On Jan. 31, the Maine Public Utilities Commission will review a draft staff recommendation to reject the proposed joint venture of First Wind and Nova Scotia-based utility Emera to build and maintain a 370-megawatt wind farm portfolio in Maine, which has the potential to generate millions of dollars in construction and ongoing tax revenue for our communities.

We at James W. Sewall Co. have had the opportunity to work on more than 90 percent of wind turbine sites now operating in Maine, understand the true economic benefits of wind farm development and question the wisdom of this recommendation.

From our experience, wind farm development creates jobs for engineers, surveyors and biologists; construction workers and electricians; suppliers, ports and truckers; hotels, restaurants and stores. It boosts not only the economy of the region during construction, but also the community tax base, often in areas of the state that would otherwise have limited economic development opportunities.

Furthermore, it attracts investment to the state. Long term, the investment in clean, renewable energy reduces and stabilizes energy rates, as they are unaffected by the fluctuating costs of oil and gas. Given the current economic climate, it may be nearsighted to reject an opportunity of this promise.

Thus, when the commissioners review the draft, we urge them to consider the impacts of their decision with care, mindful of the issues and of the long-term needs of Maine businesses and citizens. Sewall is interested in working with partners in the state to help achieve an appropriate alternative energy future for Maine.

David T. Edson,

Advertisement

president

James W. Sewall Co.

Old Town

Governor’s school threat exposes his hypocrisy

Well, now I have seen, read and heard it all. Of course, I’m referring to the latest threat from our governor stating that he will cut the funds to education unless we dismantle/destroy the bastion of MaineCare, etc. (“Schools get tossed into budget-cut warnings,” Jan. 21).

Come on, Governor. There’s the housing authority scandal, and Lord knows there are lots of other state-sponsored entities that could bear as much as or even more scrutiny than MaineCare. I sure hope you’re looking at them also. Are you?

Advertisement

The hypocrisy of politics is that these watchdogs and elected officials who are in charge of investigating these financial shortcomings are themselves culprits, both town, state and nationally. Almost sounds like we have hired the wolf to guard the henhouse, regardless of political affiliation.

So, Governor, as a former educator, on behalf of our dedicated teachers throughout Maine, I ask you: Don’t insult them by intimidation or threat. They are our salvation. If you think Social Security is the third rail, forget it. You have planted your foot or both feet on a rail much worse by threatening our children’s education.

I had thought you were above such low-handed tactics. Are you?

Frank D. Slason

Somerville

State funding promotes healthy activities, lifestyles

Advertisement

I am writing on behalf of Portland Trails to express our enthusiastic support for the valuable work being done by the Healthy Maine Partnerships. For the last decade we’ve partnered with our local Healthy Maine Partnership, Healthy Portland, to make Portland a healthier city and better place to be physically active.

Physical activity can be as easy as taking a walk — as long as people have safe and convenient places to go. That’s what Portland Trails provides for the people of Greater Portland. But as a nonprofit, we must raise every penny we spend on trail construction and maintenance.

State and federal funding that we’ve received through Healthy Portland has helped us recruit and train volunteers, distribute our trail map to schools, libraries and senior centers, and improve access to our trail maps on the Web. Last year, a grant from Healthy Portland funded 300 new directional signs for our trail network. No more getting lost on the trail!

Healthy Portland is a critically important piece of the puzzle that makes Portland a more attractive place to live, work and play. The governor’s proposed budget would eliminate all funding for Healthy Maine Partnerships from the Fund for a Healthy Maine.

We’ve all heard the distressing statistics about Maine’s obesity rates and the chronic diseases that follow. Why cut a program that is having demonstrated success in making us all healthier?

Nan Cumming,

Advertisement

executive director

Portland Trails

Portland

Fire chief story shows that pensions are out of whack

A Press Herald reader wrote in recently about the 48-year-old Portland fire chief retiring and the overly generous public pension system that allows him to do so (Voice of the People, “Excesses of public pensions dwarf those of Wall Street,” Jan. 25).

With many public-sector employees able to enjoy very generous pension benefits at an early age and over a period of time that could well exceed twice their entire work history, we now have Maine communities supporting as many as three public safety departments each (the one that works and the two that are retired).

Advertisement

When the public pension system was tweaked in 2011, the affected groups screamed that it was unfair. I guess they forgot that public-sector employees can retire at age 48 with benefits that far exceed that of Social Security, while the taxpayers who fund this perk need to work to age 68 and will get far less.

Public-sector unions grease the hands of politicians, and the politicians reciprocate and hand out taxpayer-funded perks like candy.

Lacking the nerve to constructively deal with this mess, our politicians kick the can down the road and again raise our taxes.

Dennis T. Caron

Cumberland Center 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.