On November 23, the “Super Committee” in Congress will decide on the future of America’s middle class – and whether it will stand with the 99% or the 1%. So a group of everyday from Occupy Wall Street embarked on a 230 mile walk from New York City to Washington D.C.

“With development of new natural and functional nanomaterials, UMaine will be recognized as an innovator in novel cellulose nanofibril processing,” said FBRI Director and UMaine Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering Hemant Pendse, one of the researchers involved with the project. “UMaine will have the ability to process cellulose nanofibrils in ways that open up new markets and applications for cellulose nanocomposites.”

The pilot plant, which is being funded by a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service, will be the only one of its kind in the nation, and will serve as a source of the material for those who want to explore the uses of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF). Currently, researchers and industrial companies who want to buy the material purchase it from sources in Japan and Germany.

UMaine is involved in the project with a consortium of six other universities and the Forest Products Laboratory (FPL). Last April, UMaine and FPL began a research collaboration on the conversion of wood components into novel nanomaterials, the incorporation of an array of nanomaterials into forest products to increase their functionality, durability, and end use performance, and the development of new generations of high-performance wood-based materials. UMaine will be the sole supplier of CNF to researchers from other universities in the consortium, which include the Georgia Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, Oregon State University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University and University of Tennessee.

Sean Ireland, of pulp and paper industry group TAPPI and Verso Paper in Bucksport, is also involved in the consortium.

Applications for the CNF material include automobile components, paint and coating additives, and water filters. Development and commercialization have been hampered by the lack of availability of CNF material in sufficient quantities to conduct meaningful technology demonstrations. This project will address this need by scaling up the mechanical laboratory preparation method to a pilot-scale operation.

The grant will fund the purchase of an ultrafine grinder, a piece of equipment which breaks down cellulose-based pulp into a water-based slurry, and a pilot-scale spray dryer, which uses gases to dry the material. The ultrafine grinder will be able to produce about 1,000 pounds of material a day in slurry form. The drying process will produce approximately 1-2 pounds of dry material per day.

Both pieces of equipment are expected to be in place next spring in Jenness Hall, the home of UMaine’s Process Development Center and FBRI. UMaine already has an operational bench-scale ultrafine grinder.

Cellulose nanofibril material is valued because of its strength – a strand of it is as strong as a synthetic fiber such as Kevlar. It takes on different properties depending on how it is dried. When a sample of the CNF slurry is dried with heat, the material becomes hard and strong, and can be cut into different shapes and sizes. When freeze-dried, the material is super-absorbent and insulating.

The cellulose nanofibrils are about 1,000 times smaller than paper fibers. The material can be made from any source that contains cellulose, such as wood, grasses, and corn or wheat straw.

“If you can make products from nanofibrillated cellulose that normally use plastic, you can reduce the use of petroleum,” said Doug Bousfield, UMaine professor of chemical and biological engineering and director of the Paper Surface Science Program who is also collaborating on the project and has already incorporated cellulose nanofibrils in paper coatings. “It makes sense for Maine, and that’s what’s exciting about it. There is a long list of ideas but it takes resources to try them out. What this project does is put the equipment in place to generate a lot of raw material with which people can experiment.”

UMaine already produces some cellulose nanofibrils via both mechanical means and chemical means, the latter of which produces cellulose nanocrystals.

Doug Gardner, a UMaine professor of wood science and technology and the head of the Nanocomposites Research Group who is also a collaborator, said although the mechanisms are not yet in place for researchers and companies to order the material, there has already been unofficial interest from private industry. The material would not be free for those who want to order it, but UMaine would offer it at a reasonable price.

Other UMaine researchers involved include FBRI Associate Director Mike Bilodeau, who is the principal investigator on the project, and UMaine Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering David Neivandt, who is also the director of product development for UMaine’s Pulp and Paper Process Development Center.

“This next phase of the Ocean Gateway project will have significant economic impact on Portland and the entire State,” said Governor Baldacci. “This deep-water pier will enhance tourism, and increase commerce and the economic vitality of the region.”

The Governor said that tourism coming to the area from cruise ships has risen dramatically in a short time. The addition of the Ocean Gateway Pier II to Portland’s working waterfront will double the capacity at any one time for the largest of cruise and other ships to be berthed.

“The impact of Pier II will benefit the entire State, creating jobs and strengthening our ability to reach markets in the United States and around the world,” said the Governor. “The Ocean Gateway will play a key role in economic growth here for years to come.”

The project is part of the state’s Three-Port-Strategy. Portland, Eastport and Searsport are all being modified to accommodate more cargo being shipped to and from America. Railway infrastructure that connects with these ports will take trucks off the roads, and eventually carry passengers.

