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LePage Aims to Cut Prices, Transform Maine's Energy Future

    AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) _ Governor Paul LePage is making an aggressive push away from the renewable energy policies of his predecessor, John Baldacci, as he looks to open the door to more hydropower from Canada and natural gas to bring down Maine's electricity costs.

    While many of LePage's past energy efforts have fallen flat, he will have an opportunity to strengthen his influence this spring when he replaces the last remaining Democratic appointee to the agency that regulates the state's utilities.

    But he faces resistance from the state's powerful environmental lobby, which says LePage's tendency to favor only the cheapest forms of energy today could be costly in the long run.

    Maine's electricity costs are the lowest in New England but are well above the national average.