology company devoted to promoting Democratic candidates and causes. Maine Green Energy Alliance used the database to canvass homeowners it was trying to persuade to signMore

AUGUSTA — Legislators grilled staff of the Maine Green Energy Alliance for almost three hours Thursday as the first step in an inquiry of the failed federal stimulus grantee. News reports have detailed recently how the organization founded by a prominent Democratic lawyer got a $3 million federal Department of Energy grant in 2010, inMore

Gov. Paul LePage said this week that it is “imperative” to find out if the state exercised appropriate oversight of the Maine Green Energy Alliance, which recently surrendered the balance of a $1.1 million contract with Efficiency Maine Trust after it failed to make progress in meeting milestones set by the agency. After five monthsMore

Correction appended at bottom The Maine Green Energy Alliance, which last week announced it was returning the balance of its $1.1 million government contract to promote home retrofits after it had fallen well behind its goals, says it is a nonpartisan organization. But an examination of the Hallowell-based group shows that of its 13-member staff,More

A program funded by a $3 million government grant to market home energy retrofits in Maine abruptly shut down its operation late last week. Records show that almost six months into its first year of the no-bid contract under the grant, the Maine Green Energy Alliance had signed up only 50 households for energy retrofits,More