Concerning the proposal for Maine to adopt Atlantic Standard Time year-round:
We need to be aware that in the winter, Maine has only about nine hours of daylight. So, if we gain an hour in the evening, we lose it in the morning. This means that, in Portland, for example, at the beginning of January, the sun would not rise until about 8:15 a.m.
I clearly remember 1974, when the entire U.S. went to year-round daylight saving time in the winter as an energy-saving measure. At that time, I lived in the Pacific Northwest, at a similar latitude to Maine, and a similar longitude within the Pacific time zone; I would ride my bicycle to work around 7:30 a.m. in the pitch dark. So this could be a problem for kids going to school, waiting for the bus in the dark, and for folks driving to work.
Similar conditions hold true for Boston (sunrise at 8:13 a.m.); Concord, New Hampshire (8:18 a.m.); and Springfield, Massachusetts (8:18 a.m.).
I doubt if Massachusetts and New Hampshire would want to make this change. And I think Maine should think seriously about the consequences before rushing to get more daylight in the afternoon.
Katherine Bracher
Brunswick
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