Energy efficiency
A recent story (BDN, Aug. 2, 2012) on our aging power grid would lead one to believe — wrongly — that the only way to keep the lights on is to spend billions on new electric poles and wires.
Transmission rates are skyrocketing in Maine and the rest of New England. Residential customers paid about 0.6 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2005, now pay about 1.6, and are expected to pay close to 2.5 cents in the next few years.
There are cheaper, cleaner and smarter ways to address grid reliability problems than to simply pour money into new infrastructure.
Utilities earn as much as a 13 percent return on investment in transmission upgrades, even on any cost overruns. Energy efficiency and demand response programs reduce energy use and also help avoid the need for new lines. Clean generation like solar, wind and efficient combined heat and power properly located reduces stress on the grid too. Unfortunately, utilities have no financial incentive to invest in these often cheaper and cleaner solutions.
We need to level the playing field so these alternatives can fairly compete. We should allocate costs consistently among resources, provide utilities a reasonable return and limit the return on cost overruns. Regulators must ensure that utility investments in new transmission infrastructure are truly needed and that the costs are reasonable. Finally, utility load forecasts should incorporate planned energy efficiency investments so that we do not needlessly overbuild the transmission system. Some progress is being made on this front in New England.
Beth Nagusky
Litchfield
Tea partiers
The Republicans in Augusta like to tell us how they have saved us all big money and trimmed the budget. What they don’t tell us is that the money they cut from roads, schools, police and fire protection has to be found some place, and guess where they find it: the individual property owner. Gov. Paul LePage and his tea party right-wing supporters just shifted the burden onto property owners.
Since LePage has been in office, my property taxes went up $250. Most likely when I get the new tax bill they will be even more. Everyone in this state should pay for the schools since everyone benefits from having educated children.
These so-called “tea partiers” want the budget cut, but where do they suggest we get the money to pay for schools, road repairs, firefighters and police? All of this is paid for by our taxes. What will they do when the roads don’t get built or repaired, when they call for fire or police help and nobody shows up? Seems to me all the tea party wants to do is hate President Barack Obama and help the rich avoid taxes and get richer. And I ask: What is wrong with that picture?
Gregory Boober Sr.
Eddington
Bridge history
What a shame that the historic and beautiful Waldo-Hancock Bridge is to be torn down. The Maine Department of Transportation, the agency whose responsibility it was to maintain the bridge, now says it must be destroyed, at a cost of millions of dollars. Really?
Maybe it can no longer carry heavy vehicle traffic, but for the cost of destruction it could be preserved for pedestrians and bicycles and continue to connect Fort Knox with Verona and the resurgent Bucksport waterfront.
Until 2007, with the help of millions of dollars worth of new steel and concrete upgrades, DOT deemed the bridge safe for all traffic. All those expensive upgrades are still in place, but now DOT wants to spend millions more to tear them out and destroy the bridge. For a comparable cost, why not remove the hundreds of tons of deteriorated concrete decking, designed to carry commercial traffic loads, and replace it with lightweight decking suitable for pedestrians and bicycles.
We could save our historic bridge and provide a service which is sorely needed, since the new bridge does not provide safe passage for pedestrians. Plans called for a separate pedestrian and bicycle deck but it was not built. Now intrepid walkers must cross single file in the traffic lane. I invite DOT bureaucrats to enjoy a white-knuckle stroll in traffic across the new bridge before they sign the contract to destroy the old one.
J. Michael Davis
Stockton Springs
Thank you, Mr. Vigue
I have lived in Maine for almost 40 years, and in all that time I have never had so many terrific interactions with my neighbors as I have had in the past six months. We have gathered many times, to hear and speak about ideas and solving problems. The groups have included people of all ages, genders, origins and political persuasions, yet we’ve felt we had something in common that we could all agree on — that none of us want a 220-mile-long corridor to cut our state in half.
It has been a refreshing change, an opportunity for civil discourse. In the process, we’ve found we have more in common than we thought, and for this I sincerely thank you!
Patti Dowse
Cambridge
Supporting Geoff Gratwick
As a member of the Republican party in Maine I am corresponding to express my support for Democrat Dr. Geoffrey Gratwick for Senate Seat 32. This Senate seat represents all of Bangor and part of Hermon.
Mr. Gratwick has gained experience in local government through his several years on the Bangor City Council. He has shown a commitment for the well-being of Maine citizens through his decades as a physician in the region.
Late this spring, when the Drugs for the Elderly and Medicare Savings Programs were being slashed by the governor, Geoff Gratwick stood with other concerned citizens to protest the cuts. These programs assist the elderly and disabled to purchase lifesaving medications.
The incumbent Republican State Senator for District 32 voted for legislation that will leave nearly 2,000 Maine seniors without the extra help they need to purchase life-sustaining medications as of October 1.
Candidate Gratwick has the experience, commitment and compassion to represent all the constituents of Senate District 32 regardless of their financial status. His budget experience includes working to present a balanced budget for Bangor residents through many tight budget years. He will advocate for Maine seniors who have paid taxes all their lives, served our state in the military and deserve a fundamental sense of dignity in their final years.
