Letters to the Editor Week of April 28, 2016

It’s clean-up time

The official “Earth Day” is over with not so good results. Very, very few volunteers.

Thank you so much Goodine family, Barbara F., Irene Belanger and all of you who have done the roadside cleanup in your own neighborhoods. Things are looking better with the “ winter uglies” being picked up.

Thank you also for the town (Kevin Rhodes) picking up bags along the pickup trails. It isn’t too late to get on board with this endeavor to keep our town looking clean and in good health.

We would like to extend this good cause through to May 2016.

Please! we invite all who can to join us. We can even supply some bags if you need, and to have the  filled bags picked up if necessary. Also, large pieces such as tires, metal, tree branches, etc may be picked up.t together

Get the neighborhood involved and have a  fun get together  after the work is done.

Call Irene at 445-2349 if you need to adopt a roadside to cleanup.

Irene Belanger
China selectman

Maine needs lower energy costs

To the editor:

Governor Paul LePage’s final address at the Republican State Convention Saturday afternoon identified the source wreaking havoc on the Maine economy: high energy costs.

“We are facing a crisis!  The number one challenge to the Maine economy is energy.  We have an energy crisis!” the governor revealed.

The governor then illustrated his wooing of Airbus to retool the Brunswick Air Station came to an abrupt halt.  Airbus informed the governor the cost of energy in the DIrigo state was too high and they were better off in Alabama.  The price that tipped the scale 14 cents a kilowatt hour.

Airbus could build their manufacturing plant for $300 million in Maine, or  $600 million in Alabama.  Yet, Airbus could get 4  cents a kilowatt hour in Alabama.  This 10 cent difference in the cost of energy means Airbus could get a return on their investment in half the time in Alabama than Maine.  How many jobs did Airbus envision, 3000?

Airbus is not the only examples of companies taking a pass on Maine because of expensive energy the governor informed.  Taiwan General Counsel also wanted to bring manufacturing to Maine, but high energy costs made other states more attractive.

Governor LePage blamed the Natural Resource Council of Maine for making the business landscape a desert, because of their promotion of alternative energy.  NRCM is misguided as alternative energy as a primary source of energy was unsustainable, too expensive, and currently requires government subsidy to exist.

The governor mentioned lifting the cap on renewable energy allowing Hydro-Quebec to transmit power into the state would drastically lower energy costs.  If this were to happen, Maine would be very competitive with other states offering low cost energy to attract companies; bringing new job opportunities.

What the governor left out was lower energy costs would greatly promote growth of Maine based businesses also.  Energy is always needed and always a challenge.  Lower costs would trickle down or up depending on how you look at it and create more jobs, higher paying jobs.  Then the Maine economy would get the lift it so desperately needs.

Dale Fegel Jr.
Delegate to the Republican State Convention from China