“On April 1st, the state of Maine will default, it will not have money to pay the fourth quarter of 2012 Medicaid payments,” Gov. LePage said after he interrupted the work of the Legislature’s Appropriations Committee.

The state’s fiscal year begins in July giving lawmakers three months to work out the issue. LePage went on to tell legislators that their failure to cut $221 million from the budget will force him seek cuts to state education to close the gap.

“I will be calling you back and asking you to give the GPA money so that I don’t have to close nursing homes and we will probably close schools, ” he said. “Or by Feb. 1st, you give me curtailment orders so I can start saving money. This is not normal politics, this not rhetoric.”

But this issue would not be able to be classified under a curtailment order.

Read more ›

President Obama in Maine in 2010 photo by duhoux

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought — and several thousand gave their lives.

We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world. (Applause.) For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. (Applause.) For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. (Applause.) Most of al Qaeda’s top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.

President Obama delivers his third State of the Union. courtesy photo

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. today about the potential for tidal and wind energy off the Maine Coast. Pingree talked about recent reports detailing the potential for tidal power off the Maine coast.

Last week, Energy Secretary Steven Chu released a report detailing the enormous potential for tidal energy off the U.S. coasts.

“Maine’s wave and tidal current resources offer real opportunities to generate renewable energy using water power technologies in the future,” said Energy Secretary Chu. “Together with new advances and innovations in water power technologies, these resource assessments can help to further develop the country’s significant ocean energy resources, create new industries and new jobs in America, and secure U.S. leadership in an emerging global market.”

“There is enough there to meet up to one-third of the country’s energy needs—and he singled out Maine,” said Pingree on the floor of the House.

Read more ›

A day before the State of the State House and Senate Democratic leaders challenged Gov. Paul LePage to set a more positive tone for the year and to, “put aside ideology and extremism. Why LePage chose to give his address on the same night, as President Barack Obama’s State of the Union remains a mystery.

“Too much time has been spent on distractions on needless fighting, on baseless attacks and on extreme policies that don’t create jobs, that don’t help working families and that don’t strengthen our economy,” said House Minority Leader Emily Cain of Orono.

According to a recent Department of Labor report Maine has lost 4,400 jobs since LePage’s was inaugurated. Department of Labor, while unemployment levels have remained flat.

Read more ›

Where are the jobs?

EDITORIALS—

• Where are the jobs?

• Neil Rolde’s compares Teddy Roosevelt’s America to that of President Obama’s Osawatomie campaign setting speech

Statoil’s test offshore floating wind turbine Courtesy photo

MAINE’s CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY PROGRESSES—

• Maine offshore floating wind farms move closer to reality

• REGGI brings in $1.5 million from cap-and-trade program for Maine

• Ecovillage, with its G.O. Logic passive homes is breaking new ground

• Maine residents cut their heating oil use by 45 percent between 2004 and 2009

• Citizen’s initiative to expand clean energy in Maine

• New CMP line helps wind turbines

• Obama’s Better Buildings Initiative announces $2 billion in energy efficiency upgrades—

• Wind farm demonstration for clean energy

MAINE’S INNOVATIVE ECONOMY—

• Revolutionary process for biofuel discovered at UMaine, Orono

• Japanese logging group visits Maine to learn about sustainable practices

• Nation’s only Cellulose nanofibrils plant to be built at UMaine —

BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY—

• Bayside Bowl—bringing community together

• Major Private Sector Commitments to Hire 100,000 Veterans and Military Spouses

• Entrepreneurs across Maine received MTI seed grants

• Bigelow Laboratory partners with industry with new program

• Blackstone invests $3 million into established programs in support of Maine innovation

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS—

See interviews about the next session with two lawmakers

• Insights from Rep. Emily Ann Cain—on the upcoming session and a bond package

• Sen. Justin Alfond — talks about the need for a jobs bond, healthcare and other issues

• Nick Danby— Maine’s youngest political activist

EDUCATION—

• Exclusive interview: Sen. George Mitchell’s scholarship program of the Mitchell Institute

Sen. George Mitchell read his interview

• Southern Maine Community College expands at Brunswick Landing

PEOPLE POWER—

• Same day voter registration on the ballot this November

• Occupy Maine- for how long?

