An environmental group’s report on the benefits of off-shore wind power made a couple of interesting findings.

One is that even if only partially exploited, strong winds off the Atlantic Ocean could generate much of the electricity needed for the population centers of the East Coast.

Another was that the list of 11 states with the best potential for off-shore wind does not include Maine.

There were objections from unions and warnings from computer security experts, but neither was sufficient to halt the Public Utilities Commission’s approval of a $200 million program to install "smart meters" to measure residential electric use – and, perhaps, to steer consumers to alter their patterns of usage.

The meters, being set up with the help of a $96 million stimulus grant, within a relatively short time will be measuring electrical use at all 600,000 homes serviced by Central Maine Power Co. Designed to be read remotely by computer links, the meters are replacing all the old meters that feature small odometer-like dials.

Utilities in other states have been engaged in similar upgrades in recent years. The project has several goals, one of which will save CMP the salaries of 141 employees who used to travel from house to house to read the old-style meters, or who supported the work of the field crews.

It’s impossible to look at the numbers and miss their symmetry. When it comes to the percentage of state residents with education after high school, Maine has the lowest in New England. When it comes to median income, well, that’s the lowest, too.

In this current recession, workers with high school diplomas or less were the most likely to lose their jobs. In the projected recovery, they are the least likely to find new ones.

Post-secondary education has a powerful impact on an individual’s life earnings, which also directly relates to the economic health of the entire state. That’s why it’s one of the key public policy challenges that face Maine and belongs at the forefront of the gubernatorial election.

We’re not surprised that the Cumberland County Civic Center board of trustees has come up with some very pointed questions about developer Jason Snyder’s proposal for a new sports arena and downtown convention center.

The trustees have been working on a civic center renovation or replacement plan for a long time, and Snyder’s idea comes late in the process with a lot of rounded-off numbers and not much information about where the money will come from.

For instance, Snyder estimates that it would only cost $60 million to build a state-of-the-art arena, while the trustees’ estimates put the bill closer to $100 million. If they are really talking about the same thing, there needs to be a detailed explanation about why the numbers are so different.