• 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%.

“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.

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.

MDC’s Green Downtowns program was created to strengthen the link between the natural and built environments in Maine’s downtowns, making them more environmentally friendly and ecologically conscious and building local leadership and capacity to support sustainable green initiatives.

EFN Funding for the first two years of Green Downtowns supported ten green improvement projects including pocket parks, trail connections, and LED lighting in eight Main Street Maine communities and technical planning in the form of conceptual green streetscape designs to 13 Maine Downtown Network communities.

This year, MDC is partnering with the Maine Forest Service’s Project Canopy program, GrowSmart Maine, Wright-Pierce Engineering, and its local participating downtown organizations to bring street trees to Maine communities. MDC has committed $25,000 to be matched by a $25,000 Project Canopy set aside specifically to plant downtown street trees for Main Street Maine and Maine Downtown Network Communities. Studies nationwide prove multiple economic, environmental and social values of downtown street trees.

MDC also will continue to contract with Maine Preservation to provide professional historic preservation technical assistance to downtown property owners. In years one and two, Maine Preservation’s Field Services program consulted on projects in 17 of MDC’s participating communities. Funds will also be used to continue our educational outreach with the “Good Design, Green Design” Downtown Institute session (March 16, Bath) and a Green Downtowns track at the 2012 Maine Downtown Conference scheduled for May 18 in Farmington. These training sessions are open to all and will have a focus on community health and the recycling of historic and older buildings as a policy principle and economic development tool for all communities.

Finally, with two years of case studies, grant successes, education sessions, consulting, meetings, and brainstorming around greening Maine’s historic downtowns, MDC will be engaging in a statewide marketing campaign to increase public awareness and community participation to further the critical link between the built and natural environments.

EFN’s collaborative funding initiative, “From Vision to Action: A Commitment to Maine’s Quality of Place” seeks to support projects that strengthen the link between the natural and built environments, emphasize public engagement, and take seriously the process and action elements required to build and sustain collaborations.

“Maine continues to be a leader in land conservation while maintaining working, sustainable forest landscapes through the Forest Legacy Program” said U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud. “These two projects represent a significant opportunity to protect important ecological resources, preserve critical jobs in Maine’s forest products industry and promote a variety of outdoor recreation activities for Franklin County.”

Most of the grant money from the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program (FLP) – a sum of $7 million — will allow the MDOC to purchase 11,800 acres on Crocker Mountain in the town of Carrabasset Valley. The lands are part of an existing working forest owned by Plum Creek, and include, in addition to working timberlands, important ecological and recreational features, including a segment of the Appalachian Trail, and opportunities for ATV and mountain biking trails that will complement and support the already robust recreation opportunities in the area.

This project was ranked as third for the nation by FLP for federal fiscal year 2012, officials said. The total project cost is $8.8 million.

The second Maine FLP award, $1.73 million for the Orbeton Stream project in Madrid Township, will allow the State to purchase a conservation easement of more than 5,808 acres of family-owned timber lands, ensuring continued use of the property as a working forest, protecting important natural resources, and continuing public access.

The property, owned by Linkletter Timberlands LLC of Athens, supplies wood fiber to Linkletter’s pellet mill in Athens. The total project cost is $2.4 million. It was ranked 12th nationally officials said.

The two projects were the state’s top priorities for the FY 2012 Forest Legacy Program funding, submitted for consideration in the fall of 2010. The LePage Administration strongly supported the projects, which were submitted by the MDOC last July to the Land for Maine’s Future Board and were awarded more than $800,000 toward the required federal match. The projects also were strongly supported by U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins (R-Maine) and U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud (D-2).

“Maine has greatly benefited from the support of the Maine Department of Conservation, Maine’s congressional delegation, and the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program for these outstanding projects,” said Wolfe Tone, The Trust for Public Land’s Maine director. “We are very excited about the opportunity that these projects provide to ensure public access, continue sustainable timber harvesting, and enhance economic opportunities for local communities.”

“Maine continues to be a leader in land conservation while maintaining working, sustainable forest landscapes through the Forest Legacy Program” said U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud. “These two projects represent a significant opportunity to protect important ecological resources, preserve critical jobs in Maine’s forest products industry and promote a variety of outdoor recreation activities for Franklin County.”

“Our family is excited about this announcement,” said Robert Linkletter of Linkletter Timberlands LLC. “This conservation easement will help keep our employees working while guaranteeing a land base for future forest products. As commercial forest landowners, we appreciate how the State of Maine, the U.S. Forest Service, and Maine’s congressional delegation worked together to ensure a conservation solution that works for everyone.”

The Crocker Mountain land, near the Sugarloaf ski resort, has exceptional economic, natural resource, and recreational value for the state. At almost 11,800 acres, it is the largest remaining working forest in the Carrabasset Valley. Franklin County has the highest percentage of workers in the forest products industry in Maine, meaning that jobs will be protected as a result of the acquisition.

The land buffers a spectacular 10-mile section of the Appalachian Trail, and includes about three miles on snowmobile Route 115 of Maine’s Interconnected Trail System (ITS), along with four miles of the state-sanctioned all-terrain vehicle trail system. Protecting the property from development also will guarantee access for other recreation, such as hunting, hiking, mountain biking, and cross county skiing.

Added to hiking, biking and skiing opportunities already developed at Sugarloaf, the Town of Carrabassett Valley, the MDOC’s Bigelow Preserve, and Western Mountains Foundation Hut to Hut system, new trails envisioned for this property will support the local recreational economy by making this area an even more desirable recreation destination.