• To evict the Occupy movement breaks with the Constitutional right of assembly

• Hundreds rally to protect Maine against unfounded healthcare cuts

STATEHOUSE NEWS—

• Budget proposal puts citizens at risk and may not be based on real accountancy

• Legislative panel split on fate of Clean Elections —

• Same-Day Voter Registration Restored

HEALTHCARE—

• Regional committee established to advocate for Dorothea Dix Hospital Psychiatric Hospital

• Bill to prevent health insurance rate hikes won’t be heard

• Dirigo Health Agency gets $6 million grant for health insurance exchanges

• Maine Law triggers Chemical Report on toxins in toys and paint- Congress needs to use Maine law as model

COMMUNITY MAINE—

Gov. Baldacci and others honored

• Kennedy dinner honors Gov. Baldacci and other public servants

• First Lady, Michelle Obama, energizes supporters in Maine

“Were it left to me to decide whether we should have government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1787

The Natural Resources Defense Council says Gov. Paul LePage’s recent executive order expanding the standards for “green” timber required for state construction projects would lead to unsustainable wood harvesting.

Early in December LePage announced the broader standards for timber used in new or expanded state building construction. The governor claimed that his order would bolster the state’s forest products industry and protect jobs.

Sami Yassa, a senior scientist with the NRDC, said the broadening of harvesting in the executive mandate would lead to destructive logging. It would be “government-sponsored greenwashing,” he said.

Read more ›

“As the research demonstrates, many of the people who receive care through this program suffer from serious and chronic conditions that require medical attention,” said Dr. Coleman, a geriatric physician as well as an attending physician at the Geriatric Assessment Clinic at Maine Medical Center. “Without MaineCare, these patients will be less likely to receive appropriate and timely care, making their conditions much worse.”

The report where this research is documented was published by Maine Equal Justice Partners. The report analyzed MaineCare’s Childless Adult Waiver program, which provides health insurance for low-income adults in the state.

“The public debate around MaineCare has been driven by political rhetoric and anecdote,” said Sara Gagne-Holmes, executive director of Maine Equal Justice Partners. “As the Legislature considers Gov. LePage’s proposal to eliminate health insurance for low-income adults, we think it’s critical that lawmakers have an accurate understanding of who is served by the Childless Adult Waiver.”

Read more ›

“In my 22 years following the Legislature, I have never seen a committee hand over drafting of a committee bill to unelected citizens,”said Cathy Johnson, North Woods Project Director for the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

Members of a broad coalition of conservation and planning groups are raising concerns about reforms proposed for the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) and how those reforms are being addressed in the Legislature. Maine’s legendary North Woods – the anchor of our forest products and tourism economies and our natural outdoors heritage – stands to pay a high price.

Read more ›

Gov. John Baldacci and Dale McCormick, director of housing, prepare to winterize a home in 2005 for Keep ME Warm. The KeepME Warm program is the first public-private partnership of its kind started by Gov. Baldacci in 2004. photo by Ramona du Houx

This winter the Keep ME Warm initiative aims to buy 100 gallons of fuel for 1,000 Maine families, to keep vulnerable residents healthy, safe and secure this winter. The funds will supplement emergency fuel programs. To fulfill that goal the initiative needs to raise $350,000 to offset cuts to the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, (LIHEAP).

“It is no secret that the current economic challenges in Maine and the country are causing many to have to make difficult choices,” said Lisa Laflin, chairwoman of the United Ways of Maine.

Those challenges mean without help some Maine residents will have to choose between food, rent, prescriptions or heating their homes. In frank terms, people’s lives are at risk and help is needed.

Read more ›

A report on the controversial Republican health insurance overhaul shows that older Mainers and individuals and small businesses in rural areas are now paying more for insurance, while younger, healthier Mainers in urban areas are paying less as a result of the changes to the law.

“The report underscores that this law has created health care winners and losers,” said Rep. Sharon Treat, the lead Democrat on the Insurance committee. “Younger Mainers living in the south will see lower costs from the Republican plan, while older, sicker people or small businesses in rural parts of the state will literally pay the price.”

Read more ›

A protester of Occupy Wall Street. The movement is similar to the Bonus Army protests.

WordPress has reported to me a response to one of my earlier blogs, which was about the Bonus Army of 1932, a forerunner of the current Occupy Wall Street movement, and how on this occasion several thousand World War I veterans were dispersed from their tent city in Washington D.C. by orders to the U.S. Army from President Herbert Hoover.

The person who commented, citing this blog, was an Angelita Fisher and she appears to be connected with an Internet operation called INTEL HUB, which is heavy on support for Congressman Ron Paul and dedicated to opposing “globalism,” whatever that means.

The first part of her response, which is actually unconnected to my blog, seemed somewhat mystifying, asking me to “Examine U.S. military policy during the Cold War from 1946-1989” discussing “policy development, military strategy, nuclear weapons and targeting” and a host of other such esoteric subjects. Her final words, though, still unconnected, were more concrete and within my capability to respond. Ms. Fisher stated: “Despite fighting the Korean War to stalemate and suffering defeat in Vietnam, the U.S. emerged victorious in its four decade long conflict with the Soviet Union. Why?”

