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"We are shocked and stunned," said Lisa Pohlmann, incoming executive director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, one of the state's largest and oldest environmental advocacy groups.
"The notion of opening 10 million acres of northern Maine to development stems from proposals aimed at the Land Use Regulation Commission, the planning and zoning agency for the state's unorganized territories. LePage's proposal calls for not less than 30 percent of the commission's jurisdiction to be zoned for development."
" Pohlmann, at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said the proposals go much further than creating a friendlier business climate."
"We are shocked and stunned," said Lisa Pohlmann, incoming executive director of the Natural Resources Council of Maine, one of the state's largest and oldest environmental advocacy groups.
"The notion of opening 10 million acres of northern Maine to development stems from proposals aimed at the Land Use Regulation Commission, the planning and zoning agency for the state's unorganized territories. LePage's proposal calls for not less than 30 percent of the commission's jurisdiction to be zoned for development."
" Pohlmann, at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, said the proposals go much further than creating a friendlier business climate."
Fear and Loathing as the local enviro-nut jobs panic!
Man is THIS move ever overdue! The envrio-nuts were all secure in the KNOWLEGE that they controlled all of the state owned land simply because they said so. LePage has proposed to abolish the Maine Envrionmental Protection Board. GOOD! The envrio-nuts have no more claim to the land than anyone else. If using this land can create jobs and promote business then I'm all for it. We have plenty of State and National Parks in Maine we don't need lots of land tied up at the behest of the envrionazis while people are leaving Maine to find work. THEY DON'T OWN THE LAND.... they just think they do.
Oh give me a break. The Enviros??? Really? As if there is some evil cabal of environmentalists just waiting to take control over your land. How lame. How myopic.
What LePage is doing is proposing that we roll back legislation that was largely enacted in a bipartisan fashion. It's true. If you look at most of the stuff he want to repeal or roll back, you'll find that it's not controversial stuff. Most of it was passed in response to the scientific understanding of the impact human beings are having on their environment. That's it. It's not some evil group of tree hugging hippies out for control. Just people needing to protect the things they love about this state.
For example, LePage is proposing that we roll back our restrictions on the industrial output of sulfur dioxide. He wants ours to match the federal standards. That means more sulfur dioxide, more acid rain, and less healthy forests. People enacted more stringent regulations because we value our forests here in Maine and want our land around us to be healthy. Not because they are evil.
I mean, can't we argue about the importance of saving paper mill jobs over the importance of maintaining healthy forests without creating environmental boogey men?
There is other stuff in his proposal that is a bummer for people interested in maintaining local control. For example, he proposes the repeal of the Informed Growth Act. The Informed Growth Act allows citizens and local officials to have an opportunity to evaluate big-box development and make informed decisions about whether to approve or reject such projects.
Maybe LePage wants to put up a few more Mardens? Maybe a Home Depot in downtown Camden?
Oh give me a break. The Enviros??? Really? As if there is some evil cabal of environmentalists just waiting to take control over your land. How lame. How myopic.
What LePage is doing is proposing that we roll back legislation that was largely enacted in a bipartisan fashion. It's true. If you look at most of the stuff he want to repeal or roll back, you'll find that it's not controversial stuff. Most of it was passed in response to the scientific understanding of the impact human beings are having on their environment. That's it. It's not some evil group of tree hugging hippies out for control. Just people needing to protect the things they love about this state.
For example, LePage is proposing that we roll back our restrictions on the industrial output of sulfur dioxide. He wants ours to match the federal standards. That means more sulfur dioxide, more acid rain, and less healthy forests. People enacted more stringent regulations because we value our forests here in Maine and want our land around us to be healthy. Not because they are evil.
I mean, can't we argue about the importance of saving paper mill jobs over the importance of maintaining healthy forests without creating environmental boogey men?
There is other stuff in his proposal that is a bummer for people interested in maintaining local control. For example, he proposes the repeal of the Informed Growth Act. The Informed Growth Act allows citizens and local officials to have an opportunity to evaluate big-box development and make informed decisions about whether to approve or reject such projects.
Maybe LePage wants to put up a few more Mardens? Maybe a Home Depot in downtown Camden?