“This project is indeed a top priority as we look to diversify and maintain Maine’s overall transportation system,” said David Cole, Commissioner of Maine’s Department of Transportation. “We continue to enhance our public transportation options with both rail and bus service. We have improved our interstate and other major roadways, and now we stand here today celebrating the vision that was developed for expanded access to commercial vessels and cruise ships. This investment broadens our access and signals that our waterways are open for business. It is an investment that will surely pay dividends for many years to come.”

Governor Baldacci credited the work of the many local and State partners who have supported the project, and said that support from Maine voters was the critical factor in seeing the project move to the construction phase.

“The funding for this important deep-water project came from a bond question on the June ballot,” said the Governor. “That question gave voters from across the State the opportunity to weigh in on this and other critical infrastructure projects. Their approval for investment in the Ocean Gateway Pier II project shows that even in difficult economic times, Maine people support development with long-term value.”

The event was marked as the distinguished guests drove symbolic piles on the waterfront. The facility will provide fifty construction jobs and Reed & Reed has hired five Maine-based subcontractor companies.

Jackson Parker, President & CEO of Reed & Reed said, “I want to thank the City of Portland and the State of Maine for allowing us to help transform Portland’s waterfront from east to west with the construction of the Ocean Gateway Cruise Ship Terminal two years ago, this new deep water berth, and down at the other end of the waterfront, the new Veteran’s Memorial Bridge. As with all of our projects, we expect to deliver results on-time and on-budget.”

Construction is expected to be complete by July 15, 2011.

“As the Legislature draws near the end of its work for the year, it’s understandable that some issues are lingering unresolved.
Last week, the House of Representatives approved a package of investments that would create thousands of jobs in Maine and protect many thousand more. Unfortunately, the plan ran into resistance in the Senate.
The stakes are very high.

At risk are good-paying jobs, vital transportation links and economic development. The bond plan being considered is tightly focused on job creation and job protection.

While we are seeing signs that our economy is getting stronger, unemployment is still too high. More than 57,000 Mainers are without jobs, and the unemployment rate in some construction-related industries is more than 25 percent. Our industrial base around the State, and particularly in Aroostook County, faces dark days.

We must take action.

The railroad that connects Aroostook County to the rest of the State is about to be lost. Intervention is necessary. Or our entire State will pay a terrible price. The railroad connects 22 major shippers in Aroostook to customers in Maine and around the world. Towns as diverse as Madawaska and Portland, Lincoln and Rockland, Jay and Searsport depend upon the rail. The rail line is critical to Maine’s manufacturing industries.

Rail is the most economical, most cost effective and environmentally sound way to move wood and finished forest products to market.

Without the rail link, it’s estimated that an additional 30,000 trucks will be put on Maine roads, and shipping costs could increase by 30 percent. No business can afford that cost hike, especially in this difficult economy.But the bond package being considered by the State Senate does more than just save rails in Aroostook. It will expand rail service in Lewiston and Auburn and in Western Maine.

It will invest $35 million dollars in highways around the State, creating more than 900 jobs. Our roads link our communities together. They enhance commerce, and lead to economic growth and opportunity.

Now is the time to invest in making them better and safer.

The plan also invests in a deep-water pier in Portland and Harbor improvements around the State. The Portland pier would open Maine to thousands of visitors every year, bringing millions of dollars into our economy.And the economic impact is felt across the State, as increased revenue is sent back to local communities to offset property taxes.

The bond package will also invest $5 million dollars in clean drinking water and improved sewer systems. This investment draws a five-to-one federal match, puts people to work and makes our communities cleaner and healthier.

We are also proposing to invest $5 million dollars to build dental clinics and provide dental care in rural areas of the State. There is a shortage of dentists in Maine, and our overall health is suffering because of it. The competitive program will expand access to dental care to areas of Maine that need it.

And the bond package will purchase state-of-the-art equipment for the University of Maine to beginning building a manufacturing sector for onshore and offshore wind energy components.

This package creates jobs today and will create jobs for tomorrow.

I understand the reluctance by some folks to borrow, to pledge the credit of the State.

But we must act.

Too many of our people need work and the risk of inaction is too great.

We have the capacity to invest.We are conservative with borrowing. And there is much to be gain.No one can predict the future.
There are no guarantees and this investment package won’t address all of our challenges.But if we don’t act, we know what will happen.

The railroad in Aroostook County will be torn up and turned into scrap metal, cutting our State apart. And that is unacceptable to me.

Ships will bypass Portland, taking an economic boost to ports further down the coast.

Our roads will continue to deteriorate.

And too many of our people will be without jobs.

We have a plan.

It is targeted and focused.

And it will work.