E. Jeff Barnes MBA, CAS
Bangor
My earlier comment praising Dr. Gratwick’s candidacy was deleted. I wonder why, but perhaps it reflects the newspaper’s traditional Republican bias. Will this comment also be deleted by the censors?
BDN has a “traditional Republican bias”?????? I’m glad I didn’t have a mouth full of coffee. “Traditional Republican bias” from the BDN. Now that’s funny, I don’ t care who you are.
I second and third that!
Where were you today! I missed you at the gay-marry debate!
I was in New Orleans scoping a content claim for an apartment fire. Besides, I didn’t get an invitation to the debate.
Ah, well. There’s always an open invitation on the BDN comment sections! This particular one was about the recent editorial supporting SSM.
Mr. Davis, it would cost a ridiculous amount of money for the state to maintain the Waldo-Hancock Bridge for pedestrians. The bridge itself weighs tons, and those tons would need to be supported by cables and trusses that would need to be maintained. The steelwork is deteriorating. The cost of painting the bridge to prevent further corrosion would cost millions. And for what — so relatively few people can walk across it?
If the bridge had been maintained properly in the first place it would still be in operation.
But it wasn’t and it must be demolished. Besides, it was no longer wide enough anyway for today’s safety standards.
EJParsons’ political views would apparently not allow him to appreciate that the Bangor Daily News, at least until quite recently, has been largely pro-Republican, as exemplified by its incessant elevation of Senators Collins and Snowe to heights of greatness that make all of their real and potential opponents pygmies. Before either got to the Senate, Mr. Parsons, the longtime chief editor of the paper was so pro-Republican and so anti-Democratic that editorials lost much of their clout because they were so one-sided. And like Walter Annenberg of the Philadelphia Inquirer, this fawning over all Republicans and demonization of all Democrats extended to the amount of coverage they received in the news sections alone, not just the editorial page.
So sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Parsons, but your historical memory is rather limited. If you think I’m wrong, do some archival research and see what you find.
Screaming they’re the victim is one of the last resorts when they’re losing an argument. It’s how they demonize facts and change the subject.
wolfndeer is a full time Obama2012 campaign employee/volunteer. He’s here all day long, every day.
Could you tell the Obama Campaign for me that my paychecks have probably been sent to the wrong address? I haven’t been receiving them :S
Let’s see that is #18 on the 25 ways to suppress truth: Emotionalize, antagonize, and goad opponents.
More effective if they didn’t distort and deflect so much.
And you and others are supported by whom? ALEC? Koch Bros.? Faux News? Tea Party?
And you and yours are supported by Soros? Unions? Hollywood? Mainstream Media? Millionaires and Billionaires? OWS? The American Communist Party? CAIR? SPLC?
Did you know that News Corp (owner of Fox News) gives more to the Democratic Party than they do to the Republican Party? Guess they support you, too.
I grew up reading the BDN in the 60s and early 70s. Back then I wasn’t interested in politics, so I couldn’t tell you which way the paper leaned. I honestly thought it printed the news without a slant.
I have been reading the BDN online for the last few years and can tell you that it is severely anti-conservative. As for it’s lauding of Snowe and Collins, well, of course. But, it only puts them on pedestals when they agree with the Dems. Neither Snowe nor Collins are conservatives. To most conservative, both of the Senators are RINOs.
BDN is the Maine extension of the Washington Post: Politically left leaning, with just enough right wing fillers to give the illusion that they are presenting both sides.
Actually EJ Bunyan is correct on the BDN being a Republican paper from a historical point of view. For a good portion of the last century the BDN was considered probably one of the top three Republican papers in New England being outranked in its Republican leanings only by The Manchester (NH) Union Leader and its publisher Ultra-conservative Bill Loeb. It wasn’t that long ago from again an historical view that a conservative, V. Paul Reynolds, who endorsed LePage in the 2010 election, was managing editor and the editor of the editorial page. Positions he held for over 20 years.
But those days are long gone 4mer. The BDN is decidedly left/Democrat these days. My opinion is it that it runs interference for even more radical leftists. A conversation with an editor or two… (two editors back) might have convinced you of that.
lol “radical leftists”
The Republican Party has moved so far right that it has left the BDN behind. As Churchill said, “Some men change their party for the sake of their principles; other men change their principles for the sake of their party.” The BDN editorial board fits the former category while Mitt Romney fits the latter.
Today’s Republican Party is very much like the Democratic Party of the 50s and 60s. Both parties have changed. The Democrats went to the extreme left, and the Republicans adopted many of the compassionate stances of the old time Democrat party that the new Democrats left in the trash.
The Democratic Party of the 50s and 60s nominated for President four of the most liberal Democrats in history: Adlai Stevenson, Jack Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Hubert Humphrey. Each was a passionate believer in civil rights and national health insurance.
You are referring, perhaps, to the Dixiecrat minority of the party in the 50s and 60s: George Wallace and Lester Maddox being two salient examples.
That “compassion” that you claim Republicans adopted must be the compassion Maddox showed in wielding an ax handle to prevent the desegregation of his restaurant.
