Rep. Mike Michaud (D. ME) scored a big endorsement in his bid for Governor next year:
http://www.mpbn.net/...
The Sierra Club announced their support for Michaud at a news conference Monday.
The group had already said there's one candidate who's been stricken from their list: Gov. Paul LePage. That left either Michaud or independent candidate Eliot Cutler.
Spokesman Glen Brand says the environmental group is devoting all of its resources to replacing LePage with ``a pro-environment governor.'' - The Maine Public Broadcasting Network, 11/25/13
The Sierra Club's early endorsement is aimed to help rally the base to get behind Michaud and take down LePage:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/...
The earliest-ever gubernatorial endorsement by Sierra Club Maine reflects how lines are being drawn earlier than ever as candidates and their supporters try to shape the three-way race.
‘‘We’d like to rally our troops early,’’ said Melissa Walsh Inness, political team chairwoman for the environmental group with 8,000 members and supporters across the state.
The race presents some stark contrasts on environmental policy. LePage, for example, opposes wind energy because of its expense, while Michaud wants to boost green energy. In fact, Michaud wants to cut reliance on heating oil in half — from today’s level of 70 percent to 35 percent — by the year 2030.
Cutler has his own environmental record that dates to his days helping Senator Edmund Muskie shape the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act and later environmental work as an attorney. Both Michaud and Cutler say a clean environment is key to Maine’s future and economic development.
The Sierra Club’s endorsement came down to Michaud vs. Cutler, and the Sierra Club made it plain that LePage wasn’t in the mix.
LePage did not even bother to fill out a survey or responding to a request for an interview, the environmental group said. - Boston Globe, 11/25/13
The Sierra Club isn't the only endorsement Michaud has picked up. This endorsement must really sting for Eliot Cutler (I. ME):
http://bangordailynews.com/...
As the only independent in the Maine House of Representatives who does not caucus with either party, I am pleased to announce that I am supporting U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud for governor. I plan on campaigning for Michaud during the 2014 election season.
Mike Michaud will make a terrific governor of our state. He has the two characteristics that are sorely lacking in the current administration in Augusta: humility and common sense. He’s a good listener, thoughtful and respectful. It will be such a breath of fresh air when Michaud is elected as our next governor.
Just imagine, no more insults and crude language, real leadership, and a healthy respect for bipartisan cooperation, which Mike has demonstrated time and again in Washington and Augusta. His ability to win elections in the conservative northern half of the State should speak volumes as to his potential to lead Maine in a bipartisan fashion.
Gov. Paul LePage has worked and talked his way out of a job. His continuous stream of irresponsible comments, his growing isolation, and his inability to work with all parties means Maine has to move in a new direction.
LePage’s handling of the Statoil debacle and the poor ethics behind it are just the latest examples of his duplicity. Maine’s economy and its ability to attract investment are sure to take a huge hit from his irresponsible behavior. - Bangor Daily News, 11/19/13
By the way, in other Michaud related news, Michaud is bringing home the bacon:
https://bangordailynews.com/...
A group of local, state and federal officials gathered Tuesday morning on the banks of the Penobscot River to announce the award of a $10.5 million loan and grant package from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help upgrade the town’s wastewater treatment facility.
The funding will help the facility better filter the sewage that comes into the plant and the fluids that are released into the Penobscot River.
The existing plant, built in 1988, has operated as a primary treatment facility, where solids are removed from the wastewater at the plant, but the waste receives limited chemical treatment before being released into the river.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency has been aware that Bucksport did not meet the Clean Water Act standards, but it has allowed the facility to operate under waivers.
High bacterial counts from stormwater bypasses and elevated levels of toxins in fish downriver, however, prompted state and federal officials last year to push for modernization of the treatment facility. While much of the pollution may originate upriver, town and environmental officials reached an agreement in October to upgrade the Bucksport facility.
It will become a secondary treatment facility, where solid material will be removed and microbes added to the waste to consume the organic matter, before the treated fluids are released into the Penobscot.
U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud was on hand to announce the awarding of the USDA loan and grant.
“What makes it special to me is, where I grew up in Medway on the Penobscot River, that’s what got me involved in politics,” Michaud said.
“The first time I ran for the Maine Legislature, I was trying to clean up the Penobscot River which was being polluted by the very mill that I worked at.”
Michaud added that infrastructure projects like this one are fundamental to the economic development of Maine. - Bangor Daily News, 11/26/13
If you would like to donate or get involved with Michaud's campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.michaud2014.com/