The honorable Paul LePage tries hard to make himself popular. He wants to import "cheap" Canadian energy to Maine.
Northern New England and the Canadian Maritime Provinces are pretty close and their Governors and Premieres take regular summit meetings about fisheries, agriculture and other things. Paulie can even speak French--it's his primary language though he speaks English with a great working-class New England accent.
What is wrong with this picture? Follow over the fold...
Paul LePage is a teabagger. His administration has tried to wreck public employees unions, screw labor over, and he has come out as a bully when he suggested that he would like to physically assault the news directors of our public broadcasting system on live television when he was running for office. He's a total douchenozzle.
Now he wants to import "cheap" power from Canada. This, in a state that is still heating its homes with heating oil and, in my case, kerosene. And coal.
The problem I have with this is the fact that Maine has been in the forefront of green energy with a focus on wind power and tidewater power, even though we are still reliant on fossil fuels. We are trying hard to get off of fossil fuels and many jobs would be created in Maine if we really went all-out on that. But the Governor disagrees. He wants to buy power from Canada. He doesn't want to put the money into fixing our antiquated power grid (we have one of the worst in the nation) or into green energy. He wants to BUY it. From Canada.
I love Canada. I have relatives in Ontario. But, I live in Maine, and I want Maine solutions to Maine problems. I am tired of losing my power for half a day every time the wind breaks 30 knots. Canada is not the solution. How about sustainable power here in Maine and green as well?