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