• 86 percent see regulations as necessary part of a modern economy
• 78 percent of small businesses say regulations needed to protect small businesses from unfair competition, level playing field with big business

Small business owners see government standards as an important tool to level the playing field with big business. The report, based on a national survey of 500 small business owners, was released today by the American Sustainable Business Council, Main Street Alliance and Small Business Majority.

“Despite the heated rhetoric, regulations simply aren’t small businesses’ top concern,” said John Arensmeyer, founder and CEO of Small Business Majority. “Small businesses can be the jobs engine we need to jumpstart the economy, but not if legislators are focusing on something that isn’t their top problem. Policymakers should listen to what real small businesses are saying and act accordingly.”

“With football at the top of everyone’s mind, if we played the game with no rules the Super Bowl winner would come down to which team was bigger or willing to play dirtier,” said Frank Knapp, Jr., Vice Chair of the American Sustainable Business Council and president and CEO of the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce. “Well, regulations are the rules of the game we call private sector competition. An overwhelming percent of small business owners agree that without fair regulations creating a level playing field, small businesses won’t be able to compete against big businesses. From our perspective, the effort to kill regulations is big businesses’ way of rigging the game in their favor.”

Key findings from the survey include:
• Small business owners see their top problem as weak customer demand, not regulations: 34 percent cited weak customer demand as the most important problem for their business, while only 14 percent named government regulations.
• On the question of what would do the most to create jobs, cutting regulations came in low on the list: the top response was eliminating incentives to move jobs overseas at 24 percent; reducing regulation was fifth at 10 percent.
• Small business owners see an important role for standards and safeguards: 78 percent believe some standards are important to protect small businesses from unfair competition, and 76 percent believe regulations on the books should be enforced.
• Small business owners see regulations as necessary for a modern economy: 93 percent agree their business can live with some regulation if it is fair, manageable and reasonable.
• Small business owners express strong support for specific rules and standards: 78 percent support rules to prevent health insurance companies from increasing rates excessively, 84 percent support food safety standards, 80 percent support product safety standards and 80 percent support disclosure and regulation of toxic materials.
• Small business owners support clean energy policies: 79 percent support ensuring clean air and water, and 61 percent support moving the country towards energy efficiency and clean energy.
• Small businesses believe in streamlining government processes: 73 percent of respondents believe we should allow for one-stop electronic filing of government paperwork.

For more information on these poll findings, visit:

http://www.asbcouncil.org/poll_regulations.html

http://mainstreetalliance.org/5511/poll-regs-economy/

http://smallbusinessmajority.org/small-business-research/downloads/020112_Regulations_Poll_Report.pdf

Poll results reported in this statement represent findings from an Internet survey of 500 small business owners nationwide, commissioned by the American Sustainable Business Council, Main Street Alliance and Small Business Majority, and conducted by Lake Research Partners. The survey was conducted between December 8, 2011, and January 4, 2012. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.4%.

Governor Martin O’Malley of Maryland and U.S. Senator Mark Begich of Alaska, Honorary Chairs of the NewDEAL, recognized Cote for his efforts to grow progress by making clean energy more affordable for Maine’s homes and businesses. Cote joins House Minority Leader Emily Cain as the second NewDEAL Leader from Maine.
 
“Senator Begich and I have joined the NewDEAL because we believe we need to look for fresh ideas not just from the top down in Washington, but also from the bottom up, where innovative leaders like Adam Cote are developing and testing their ideas out on the ground,” said Governor O’Malley, Honorary Co-Chair of the NewDEAL.
 
“In communities throughout the country, rising state and local leaders such as Adam Cote are proving that you can be both pro-growth and progressive. The NewDEAL is designed to foster these types of ideas and these types of leaders,” said Senator Begich, Honorary Co-Chair of the NewDEAL.

“I am proud to be recognized by the NewDEAL for my work to make clean heating affordable for all Mainers and help our country move toward energy independence,” said Cote.
 

Article V, Pt. 3, § 3 reads as follows: “The Treasurer shall not, during the Treasurer’s continuance in office, engage in any business of trade or commerce, or as a broker, nor as an agent or factor for any merchant or trader.”