The difference between the Dems back then and the Dems now is that the Dems back then put the country before their party or ideology. Today’s Dems are just the opposite, especially the one that is living in the People’s House at 1600 Pennsylvania Blvd.
2016 is only playing in 3 theaters in Maine. It would be worth your time to go see it. That is if you’re not afraid to find out the truth about Obama.
My President lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He placed country before party or ideology when he kept GM alive and made sure bin Laden was dead. He placed country before party or ideology when he implemented a health care system modeled on the Heritage Foundation proposal from 1993 and Romneycare. He placed country before party or ideology when he re-regulated Wall Street to make sure we don’t face another crash like that of the fall of 2008. He is placing country before party or ideology in insisting on a tax policy that will actually raise his taxes, but will close our deficit.
It is so tiresome to see you slur the patriotism of all those who disagree with you. As my ancestors have all bled and died for their country, I find your patriotic sanctimony beneath contempt.
GM would have survived without the bail out, and the taxpayers wouldn’t be paying the 30 billion of their debt that was written off. Bin Laden is dead because Obama continued the work that Bush started; but, I will give him credit for giving the go-ahead even when some of his closest advisers told him not to. Romneycare was less than 200 pages; Heritage Foundation input was minuscule; and the other 2000+ pages will bankrupt the country. Wall Street would have corrected itself faster if Obama had just left it alone. And the crash was caused by the influence of Congress on the banking industry, not the banks. Raising taxes on the wealthy will reduce the money coming into the treasury and raise the price on goods and services that the middle class and poor will end up paying for, and it won’t do a thing for the debt (the most important number).
As for patriotism, when you see 2016 (if you dare) you’ll understand that patriotism has nothing to do with Obama’s beliefs or strategy.
You have reminded me that you are the White Queen and like to believe at least six impossible things before breakfast.
You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it think. I am glad that 2016 is doing the thinking for you.
I assume that you do not apologize for questioning my patriotism. This is a sad reflection upon you.
I never questioned your patriotism.
I recall a post in an earlier letters section that the only choice for those who loved America was to vote for Romney, or words to that effect. I accept your statement and thank you.
The actual phrase you used was in yesterday’s letter section. It stated that any choice other than Romney was anti-American. I accept your retraction.
No retraction necessary. I said what I believe. If you interpret it as you’re being unpatriotic, then that’s on you.
Obama’s policies are anti-American, anti-Capitalist, and anti-business. And they’re bankrupting this nation. Why do you suppose he’s doing all he can to keep from talking about his policies?
My business has done well under Obama; last year was more profitable than any since Clinton was in office. The Dow has almost doubled under Obama; private sector job growth has increased more in Obama’s 3 1/2 years than Bush II’s 8 years. None of that sounds anti-capitalist or anti-business to me.
I think you mean the President is anti-EJParsons. You may be right. I hear he has plans to seize your guns (but no one else’s), load you into a UN black helicopter, and take you to a concentration camp. If I were you I’d stock up on ammo, howitzers, and anti-tank guns.
So, your business is recession-proof. So is mine. As for the Dow, it still hasn’t recovered to the 14,000 mark that it hit under Bush.
And how do you know what I have or have not in my arsenal?
2016 is a biased right wing infomercial and we already know that you are buying what they are hawking.
It’s a documentary, not an infomercial. It’s based in truth. Can you handle it?
Truth is apparently not absolute ina number of instances and thisappears to be one of them. All too often, truth, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.
Appears? Tell me about it after you go see it. That is, if you dare to hear the truth.
Ds in the extreme? Rs “compassionate”? As elsewhere, perception is everything and some is clouded.
Right on, E.J. Anyone asserting that this paper is anything short of hard left deserves derision and scorn.
Nothing like what some of the assertions from the RR seen here, deserving of the scorn (and worse) spouted by the RR.
Perception is everything. You are evidently more politically entrenched now than you were.
Patti Dowse: Does I-95 divide the state in half?
Ms. Nagusky’s organization , Environment Northeast, has been pushing wind power on Maine mountains for some time now, so her letter is a bit puzzling. Wind power development in remote places in Maine necessitates large amounts of new transmission infrastructure. Most wind power development isn’t located close to the sources of consumption. If you wanted to put windmills in the smartest places (if there really are any), you’d put them off the southern New England coastlines – ISO New England even alluded to this in its New England Wind Integration Study. But, opposition from those more affluent and influential residents mean that large numbers of 40 to 50-story wind turbines will continue to end up on remote, rural Maine mountaintops where the costs of the required transmission and its environmental impacts will multiply.
Nagusky is a fraud.
The reason transmission rates went up by 20% last month for all CMP customers is Nagusky’s wind power.
See:
http://www.themainewire.com/2012/08/wind-power-agenda-fuels-cmp-increases/
Gregory, great letter
Evidently the moderator pre reviews before publication comments naming letter writers by name so I’ll try again. Letters no. 2, 3, and 4 are good letters IMHO.
I finally figured out why my responses to Gregory B’s letter kept getting reviewed. Apparently his last name must be banned from comment. Gotta love the geeks that are protecting us from ourselves.