Solar criticism shallow
Professor Richard Schmalensee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in his Dec. 20 BDN OpEd could have started out by speaking to the paucity, shallowness and deeply fractionated nature of the energy policy dialogue in Maine. He didn’t.
He could have spoken to how Maine will get such a dialogue going with a climate change denier in the governor’s chair whose major contribution to policy has been the indiscriminate use of the veto. He didn’t.
He could have said something about the enormity of the climate crisis obliging humankind to keep fossil fuels in the ground and the $5 billion a year, according to one estimate, that individual Mainers send outside the state for fossil fuels, money never to be seen again or recirculated here. He didn’t.
He could have spoken to the fundamentally democratic fallback when leadership at the center fails, namely, individuals and localities taking the reins themselves (as in rooftop solar, joining solar farms and promising initiatives, such as Mount Desert Island’s Climate to Thrive). He didn’t.
He could have more fully explored the full gamut of indigenous renewable energy possibilities in Maine — not only wind and solar, but also geothermal, wave, tidal, biomass, biofuels and storage strategies for capturing energy from sometimes intermittent sources of supply. He didn’t.
He says he’s gone deep here. He’s also dangerously narrow. Except for the Maine Public Utilities Commission’s policy mistake he incorrectly praises, he seems ignorant of Maine’s energy particularities.
Hendrik D. Gideonse
Brooklin
Collins a champion of vulnerable seniors
We were saddened to learn about financial exploitation of Maine seniors in a Dec. 20 BDN article. It is truly shocking and unconscionable that a trusted financial advisor, family member, or friend would take advantage of vulnerable seniors and rob them of their retirement savings.
Maine is fortunate to have a strong advocate, such as Sen. Susan Collins, raising this issue in Washington. Collins recently chaired a Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing on this topic, inviting Jaye Martin of Maine Legal Services for the Elderly to speak before her panel. Martin does a commendable job representing seniors who are victims of this terrible crime, but clearly more must be done to protect seniors.
We agree with many of Collins’ proposals to combat this form of financial abuse, from flagging unusual banking activity to greater oversight of individuals with power of attorney. These are the types of commonsense solutions for which Collins is known, and ones we can all get behind.
From her focus on protecting seniors from scams, to supporting caregivers, to boosting funding for biomedical research, Collins has proven herself to be a tireless champion for seniors. We appreciate all that she does on Maine’s behalf.
Dwinal and Rachel Anderson
Mount Chase
Planned Parenthood delivers crucial care
I am a wife, a mother, an attorney and a taxpayer, and I have been among the nearly 3 million women in this country who annually receive comprehensive, affordable health care from Planned Parenthood.
When I was a law student living in Portland, I aged off of my parents’ health insurance at the time when I most needed to have autonomy in my health care decisions. I was married, entering my second year of law school and my husband and I were nowhere near ready to start our family while I was a full-time student with no income of which to speak.
Planned Parenthood provided me with quality women’s health care, including my annual exams and affordable birth control, which ensured that we didn’t start our family until we were ready. Because of the preventative care I received at Planned Parenthood, I graduated, passed the bar exam, established my career, and then, earlier this year — when my family was ready — became a mom.
My story is not an exceptional one, it is the story of millions of women who receive their care every year at Planned Parenthood clinics across the country. It is critical that these services continue to exist — Congress must preserve funding for Planned Parenthood in the next session — families across the country are depending on it.
Gabrielle Berube Pierce
Hampden