Emergency 207 Plan Would Deliver Relief at the Pump, Heat Maine Schools, and Double Heating Assistance

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MAINE — Republican gubernatorial nominee Bobby Charles is renewing his call for Governor Janet Mills to bring the Legislature back into session and enact his Emergency 207 Plan, challenging the Governor to stop explaining why she cannot provide relief and start working to deliver it.

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First outlined in his October 1 release, the plan would use $207 million from Maine’s Rainy Day Fund to suspend the state gas tax, cover school heating bills, double heating assistance for qualifying households, and help families facing a heating emergency. It is a concrete alternative to asking Mainers to absorb higher fuel costs while Augusta offers excuses.

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Mills says ending the gas tax would hurt Maine’s highway budget. That objection is not an answer to families struggling to fill their tanks. If the Governor objects to Charles’ approach, she should offer a workable alternative—not treat the need to protect transportation funding as a reason to do nothing.

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A Plan for Relief—not Another Round of Excuses

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Charles’ Emergency 207 Plan identifies an existing source of funding and four immediate priorities:

·       Suspend the state gas tax to provide relief at the pump.

·       Cover school heating bills so higher fuel costs are not passed on to property taxpayers.

·       Double LIHEAP heating assistance for qualifying households.

·       Help families facing a heating emergency get through the winter.

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The proposal puts the Rainy Day Fund to work addressing the financial pressure on Maine households before winter. Charles is calling on Mills to reconvene the Legislature and enact it.

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Protecting roads and bridges matters. So does protecting the ability of Mainers to get to work, heat their homes, and keep their children’s schools warm. The Governor’s responsibility is to work toward a solution—not present those priorities as an excuse for inaction.

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The Governor Has Options. Maine Families Need Action.

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In his October 1 response, Charles challenged the Governor’s office for answering his relief proposal by urging him to call on the President to end the war in Iran rather than addressing the steps Maine could take itself.

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“Governor Mills can’t end a war. She can call the Legislature back to Augusta tomorrow and suspend the state gas tax. That’s her job, and her office would rather talk about anything else,” Charles said in that release.

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Charles has also called for federal action, including releases from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve. His position is straightforward: seek help from Washington while taking action in Augusta. One does not excuse failure to do the other.

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Mainers do not need another explanation of what the Governor cannot control. They need leadership focused on what she can do.

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Winter Is a Deadline

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Charles offers a defined funding source, specific relief measures, and a call for legislative action. Mills should put forward an alternative if she rejects his proposal. Simply defending the status quo does not lower a fuel bill or help a family facing a heating emergency.

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Charles has managed substantial teams and budgets at the national level. He will use that experience to set priorities, demand results, and make government work for Maine taxpayers—not continue the same policies under a different name.

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As Charles said on October 1: “Winter is a deadline, not a talking point. Suspend the gas tax. Heat our schools. Help the families who need it. If Janet Mills won’t act, Maine will elect a governor who will.”

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Cut crime. Cut taxes. No nonsense.

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Learn more and join the movement at BobbyForMaine.com.