By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story EAST MILLINOCKET, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage will be the first witness at a field hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources next week in which only opponents of a proposed North Woods national monument are scheduled to speak, officials said Thursday. Read More
Governor Paul LePage
Big Solar Worked to Kill Maine Solar Energy Bill
Fearful that the bill would threaten their business model, national companies took steps that helped LePage and Republicans, at the expense of local solar installers and their Democratic allies. By Tux Turkel, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story The Maine lawmakers who last month defeated a landmark bill that would have expanded solar energy Read More
Solar Bill Offers Right Answers for Maine
The arguments against a modernization of the state’s clean energy market do not pass the test. Portland Press Herald editorial It’s easy to tear apart a complicated piece of legislation by latching onto a few details and blowing them out of proportion. But lawmakers who are considering voting to sustain Gov. LePage’s veto of L.D. Read More
Overriding This LePage Veto Will Put Solar Within Reach for More Mainers
By Norman Higgins and Sara Gideon, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed A technological revolution is taking place in solar power. As solar panel technology matures, prices plummet, installation rates accelerate and new markets and businesses spring up. But Maine hasn’t benefited as much from this exciting trend as other states, even neighbors Read More
5 Myths People Hold about Solar Power in Maine
By Sharon Klein, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed Maine is poised to make history this week on solar energy. Over the last year, the Office of the Public Advocate has facilitated regular meetings of local businesses, public utility representatives, lawmakers, researchers and citizen action groups to recommend legislation for increasing solar energy Read More
LePage Declares 2 Maine Groups ‘Enemies’
By A.J. Higgins MPBN news story Gov. Paul LePage used an address to the Maine GOP convention over the weekend to attack what he says are the greatest enemies to prosperity in the state: the Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Maine People’s Alliance. Representatives of the environmental and progressive advocacy organizations responded by Read More
Lawmakers Disagree on Solar Power Regulations
By Fred Bever MPBN news story Maine’s solar power industry is in trouble – that’s the word from advocates who say Republicans and the administration of Governor Paul LePage are ready to kill efforts to preserve and expand renewable energy here. But some Republicans and LePage’s chief energy advisor say they are trying to find Read More
LePage and His Legislative Allies are Pushing Amendments that Could Kill Maine’s Solar Industry
Their Actions Could Cost as Many Jobs as the Madison Mill Closure News Release by Maine Association of Building Efficiency Professionals At a State House news conference today, leaders of solar companies across Maine decried the attack on their industry by Governor LePage and his allies, including House Minority Leader Ken Fredette. In the wake Read More
It’s Not about Killing Jobs: Aroostook Residents Really Don’t Want Weak Mining Rules
By Shelly Mountain and Alice Bolstridge, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed Representatives for mining interests continue to lobby the Maine Legislature to weaken mining regulations that would allow Canadian-owned Irving Corp. to mine Bald Mountain in Aroostook County. In his March 9 radio address, Gov. Paul LePage implies that the residents of Read More