A new law in Maine, LD 1969, directs the Maine Public Utilities Commission to require that any renewable energy project in the state receiving $50,000 or more in state funding to meet certain labor standards, including paying prevailing wages. The law also provides that in soliciting bids for state support for renewable energy projects, the Public Utilities Commission should “consider whether a majority of the individuals working on an assisted project are members of an entity that is employee-owned, including but not limited to an entity that offers employee stock ownership plans.”

The Maine law is the first state law in the country to provide a specific employee ownership preference for using state contracting resources.