by George Smith Bangor Daily News column I wrote this column yesterday, before Governor LePage announced he would allow $5 million of Land for Maine’s Future bonds to be sold. He also said he would allow the sale of $6 million of LMF bonds that have expired, if the legislature revives them. However, the Governor Read More
Governor Paul LePage
LePage’s Bond Freeze Jeopardizes the Economy of Somerset County
The Cold Stream Project, negotiated with Plum Creek, is in danger, particularly in light of the news that Weyerhaeuser is poised to buy Plum Creek. By David Trahan Kennebec Journal op-ed On Nov. 30, the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel ran an article about the resurgence of white-tailed deer in the small rural town of Read More
Task Force Balks at LePage Plan to Divert State Timber Revenues for Home Heating
Citing constitutional restrictions, the commission spurns the governor’s idea to fund the home heating program with income from expanded logging on public lands. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — A task force has recommended against using revenues from logging on state-owned lands to help low-income Mainers heat their homes, Read More
Keeping Our Perspective
by Lisa Pohlmann, NRCM Executive Director I have been speaking with many of NRCM’s longtime members these past few months. They remember with pride how NRCM helped restore the Kennebec from a stinking industrial dump to a vibrant river that supports the largest alewife run east of the Mississippi. They remember when we helped ban Read More
Money for Maine Goes Elsewhere When Land Conservation Projects Stall
By The BDN Editorial Board Bangor Daily News editorial With little explanation, the LePage administration has decided not to pursue federal conservation money the state has used for decades to maintain working forestland while ensuring public recreational access. This move comes after Gov. Paul LePage earlier this year essentially shut down the state’s Land for Read More
LePage’s Strange Grudge Puts Working Forest at Risk
Instead of accepting federal funds to conserve land, Maine will take its chances this year. By The Editorial Board Portland Press Herald editorial The projects that have protected some of Maine’s most cherished areas are the result of complex work that can take years. The one assurance through long negotiations and tedious legal work is that, Read More
LePage’s Land Conservation Interference Solidified Support against Him
By Jeff McCabe, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed I want to publicly thank Gov. Paul LePage for single-handedly raising the profile of Land for Maine’s Future. If he didn’t keep holding hostage its voter-approved bonds, there wouldn’t have been an occasion to look into just how much Mainers support this conservation program. Read More
Land for Maine’s Future Supporters Take LePage Fight to Sportsmen
The Land for Maine’s Future Coalition hopes to tap key constituency in effort to pressure governor to release voter approved bonds. By Steve Mistler, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA –– Supporters of the Land for Maine’s Future program used the first regular day of the deer hunting season and the expiration of Read More
NRCM Blasts LePage Administration on Energy Efficiency Policies
By Mal Leary MPBN news story In what may be the opening skirmish in a long battle over the three-year budget for Efficiency Maine, the Natural Resources Council of Maine is accusing the LePage Administration of seeking to reduce funding for weatherization and for home heating system improvements. The LePage Administration says that is just Read More
