Dive Brief:

• Maine senators have unanimously voted to approve a simple fix to the state's energy efficiency law, simply re-inserting a missing word -- "and" -- that will result in about $38 million more in funding.
• A 2013 energy initiative intended to cap efficiency spending at about $60 million, including a surcharge on more efficiency lightbulbs, but the Public Utilities Commission took a literal reading of the law and instead capped spending at $22 million.
• What could have been a relatively simple solution has turned into a political battle, with Maine Gov. Paul LePage attempting to expand his powers in what has become a budget-related showdown. 

Dive Insight:

Maine's struggle to fix its energy efficiency funding -- almost $40 million off the table because of a missing conjunction -- appears simple. But it isn't.

Lawmakers in the House last month voted 138-1 to simply add the "and" back into the legislation, calling it a "clean fix." The Senate has now voted unanimously to do the same, which would appear to fast-track the bill for either LePage's signature or a veto-override. But LePage has indicated he will veto the bill unless it also elevates the commissioner of energy position to a cabinet-level appointment.

The Portland Press Herald reports House Minority Leader Kenneth Fredette (R) has placed a hold on final approval, after earlier indicating he would not. Even if the legislation is finally approved and sent to LePage, there is no guarantee lawmakers will override the governor. The newspaper notes that in similar past situations, enough Republicans later changed their vote so bills came up short of a two-thirds majority.

State regulators could have corrected the problem without additional legislation. But in March, faced with a vote on whether it would regard the legislative intent of the 2013 omnibus law, the PUC voted 2-1 to take the wording of the law literally and cut funds from the efficiency program.

Efficiency Maine subsidized 2.5 million efficient light bulbs and helped 3,000 businesses in Maine convert to more efficient equipment.