“If the Treasurer is in violation of his Constitutional duties, the Attorney General should be objective and forthright,” said Dion. “The Constitution is clear. We have every reason to expect an opinion that is consistent with that provided to other Treasurers by the Attorney General’s Office.”

A 1978 legal opinion from then Deputy Attorney General Donald Alexander stated that this kind of activity is a violation of the Maine Constitution.

Dion sent his initial request for an opinion to the Attorney General on Jan. 17. As of Jan. 29, he has not received a response or an indication of when the people of Maine may have a ruling on the matter.

In the two letters requesting a formal opinion from the Attorney General, Dion cited a report from the Bangor Daily News from Dec. 9, 2011, which said the Treasurer, acting as an agent of Popham Beach Club, applied for and was granted a permit to allow year-round catering functions at the beach club. Poliquin represented the beach club at the meeting of the Phippsburg Planning Board, which granted the permit.

Poliquin has refused to make public comments on the inquiry into his business activity and its potential violation of the Constitution.

“The Treasurer’s silence speaks volumes,” said Dion. “He’s not the type to shy away from a camera, so it’s telling that he has dodged the press on this issue at every turn.”

The Treasurer’s business ownership and involvement at the Popham Beach Club have not been listed on his legally required Financial Disclosure form.  The Maine Democratic Party filed an Ethics Complaint against the Treasurer for the omission.

“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.

The coalition urged legislators to take a family- focused approach to a wide range of issues, and speakers attacked L.D. 1725 in particular, a bill to roll back jobless benefits that had a public hearing friday.

“Workers shouldn’t be penalized by having their unemployment insurance delayed just because they had earned vacation time on the books when they were laid off,” said Matt Schlobohm, Executive Director of the Maine AFL-CIO. “The Legislature fixed this problem two years ago and it is senseless to go backwards, especially while so many Maine workers are currently facing the uncertainty and stress of unemployment. We oppose L.D. 1725.”

In addition to delaying assistance, the bill would cut in half the amount of time that unemployed workers have to search for jobs at their prior wage or skill level, eliminate the consideration of childcare and transportation emergencies when penalizing parents looking for work, and would allow the administration to change work search requirements without legislative oversight.

“I know what it is like to struggle to find a job. I have faced unemployment and underemployment in recent years,” said Brenda Akers, a single mother from Lewiston who spoke at the press conference. “I am especially concerned about the part of the bill that would eliminate transportation and child care emergencies as reasons for “good cause” for not participating in re-employment services. This change will only make things harder for parents like me who sometimes have a hard time accessing affordable child care and transportation.”

Zack Keegan, a recent college graduate who lost his temporary employment six months ago, described how he finally decided to apply for jobless benefits after half a year of a fruitless job search.

“When I heard that there was a proposal that would weaken the unemployment insurance program I was stunned,” said Keegan. “I just can’t believe the legislature is focused on making it harder for workers to get this type of support during the worst economic climate in our lifetime. The focus should be on creating jobs.”

The coalition also announced opposition to L.D. 309, which would discourage working Mainers from engaging in collective bargaining in the workplace, L.D. 1680 and L.D. 1693, which would make it more difficult for Mainers to find tax relief through the Circuit-breaker Program and a number of attempts to weaken worker and consumer protections and rights including L.D. 1207 (commonly referred to as the DeCoster bill), L.D. 1786, which would remove Maine’s annual livable wage calculation.

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Members of the Working Families Coalition include: Maine Centers for Women Work and Community, Legal Services for the Elderly, Maine People’s Alliance, Maine Women’s Lobby, League of Young Voters, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, Maine Children’s Alliance, Mabel Wadsworth Health Center, Child Care Services of York County, The Alzheimer’s Association- Maine Chapter, National Association of Social Workers – Maine Chapter, Maine Council of Senior Citizens, Maine Nurses Association, Family Planning Association of Maine, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Disability Rights Center of Maine, Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Business and Professional Women, Maine, Maine Equal Justice Partners, Maine Association of Interdependent Neighborhoods, Maine Center for Economic Policy, American Association of University Women of Maine, Maine AFL-CIO, Consumer for Affordable Health Care, Maine Fair Trade Campaign, Equality Maine, AFSCME Council 93 Maine, Maine State Employees Association/SEIU, Maine Education Association, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Maine Public Health Association, Maine Developmental Disabilities Council, Maine Head Start Directors Association, Food and Medicine, Southern Maine Labor Council, Maine Council of Churches, Maine Small Business Coalition

“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.”

