Friday, September 16, 2011

Environmental group gives local reps. top scores

AUGUSTA The non-partisan Maine Conservation Voters gave Rep. Sheryl Briggs, D-Mexico, and Rep. Matt Peterson, D-Rumford, “4 out of 4” for their votes to protect the environment during the first session of the 125th Legislature. Both representatives have 100 percent lifetime scores from MCV.

“As an outdoor enthusiast and as a grandmother, I believe that it is important that we make sure that Maine is a place where we can continue to enjoy the outdoors now and in the future,” said Briggs.

“Maine's quality of place is a big part of what brings people to our state,” said Peterson. “In the River Valley in particular, where our industry is dependent on natural resources, a healthy environment equates to a healthy economy.”

Legislators were graded on their votes regarding energy efficiency, clean water, children’s health, wildlife and the North Woods. The Maine Conservation Voters 2011 scorecard measured votes on some of the most significant environmental issues passed this year:

· Children’s Health: LD 412 voting to ban the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in food and beverage containers, like baby bottles and sippy cups;

· Children’s Health: LD 228 voting against the repeal of Maine’s pesticide spraying notification law;

· Energy Efficiency: LD 1416 voting against weakening the statewide uniform building and energy efficiency code;

· North Woods: LD 1534 voting against establishing a biased study committee to eliminate the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC), the state agency charged with conserving Maine’s vast North Woods.

In past years, MCV scorecards have been used to showcase votes that furthered protections for Maine’s environment, which is central to the state’s economic brand.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

NewPage Declares Bankruptcy

Today we learned that NewPage Corp. has filed for Chapter 11 under the United States bankruptcy code.

The announcement confirms many discussions that have been going on for months in Rumford.  We don't have much information to go on, but I am sure we will learn more in the coming days and weeks.  What we do know is that the issues are structural financial issues for the whole company -- not any issues specifically about the facility in Rumford.  I've had many family and friends who have worked for the mill for years -- and it has been a well managed facility with a strong and committed workforce.  Unfortunately, in this economic environment hard work is not always rewarded.  This is an instance where a company has borrowed a great deal of money, and was significantly over leveraged just before the global economy collapsed as a result of decisions made a long way from the River Valley.  It isn't the quality of the workforce; it isn't local regulation or the local tax climate or anything like that which threatens these jobs -- but we still need to concentrate on what we can do to keep the facility in Rumford operating and strong.  We don't want to lose these jobs because someone on Wall Street at an equity capital firm made a series of bad decisions.

Governor LePage and his people won the election with the claim that they understand business -- what business needs and how business operates to create and maintain jobs.  I hope they are right.  I am looking forward to working with the Governor and his staff to maintain this vital industry and these jobs that anchor the entire economy of northern Oxford County.  I hope they can apply the lessons they've learned in dealing with the situation of the mills in the Katadhin region to help mainatin these quality jobs for citizens in the River Valley.  I'm ready to roll up my sleeves and work with the administration and do whatever we need to keep the NewPage mill open, operating and maintaining the quality jobs that are essential to this region.  What we can't afford in Maine is to have working people in Rumford pay for the mistakes made by Wall Street MBAs who will not suffer the economic consequences of their actions.