Envrionmentalists are anti-capitalists. We're sick of them... back when there were chicken guts and mercury being dumped in rivers they had a purpose. Now they just live to stop industry and capatalism at every turn and have worn out their welcome. People need jobs and Maine needs industry. We don't need to save every tadpole in every vernal pool in Maine. We don't need to re-route a much needed highway bypass in Wiscassett because of ONE EAGLE'S NEST....Move the GD eagle!! We are tired of being stifled by handwringing envrio-nuts and Lepage is on a course to put them in to their place. We're not going to run amok and go back to the early part of the 20th century where all Maine rivers were polluted but we can ease up a bit instead of over regulating us back to the stone age.
Lepage is only suggesting Maine's sulphur dioxide output is kept much lower than that of the midwest coal burning plants which is where OUR acid rain comes from. After many years of pleading with the Mid West to curb their output they have pretty much told the Northeast to pound sand. They have no intentions to make further reductions. Why should we?? There is room for growth and also to be good stewards of the envrionment. Envrionmentalists see any use of land, sea or air as detrimental. Others see it as necessary,within reason, for the State and the country to prosper. This State and country need a second industrial revolution....and this is the first step. Don't worry Chicken Little the sky isn't falling.
Oh give me a break. The Enviros??? Really? As if there is some evil cabal of environmentalists just waiting to take control over your land. How lame. How myopic.
What LePage is doing is proposing that we roll back legislation that was largely enacted in a bipartisan fashion. It's true. If you look at most of the stuff he want to repeal or roll back, you'll find that it's not controversial stuff. Most of it was passed in response to the scientific understanding of the impact human beings are having on their environment. That's it. It's not some evil group of tree hugging hippies out for control. Just people needing to protect the things they love about this state.
For example, LePage is proposing that we roll back our restrictions on the industrial output of sulfur dioxide. He wants ours to match the federal standards. That means more sulfur dioxide, more acid rain, and less healthy forests. People enacted more stringent regulations because we value our forests here in Maine and want our land around us to be healthy. Not because they are evil.
I mean, can't we argue about the importance of saving paper mill jobs over the importance of maintaining healthy forests without creating environmental boogey men?
There is other stuff in his proposal that is a bummer for people interested in maintaining local control. For example, he proposes the repeal of the Informed Growth Act. The Informed Growth Act allows citizens and local officials to have an opportunity to evaluate big-box development and make informed decisions about whether to approve or reject such projects.
Maybe LePage wants to put up a few more Mardens? Maybe a Home Depot in downtown Camden?
Its to late for that discussion. The paper companies liquidated their forest lands years ago, in response to LURC regulation. The tree hugging moonbats that have ruled as our overlords in Augusta for three decades, brought development to a stand still in this state with overbearing regulation and mostly stripped us of local control. If the good citizens of Camden want a Walmart, they should have every right to build one.
We are taking back our State from the enviro-activist nutjobs who had us following the lead of California, at every turn, passing feel good legislation with little basis in scientific fact and zero consideration of cost-benefit. As Maine starts standing up to this crowd, we will be the envy of citizens in other states. They will begin to take their rights back. The entire environmental movement will be uncovered for what it is, the modern home of the Communist movement. Rural Cleansing is real.
As far as I'm concerned, the Feds would do well selling off millions of acres of their land. That goes for the National Parks also. Start with the A's. We can start paying off the national deficit by selling Acadia to some wealthy investors who can develope it and create a real job base at that end of the coast.
The current plan of our LURC is to only allow a land owner to use like 0.005% of his own land for development [see Plum Creek if you doubt this in any manner].
Plus LURC insists that any towns effected by any development must only allow 'new' buildings to be erected at a rate less than the rate of old buildings falling apart.
Plus all new developments [according to the CLEP] must be 'primitive use only' [no petroleum fueled vehicles].
Wow, Mainah. So environmentalists are "anti-capitalists" and "see any use of land, sea, or air as detrimental."
You are really conforming to my prejudices against tea-bagger types as totally irrational. I hope you are just being hyperbolic for the sake of effect.
Why should we make reductions? Because it's the right thing to do. Because people enact legislation to protect their land when and where they can. Because we can't control what the Midwest does with sulfur dioxide. That's it.