The goals articulated by the Governor of creating jobs and lowering energy costs can best be achieved through the citizen initiative to invest in energy efficiency and made-in-Maine renewable energy. Above all we need to reduce Maine’s dangerous dependence on imported energy sources to ensure our long term prosperity.

This initiative builds off the success of Maine’s existing programs and aims to increase the amount of Maine’s electricity supply that will come from new “made-in-Maine” renewable resources, such as solar, wind, hydro and tidal, by increasing incrementally the percentage of new renewable resources of electricity sold in Maine. In addition, the bill requires utility companies to invest in energy efficiency for Maine people and businesses whenever it would reduce energy costs for ratepayers. Energy efficiency is the lowest-cost energy resource available and is a proven approach for lowering energy costs. Passage of the initiative would ultimately result in lower electricity costs for Maine rate payers, a common goal throughout the state.

“This is a market-based solution that will increase competition among power companies and drive down costs for consumers,” said Jeremy Payne, Executive Director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association. “All renewable energy technologies are eligible, and the policy encourages competition among energy technologies that will help Maine become more energy independent, create jobs and diversify our sources of energy.”

An analysis by ENE (Environment Northeast), a nonprofit organization that conducts research and analysis on environmental challenges with respect to the economy, examined the costs and benefits of the full initiative, and found that Maine residential ratepayers will ultimately have lower electric bills if this initiative is approved.

In addition, increasing energy efficiency and renewable energy resources in Maine will reduce air pollution. “By using energy more efficiently and producing more electricity from clean and renewable resources, we can reduce air pollution that triggers dangerous asthma attacks and other lung diseases,” said Dylan Voorhees, Clean Energy Director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

More than 500 volunteers have been collecting signatures since last November to place this initiative on the ballot this coming November. The deadline to submit those signatures to the Secretary of State is Jan. 30.

Additional background:
Maine Citizens for Clean Energy began collection of signatures statewide in November 2011 to place a ballot initiative before voters in November of this year. To place the question on November’s ballot, the coalition must collect more than 57,000 valid signatures.

Current law requires electricity providers to get 10% of their energy supply from new renewable resources by 2017.

The initiative increases the renewable resource target to 14% in 2017 with incremental increases, ending with 20% by 2020.

The initiative also ensures that the Public Utilities Commission identifies and captures energy efficiency opportunities that are cost-effective.

“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.

Ocean Renewable Power Co. plans to install its full-scale tidal turbine unit in Cobscook Bay off Eastport over the next two years. ORPC has projects in Alaska and Nova Scotia in the works. Another company, Tidewalker Associates, is seeking investors for a tidal-power project off Eastport.

The United States uses about 4,000 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity per year. DOE estimates that the maximum theoretical electric generation that could be produced from waves and tidal currents is approximately 1,420 TWh per year, approximately one-third of the nation’s total annual electricity usage. Although not all of the resource potential identified in these assessments can realistically be developed, the results still represent major opportunities for new water power development in the United States, highlighting specific opportunities to expand on the 6% of the nation’s electricity already generated from renewable hydropower resources.

The two reports—”Mapping and Assessment of the United States Ocean Wave Energy ResourcePDF” and “Assessment of Energy Production Potential from Tidal Streams in the United StatesPDF”—calculate the maximum kinetic energy available from waves and tides off U.S. coasts that could be used for future energy production, and which represent largely untapped opportunities for renewable energy development in the United States.

Earlier this year, DOE announced the availability of its national tidal resource database, which maps the maximum theoretically available energy in the nation’s tidal streams. This database contributed to the “Assessment of Energy Production Potential from Tidal Streams in the United StatesPDF” report, prepared by Georgia Tech.

The wave energy assessment report, titled “Mapping and Assessment of the United States Ocean Wave Energy ResourcePDF,” was prepared by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), with support and data validation from researchers at Virginia Tech and DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The report describes the methods used to produce geospatial data and to map the average annual and monthly significant wave height, wave energy period, mean direction, and wave power density in the coastal United States. NREL incorporated the data into a new marine and hydrokinetic energy section in their U.S. Renewable Resource atlas.