BPL will pursue sustainable timber harvesting on the property, which will maintain local jobs and provide revenue for the bureau. With Forest Legacy Program funding now secured for Crocker Mountain, partners will look to raise the required 25 percent non-federal match to protect the property.

The Orbeton Stream property is owned and managed by Linkletter Timberlands LLC, a local family-run timber company that uses the fiber to supply its pellet mill, Maine’s largest, directly supporting 40 employees. The company also supplies fiber throughout Franklin County and pellets throughout the region, including to the Jackson Laboratory biomass furnace. Protecting the 5,808-acre property will keep these state’s forests in timber production and also ensure access for outdoor recreation.

The Orbeton property provides views of the Appalachian Trail and also includes a critical 6.4-mile section of snowmobile Route 84 of Maine’s ITS system, which will now be available permanently for public use.

The entire Orbeton Stream parcel is premier native brook trout habitat and has been designated by the federal government as critical to the Atlantic salmon. In 2007, as a result of significant restoration efforts by the Maine Department of Marine Resources, salmon reared in the Orbeton watershed returned from the North Atlantic Ocean for the first time in more than 150 years. Conserving the Orbeton Stream property ensures a continued source of sustainably managed and certified forest products, as well as protects a strategically important parcel for outdoor recreation.

The Maine Department of Conservation is a natural resource agency whose bureaus oversee the management, development and protection of some of Maine’s most special places, including 17 million acres of forestland, 10.4 million acres of unorganized territory, 48 parks and historic sites and more than 590,000 acres of public reserved land.

“We are very pleased that the DEP has approved our plans in Oakfield,” said Matt Kearns, Vice President of Business Development at First Wind. “The local review process on this project has been unprecedented. We provided resources for the Town to hire independent sound experts, engineers, and lawyers and participated in a lengthy and robust review process in which issues of local interest were fully reviewed. We did that both for the originally planned project, and again based on the revised project layout. We’re looking forward to moving ahead with the project soon.”

Situated approximately 2.5 miles from the center of Oakfield, Maine, the project will consist of 50 3.0 MW turbines that have the capacity to produce enough clean, renewable energy to power more than 48,000 homes. In its four years of development, First Wind has worked closely with the town to solicit significant community input in designing the project. As part of the local review process, First Wind made numerous commitments that go beyond what is required under state law and incorporated those commitments into the DEP application.

During the development phase of the project, more than 40 Maine-based companies were engaged to compile the application to the DEP. To date, First Wind has invested more than $10 million in the local economy in support of development activities such as lease payments, environmental and engineering studies, lodging and more.

The Oakfield Wind project is expected to create more than 300 construction jobs and provide significant revenue to the surrounding communities. For example, First Wind spent more than $30 million with Maine-based businesses during the construction and development of the recently completed 60 MW Rollins Wind project in Penobscot County. First Wind is already working with several leading Maine companies to develop the Oakfield Wind project, including Orono- and Westbrook-based SGC Engineering and Old Town-based James W. Sewall Company.

The project will also bring significant economic benefits to the town—$14.7 million in tax revenues over 20 years, and an additional $12 million in community benefit payments during that time. Those funds go to a town fund, and can be used for town priorities such as a public safety building, fire engines, road improvements and more. The town has indicated it is considering using the tax funds for the following projects:

• $2.5 million for construction of a Public Safety Building (including fire safety);
• $750,000 for 3 fire trucks;
• $7.5 million for local road reconstruction;
• $400,000 for Public Works equipment (funding a proportional share of a plow truck, grader, backhoe, and one-ton pick-up truck);
• $900,000 for Town salt shed and purchasing road sand and salt;
• $200,000 for creating, maintaining and grooming Recreational Trails; and
• $500,000 for skills development & training and college scholarships for Oakfield residents.

The project will also deliver clean, renewable energy to homes and businesses in New England.

First Wind has four operation projects in Maine with the capacity to generate 185 MW of clean wind energy. The 42 MW Mars Hill Wind project in the town of Mars Hill was the first utility-scale wind project in Maine. First Wind operates the 57 MW Stetson Wind and the 26 MW Stetson Wind II projects, both located in Washington County near the town of Danforth. In total, First Wind has worked with over 300 Maine-based businesses to develop, construct and operate its 185 MW Maine-based fleet (including development and construction work on Mars Hill, Stetson I & II and Rollins).

This Keystone XL pipeline was proposed by a Canadian company to move oil from Canada to the Gulf. Republicans backed the big oil business initiative.

“The arbitrary nature of a deadline that prevented the State Department from gathering the information necessary to approve the project and protect the American people. I’m disappointed that Republicans in Congress forced this decision, but it does not change my Administration’s commitment to American-made energy that creates jobs and reduces our dependence on oil.”

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree welcomed the news that the Obama Administration is rejecting the application to build the oil pipeline.

“Building the Keystone XL pipeline would not only be bad for the environment, it’s bad for our long-term energy security,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. “Instead of continuing our reliance on oil by bringing dirty tar sands crude into the United States through this pipeline, we should be investing in clean energy right here in this country.”

Pingree was an early opponent of the pipeline proposal. Along with a few of her colleagues in the House, Pingree first contacted the Obama Administration in the summer of 2010 to express concern about the proposal.

“Under my Administration, domestic oil and natural gas production is up, while imports of foreign oil are down. In the months ahead, we will continue to look for new ways to partner with the oil and gas industry to increase our energy security – including the potential development of an oil pipeline from Cushing, Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico – even as we set higher efficiency standards for cars and trucks and invest in alternatives like biofuels and natural gas. And we will do so in a way that benefits American workers and businesses without risking the health and safety of the American people and the environment,” concluded the President.