You obviously think LePage and the current crop of republicans are going to create a bunch of new jobs by degrading what's left of the environment. I personally think that's a fantasy. I've lived in areas where deregulating republicans have been in power for years and I can personally attest to the destruction they've left in their path. Both in terms of environmental destruction but also cultural and economic destruction.
I agree that there is room for growth and also to be good stewards. But if you look at a lot of the legislation LePage wants to roll back, I think most rational people will recognize that most of it is pretty reasonable. You mention vernal pools--right now the setback is 250 feet. It's just hard for me to understand why someone would need to build closer than 250 feet to a vernal pool. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe people need to fill in vernal pools to build new Mardens.
But seriously, the jobs that need to be created should be working in conjunction with the reality of the impact we have on the environment. The jobs that we should be thinking about creating--and what a leader with vision will be thinking about--are those that have long-term viability. Deep water offshore wind, for example. Our legislators need to have vision to see how to create long-term industry. My impression of LePage so far is that he's not that kind of guy. But I'll try to remain open. At least until the next election when there isn't a split ballot and the majority elects a moderate democrat.
But I suppose I shouldn't prolong this discussion. I can tell already that obviously you have too many strong feelings to discuss politics rationally. I mean, calling me Chicken Little? After calling all environmentalists "anti-capitalist"? Give me a break.
Wait, wait. Dmyankee--that is that most hilarious impression of totally irrational tea-bagger. Even better than Maineah's.
Environmentalists as communists! Hilarious! You guys are real jokers. Almost had me going there for a minute.
..but in case you missed it, the point of Informed Growth is so that if the citizens of Camden DON'T want a Walmart they can do something to stop it rather than having it rammed down their throat by a well-funded corporation. LePage's repeal would end that.
The current plan of our LURC is to only allow a land owner to use like 0.005% of his own land for development [see Plum Creek if you doubt this in any manner].
Plus LURC insists that any towns effected by any development must only allow 'new' buildings to be erected at a rate less than the rate of old buildings falling apart.
Plus all new developments [according to the CLEP] must be 'primitive use only' [no petroleum fueled vehicles].
We seriously need to 'roll-back' this garbage.
Interesting. I must admit I know nothing about this! I agree it should be rolled back. Thanks.
Oh give me a break. The Enviros??? Really? As if there is some evil cabal of environmentalists just waiting to take control over your land. How lame. How myopic.
What LePage is doing is proposing that we roll back legislation that was largely enacted in a bipartisan fashion. It's true. If you look at most of the stuff he want to repeal or roll back, you'll find that it's not controversial stuff. Most of it was passed in response to the scientific understanding of the impact human beings are having on their environment. That's it. It's not some evil group of tree hugging hippies out for control. Just people needing to protect the things they love about this state.
For example, LePage is proposing that we roll back our restrictions on the industrial output of sulfur dioxide. He wants ours to match the federal standards. That means more sulfur dioxide, more acid rain, and less healthy forests. People enacted more stringent regulations because we value our forests here in Maine and want our land around us to be healthy. Not because they are evil.
I mean, can't we argue about the importance of saving paper mill jobs over the importance of maintaining healthy forests without creating environmental boogey men?
There is other stuff in his proposal that is a bummer for people interested in maintaining local control. For example, he proposes the repeal of the Informed Growth Act. The Informed Growth Act allows citizens and local officials to have an opportunity to evaluate big-box development and make informed decisions about whether to approve or reject such projects.
Maybe LePage wants to put up a few more Mardens? Maybe a Home Depot in downtown Camden?
I hardly think this was done in a "bipartisan" manner as you say.
Who are we doing this for when the people who live in this state.... US..... and who should be the beneficiaries of "STATE OWNED" land have to move out because they cant find work and take care of their families..
IMHO The real reason we feel that most of these "enviro-nut jobs" have done nothing but create a large bureaucracy full of red tape is because of all of the personal negative experiences we have ALL had as individuals..
In my own situation why is it the powers that be wont let me build a simple deck off the back of my camp (because it is within 100 ft of the water) but yet I can build the largest pressure treated monstrosity and then put it IN the water and call it a dock
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