In addition to the wave and tidal resource assessments released today, DOE plans to release additional resource assessments for ocean current, ocean thermal gradients, and new hydropower resources in 2012. To support the development of technologies that can tap into these vast water power resources, DOE’s Water Power Program is undertaking a detailed technical and economic assessment of a wide range of water power technologies in order to more accurately predict the opportunities and costs of developing and deploying these innovative technologies. The Program is currently sponsoring over 40 demonstration projects that will advance the commercial readiness of these systems, provide first-of-a-kind, in-water performance data that will validate cost-of-energy predictions, and identify pathways for large cost reductions.

These resource assessments, techno-economic assessments, and technology demonstration projects are critical elements of DOE’s strategy to capture the very real opportunities associated with water power development, and to further define the path to supplying 15% of the nation’s electricity through water power technologies.

DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy invests in clean energy technologies that strengthen the economy, protect the environment, and reduce dependence on foreign oil. DOE’s Water Power Program is paving the way for industry and government to make sound investment and policy decisions about the deployment of renewable water power technologies by quantifying the nation’s theoretically available water power resources.

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.

Pingree also talked about a recent proposal by the Norwegian power company Statoil to build a pilot project of floating wind turbines about ten miles off the coast near Boothbay.

“Experts say up to 15,000 jobs can be created in my state by offshore wind—good paying American jobs that will help us regain our energy independence,” said Pingree.

Dr. Dagher explains more about Maine's offshore wind long term plan that will bring 15,000 jobs per year to the state

One of those experts is Dr. Habib Dagher who is leading the effort based at the University of Maine in Orono. In 2009 Dr. Chu, along with Governor John Baldacci and the congressional delegation, visited the laboratories at UMaine that are doing the research for offshore wind floating platforms. The visit resulted with a DOE grant for the project. Baldacci helped to spearheaded the innovative job creator with Dagher. Maine’s congressional delegation have promoted the project in D.C.

Dagher said, “There is unlimited wind off our coasts and we are developing the technology to bring it to Maine, and beyond. We need to become less dependent on foreign oil. The $20 billion project to build a floating wind farm 20 miles off shore will allow the state to sell electricity to our neighbors. We’ll export it. The potential is huge.”

Next year the first UMaine prototype floating wind platform will be deployed off Monhegan Island.

Maine sends $5 billion a year out of state to pay for oil and gasoline, much of which could be kept in state if the state has a diverse energy portfolio.

A federal order issued last fall is intended to make it easier to construct transmission lines.

This federal order could help the Maine realize its offshore wind potential. Until the order grid managers who plan transmission projects have focused almost exclusively on “reliability” — whether such projects would help keep power flowing when demand is high. Part of the new FERC order mandates that managers also must plan transmission that helps states meet policy goals, such as increasing renewable power use.

The New England states are among 32 nationwide that set voluntary goals, some mandatory, to increase reliance on renewable energy sources. Much of this work in New England was set in motion by the Baldacci administration. Gov. Baldacci hosted a summit of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers to discuss energy in the region. They set goals and made agreements to work together to transform the region into an alternative energy hub, making all residents less dependent on oil.

For example, Massachusetts must get 15 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020. Massachusetts law also requires the state to make an 80 percent reduction in total emissions by 2050. New Hampshire, must obtain about 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025.

The requirements have created a need for more renewable power.Wind is New England’s most abundant source of it.

According to a 2010 ISO New England report the region’s land and ocean winds are plentiful enough to supply nearly a quarter of its power by the end of the decade- as long as those winds are tapped. And the region’s best winds are in some of its most isolated areas— off the coast of Maine.

With the new federal order building transmission lines isn’t all about reliability anymore. Which means building the grid to get Maine’s offshore wind to market has become a realistic priority for the federal government. ISO New England, managers, and regulators should focus more than ever on reaching that offshore wind renewable power.

The costly gird got some powerful backers with the federal order. Now more investors should feel confident on putting their funds into Maine’s offshore wind project.