Monday, December 28, 2009

Pushing Forward on vacation

We're taking a week off from the Pushing Forward podcast. We'll be back with all new episodes in 2010. Happy New Year!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Pushing Forward Podcast Episode 7

Below please find the seventh episode of the "Pushing Forward" podcast.

In Episode 7 Marc Ratner, Zuffa's VP of Government and Regulatory Affairs, joins me to discuss mixed martial arts in Maine.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

CONDOR Comments

The Massachusetts Air National Guard (ANG) wants to lower its training altitude from 7,000 to 500 feet over an area stretching from Coos County, New Hampshire, across Oxford, Franklin and into Somerset County here in Maine.

On Saturday, November 14th, 2009, a hearing was held at the University of Maine at Farmington to allow the public to state their views on the proposed change to Condor flight space. I testified at the hearing and what follows is a copy of the written remarks I followed-up with to be part of the official administrative record.



As the member of the Maine House of Representative for District 92, I represent the area that is at the heart of the section of Western Maine that will be most strongly impacted by the changes proposed by the Massachusetts Air National Guard (ANG) with respect to lower level flights as an element in CONDOR Military Operations Area (MOA).

I attended the public hearing in Farmington and offered oral testimony at that time, and have subsequently reviewed more information, spoken with many constituents, as well as a variety of people with significant experience in environmental impact assessments, military preparedness policy, and mediating broader public policy discussions. Since this is an important issue for my constituents, I have tried to take a considered approach in my review of the situation and my recommendations for a way forward.

Let me summarize my assessment of the situation and a potential remedy. The present plan proposed by the ANG is incomplete and as a result may be ill-conceived. The outcome appears to have been pre-determined and the Environmental Impact Study that was conducted was developed as an “after the fact” solution to placate citizen concerns that had not been anticipated by military planners when making the initial proposal. The only acceptable remedy to this situation is to back up and start the process over in a way that will be transparent and coherent, representing the valid concerns of all parties impacted by the decision including members of the military as well as civilians living in the impacted areas.

It seems to me that there are two primary interests that must be balanced in this decision making process -- first, the legitimate needs to provide adequate training for military pilots that may be called upon to use skills in a time of conflict, with such skill that can only be gained through thorough training. Second, the rights of citizens and businesses in Western Maine to enjoy the quality of life they expect without the disruption, intrusion, noise, and other potential impacts of these low level, high speed flights.

Frankly, I do not believe we have yet obtained the objective evaluation of these two interests that would allow us to make a balanced and considered policy judgment. Therefore, I respectfully request and will do all in my power to see that this decision is put on hold until these two elements can be thoroughly analyzed by professional and independent individuals or organizations, and those conclusions can be brought together as a part of a publically accessible process to weigh benefits against costs. If we undertake such a process, we will arrive at a conclusion that can be widely supported. Otherwise, the current division and opposition to these low level flights will only intensify with an increasing likelihood of further contentious and time consuming debates in the future.

In short, this should be a classic cost benefit analysis that examines the value of the flights as a training tool, measures that value against a realistic assessment of the environmental impacts, and looks at a range of alternatives for mediating the impacts including -- limits of scheduled exercises; expansion of training areas to include other similar regions, such as the Western Massachusetts mountains, in order to more equitably distribute the potential negative impacts to a wider area by reducing the frequency of the disruption for everyone while still accomplishing the military intent and mission, or; other measures that will meet the military objectives without an outsize impact on the general population.

One discussion with a constituent has stuck in my mind, and I want to close my request for revisiting this process by sharing it. This conversation was with a professional who retired after many years in the environmental remediation business, and he told me about a project he had worked on for the Massachusetts Air National Guard in the remediation and clean-up of jet-fuel contaminated soils at a Massachusetts airbase.

Apparently, for an extended period the standard operating procedure at a Massachusetts Air National Guard facility was to run a fire hose into the jet fuel storage tanks and let loose with the water forcing the unused jet fuel and water out of the tanks and directly onto the ground. As a result, within a few years when environmental testing was performed, there was a growing potential of a hydrocarbon contamination plume that would have reached a larger aquifer and contaminated wells for a significant area. The only solution was a costly clean-up by digging up and disposing of hundreds of thousands of tons of contaminated soils that had to be placed in landfills or otherwise recycled off site. The cost of the clean-up was hundreds of thousands of dollars and perhaps more -- all because of poor planning and a failure to measure the unintended consequences of actions taken within a military command structure not accustomed to transparency and outside scrutiny.

I hope we will not repeat that type of short-sightedness here, but it seems we are on this path unless the decision is reconsidered in a wider and more objective framework. If this project is worth doing, it is worth doing right, because we are talking about the expenditure of significant taxpayer dollars. I urge you to redesign your decision-making process, gather the needed facts and have those facts analyzed by independent and objective sources, and then move that analysis into the public arena where it can be absorbed and discussed by the citizens it will impact. This will produce a better outcome than our current trajectory.

At the end of the process, what we all want is a good decision -- carefully made and based on facts. The vast majority of my constituents want a decision based on reality -- they are not ready to trust whatever the Massachusetts Air National Guard leadership says about the value of the training exercises unconditionally, nor are they ready to adopt unquestioningly the statements made by environmental, community, and business leaders concerned about potential impacts.

I urge you to step back, take the time, and develop a fact-based approach that can lead to an appropriate decision which can be widely supported. I am ready to assist in that process in whatever way possible. Thank you for your consideration.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Pushing Forward Podcast Episode 6

Below please find the sixth episode of the "Pushing Forward" podcast.