Read more ›

“I had hoped that all of these legislative leaders would have had an interest in preserving the integrity of fair and clean elections. It benefits all of us to overcome the widespread perception that politicians can be bought and sold like race car drivers whose corporate sponsors are emblazoned on their jackets,” said Rep.John Hinck. “Instead, Maine Republicans toed the party line to block this important effort to protect Maine’s body politic from special interest influences and ensure the integrity of Maine electoral system.”

Members of the Legislative Council, made up of six Republicans and four Democrats from the House and Senate Leadership, stopped consideration of Hinck’s legislation which would have barred corporations from making contributions to candidates running at the state level in Maine. The legislation, entitled “An Act to Limit to Natural Persons the Right to Contribute to Political Campaigns,” was submitted on the heels of a Montana Supreme Court decision upholding Montana’s ban less than a month ago.

Read more ›

Matt talks about the new coalition that promotes and protects workers and their families courtesy photo

“Today we draw the line,” said Maine Women’s Lobby Director of Public Policy Laura Harper, speaking at a press conference announcing the creation of the Maine Working Families Coalition. “With so many Maine people struggling to make ends meet in the worst recession since the Great Depression, we should be working together to find ways to create jobs – not to punish those who have lost theirs.”

The coalition represents a number of civic, service, religious and business organizations from across the state with the shared goal of a balanced approach to growing Maine’s economy that supports both employers and employees. Coalition members assert that economic security for working families is a necessity for future growth of Maine’s businesses and economy.

Read more ›

Olympia Snowe has been in Congress since 1979. After 33 years as a career Washington politician, Snowe should know better than to assail one party for the current “dysfunction.” While I agree with Snowe’s dismay of the Senate’s failure to enact a budget since 2009, I disagree with her partisan tactics to “pass the buck.” All 100 Senators are responsible for this failure of leadership. If I am given the privilege to represent Maine in the United States Senate, I will not only be calling on Republicans and Democrats alike to compromise, but will work tirelessly to bridge the partisan gap to reach an intelligent and balanced consensus.

Read more ›

Maine Citizens for Clean Energy, a growing nonpartisan coalition of people and organizations committed to strengthening Maine’s energy independence, keeping Maine’s air clean and healthy, creating jobs, increasing energy efficiency, and attracting new clean energy businesses to Maine, responded tonight to Gov. Paul LePage’s State of the State Address.

“Our energy status quo isn’t working,” said Herb Sargent of Sargent Corporation. “Every year, Mainers hand over billions of hard-earned dollars to out-of-state and foreign energy companies. The initiative put forward by Maine Citizens for Clean Energy would help to change that. It would create jobs by investing in energy efficiency, which would help lower electric bills, and it would attract new clean energy businesses to our state. It’s a practical idea that will help put thousands of Mainers to work.”

Read more ›

Maine Can Do Better, a broad coalition of more than 150 partner organizations, held a vigil tonight before Gov. Paul LePage’s State of the State Address to draw attention to his irresponsible and dangerous budget proposals.

“We are here representing the people who cannot be here to speak for themselves. We are here because we believe Maine can do better,” said Betsey Sweet, a founding member of the Maine Can Do Better coalition. “We believe the budget proposal is irresponsible. And while some politicians only think as far as the next election, we are Mainers for the long haul. When we look at the numbers, it is clear that we don’t have a fiscal crisis, we have a priorities crisis.”

Read more ›

ORPC's barge with the company tidal turbine docked in Portland. photo by Ramona du Houx

“Maine’s wave and tidal current resources offer real opportunities to generate renewable energy using water power technologies in the future,” said Energy Secretary Chu. “Together with new advances and innovations in water power technologies, these resource assessments can help to further develop the country’s significant ocean energy resources, create new industries and new jobs in America, and secure U.S. leadership in an emerging global market.”

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released two nationwide resource assessments showing that waves and tidal currents off the nation’s coasts could contribute significantly to the United States’ total annual electricity production, further diversify the nation’s energy portfolio, and provide clean, renewable energy to coastal cities and communities. These new wave and tidal resource assessments, combined with ongoing analyses of the technologies and other resource assessments, show that water power, including conventional hydropower and wave, tidal, and other water power resources, can potentially provide 15 percent of our nation’s electricity by 2030. The reports represent the most rigorous analysis undertaken to date to accurately define the magnitude and location of America’s ocean energy resources.

These resource assessments can help to further develop Maine’s ongoing efforts in tidal technologies, create new jobs and secure Maine’s leadership with Ocean Renewable Power Company, and the University of Maine, in an emerging global market.

Maine was one of the top states for tidal-current power potential, preceded only by Washington state and Alaska. The coast south of Eastport and south of Cross Island were highlighted as spots with larger power potential, according to the report on tidal power. Though the figures are based on some theoretical data, Maine’s tides could generate up to 675 megawatts of total tidal power.

Read more ›