Together, we can make it happen.- Gov. John E. Baldacci

“These new protections will directly benefit millions of struggling Americans. This is a huge win for consumers, especially given these tough economic times,” said Michaud, who was a strong proponent of the bill. “Mainers deserve to be free of these credit card gimmicks and unfair policies.”

The break-out below lists key provisions that will become effective on Monday:
* Prohibits arbitrary interest rate increases and universal default on existing balances;
* Prohibits issuers from charging over-limit fees unless the cardholder elects to allow the issuer to complete over-limit transactions, and also limits over-limit fees on electing cardholders;
* Requires payments in excess of the minimum to be applied first to the credit card balance with the highest rate of interest;
* Prohibits issuers from setting early morning deadlines for credit card payments;
* Prohibits interest charges on debt paid on time (double-cycle billing ban);
* Protects recipients of gift cards by requiring all gift cards to have at least a five-year life span, and eliminates the practice of declining values and hidden fees for those cards not used within a reasonable period of time.

Gov. Baldacci’s radio address:

This week, in cooperation with the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, I attended the Governor’s Job Summit.

The event brought together representatives from more than 75 of Maine’s leading businesses for an open and honest discussion about the economy and about how best to create jobs.

Maine’s unemployment rate is about 8 percent, better than the national average of about 10 percent, but still too high.

The focus of the Summit was to hear from businesses about how they have been able to protect and grow jobs.

Even during this difficult economic time, these businesses have been successful and, in some cases even growing.

There is no single answer to creating jobs.

But we did hear common themes and discussed ideas about how many can improve its business climate.

During the summit, business leaders broke into smaller groups with a moderator, representatives from my administration, State lawmakers and federal partners.

They covered a lot of topics and the work they did will help Maine tailor its efforts to help companies create jobs.

In some areas, Maine is doing well.

We heard that our efforts to help business improve energy efficiency are paying real dividends.

The programs we have in place, particularly those through EfficiencyMaine, are creating and saving jobs right now.

But we must keep working toward greater energy independence and grow our renewable energy industries.

We also heard from businesses that they need stability and predictability in State programs.

They also need simple access for economic development programs and a clear process for obtaining permits.

We are already working to make it easier for companies to get information and navigate the rules.

I have proposed a new structure for Maine’s Department of Economic Development that will streamline outreach, make it easier for companies to receive assistance and reduce duplication.

Maine has good economic tools and experts available, and we can do better using them to help businesses create jobs.

I also heard on Tuesday that Maine needs effective transportation to move goods within our State and beyond.

This has been a focus of my administration for seven years, and recently we’ve made significant progress.

With critical federal support, we will be expanding passenger rail service north of Portland to Freeport and Brunswick.

While the additional passenger service will be a boost to tourism, reduce traffic congestion and pollution, and help Maine’s Midcoast region recover from the closure of Brunswick Naval Air Station, the expansion does much more.

It will improve freight rail in our State and is a necessary step in improving service to Auburn and Lewiston.

We are also working through the Maine Department of Transportation to ensure that we have continued rail service in Northern Maine.

The rail line that serves northern Maine, from Millinocket to Madawaska, Houlton and Presque Isle is facing serious difficulties.

My administration is working hard to ensure that industries in the region and those communities stay connected.

If we want businesses to invest in job creation, we must have a skilled and educated workforce.

I was particular impressed with the ideas I heard on this topic.

Business leaders at the summit told me that they know they have to part of the solution for a better education system.

There are great opportunities for companies to develop partnerships with high schools, colleges and universities.

To build connections and become mentors.

And to help students to build aspirations and nurture ambition.

Maine is blessed with many successful, growing and innovative companies.

They are doing amazing and inspiring work.

By partnering with schools, they can help introduce our students to the world of possibilities that exist while at the same time helping to develop the workforce that we need for a modern economy.

During the last two months, we have seen signs that Maine’s economy is beginning to turn around.

But the recovery remains fragile, and job creation is lagging behind.

In December, I presented plans to close a $438 million dollar gap in the State budget.

My plans include many difficult choices, including major reductions in State spending.

While we have an obligation to protect the most vulnerable, we must also strike a careful balance to make sure government takes no action that could threaten economic recovery.

It’s a hard line to walk, but I don’t believe Maine’s families and businesses can afford higher taxes.

As I work with the Legislature to close the budget gap, I am committed to doing what’s necessary to safeguard our economy and put us in the strongest position for economic recovery.

I want thank the many business and community leaders, including the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, for their valuable insights during the Governor’s Job Summit.

We will continue to work with Dana Connors and the Chamber and other businesses to improve Maine’s business climate and to create new jobs.

Thank you for listening and have a good holiday weekend.