In Episode 6 the Rumford Fire Chief, Bob Chase, joins me to discuss how the budget and tax revenues impacts local services like fire protection.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

A Matter of Balance

It’s recently become popular among pundits and others to quote the 19th Century German leader, Otto Von Bismarck by repeating that “Politics is the art of the possible.” My experience serving the River Valley over the last year has been a little different -- I have been learning the art of balance. Bringing new ideas to help balance the state’s budget has become the biggest part of my job. Trying to see an issue from all sides and respecting the variety of competing ideas has become much more natural for me in working through the difficulties facing our state.

Last week, Governor Baldacci unveiled his proposed curtailment package to reduce budget expenditures in the current fiscal year in light of lowered revenue projections. At the time, he indicated that this is the first phase of an estimated $400 million in budget reductions in the current two-year budget. As expected, these initial curtailments fell most heavily on human services programs and state aid to education. Every indication is that the rest of this $400 million shortfall will also hit education and human services programs hardest. That means our children and the most vulnerable in our population -- seniors, low income families, and people with chronic health problems -- will bear the heaviest burdens.

Colleagues with many years of service in the legislature have indicated that it is much more rewarding to serve in times when the economy is strong and the budget is more easily balanced. I am sure that is true -- but we are now in a very different time, and I am committed to working as creatively as possible to find ways to minimize the impacts of these cuts on essential services to our most vulnerable neighbors. I have already reached out to many of the service providers in our area to encourage them to work with me to find the best alternatives in this bad situation. That is part of what we must balance -- the need for these life-sustaining services even at a time when so many of our neighbors are struggling with this economic downturn.

Other issues must also be faced with a sense of balance. Last week, I joined the House Majority Leader, John Piotti and the House Chair of the Natural Resources Committee, Robert Duchesne in hosting a group of people, including some well-known citizens and property owners in our area, who are concerned about the health impacts from wind turbines. We had a positive discussion and have encouraged these folks to focus on practical suggestions that really address their core concerns of identifying and minimizing any health impacts from wind energy facilities.

One thing seems pretty certain -- wind facilities will play a role in our green energy future. A recent scientifically conducted survey by the Portland based research firm, Critical Insights, found that nine out of ten Maine residents support the development of wind power in our state, while two-thirds of those surveyed “strongly support” the concept. One thing seems certain -- wind energy is here and more will be developed in Maine. At the same time, we must find the balance to insure that this development takes into account the potential of health impacts and finds practical ways to mitigate them. We find that balance by working together.

Sticking with wind power for a bit longer -- earlier in the month I had the opportunity to travel to the University of Maine at Orono to visit with Dr. Habib Dagher who is the Director of the Advanced Structures and Composites Laboratory. I set up the meeting with Dr. Dagher to get a detailed update on the work at the University while looking for a connection between this cutting edge work and the natural resources and expertise here in the River Valley. One of their many projects is work on composite manufacturing of the blades for commercial wind turbines. In addition, the lab has just received a multi-million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to take the lead in developing a model off-shore wind energy project in Maine.

While Dr. Dagher did not have a project he could drop into the Tech Center in Rumford, he did offer encouragement for a more diversified industrial future for Maine, drawing on our traditional wood resources, as well as our strong tradition of manufacturing in this area. New ideas are constantly being developed, tested and commercialized, and the River Valley must maintain its aggressive posture of looking for new opportunities to bring quality jobs to our area. We need to find a new sense of balance for our economy by growing quality jobs that will use the skills our workforce has -- or can obtain.

The next few months will be a challenge, and I look forward to the ongoing dialogue with the citizens in the River Valley to help me represent you in these difficult choices. I count on all of you to help me maintain a strong sense of balance as we struggle with these issues of restructuring programs and reducing expenditures while maintaining vital services and growing our economy. Thank you for entrusting me with this important task.

Matt Peterson
State Representative – District 92

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Bracing for the Budget Crisis

Last week, Governor Baldacci unveiled his proposed curtailment package to reduce budget expenditures in the current fiscal year in light of lowered revenue projections. At the time, he indicated that this is the first phase of an estimated $400 million in budget reductions in the current fiscal year. As expected, these initial curtailments fell most heavily on human services programs and state aid to education.

This morning, DHHS Commissioner Brenda Harvey, while addressing a work group on long term care, provided the first insights into the likely shape of these future cuts. While present curtailments have targeted state funding and excluded Medicaid funded programs that are matched by the federal government, the next round of cuts for the Department will apparently include deep cuts in current Medicaid funded programs. Commissioner Harvey indicated that cuts to state funded programs will be much deeper, but that she expects that the cuts to Medicaid programs will be $100 million meaning a reduction of these services by approximately $400 million when the federal match of approximately $3 federal to every $1 of state money is considered.

Obviously, removing $400 million dollars from current Medicaid services will have a devastating impact on many citizens and families -- including those who receive the services as well as those employed to deliver these services. I am committed to working with the agencies and providers of the River Valley to fully understand the impact that such cuts may have on the quality of services, the quality of life, and essential employment in our communities. As specific proposals are unveiled in the Governor’s supplemental budget, probably at some time soon after the first of the year, I want to hear from you about the impacts of any proposed cuts and work with you to identify alternatives that may blunt the worst impacts of any proposed cuts.

Colleagues with many years of service in the legislature have indicated that it is much more rewarding to serve in times when the economy is strong and the budget is more easily balanced. I am sure that is true -- but we are now in a very different time, and I am committed to working with you as creatively as possible to find ways to minimize the impacts of these cuts on essential services to our most vulnerable neighbors. Let’s keep in close touch as this situation unfolds. Good information and communication will help me do the best I possibly can on behalf of you and our fellow citizens in the River Valley.

Matt