Maine Trail Use During COVID-19: Project Summary Kathryn Ballingall, Research Associate, Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, UMaine Kathleen Bell, Professor, School of Economics, UMaine Maine, like many states, lacks detailed and consistent trail usage data. Trail usage data are critical to making informed decisions about investments in new trails and the maintenance and management of […]
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The Road Salt in Maine: An Assessment of Practices, Impacts and Safety report presents the results from a research project by a team from the University of Maine, in cooperation with the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT), that examines the use of road salt in Maine for winter travel safety. It summarizes winter maintenance practices, […]
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A new report on “The 2019 Statewide Economic Contribution of Maine’s Forest Products Sector” by Megan Bailey and Sheldon Green has been published. Maine’s forest products sector includes a multitude of components including but not limited to businesses, organizations, and individuals involved with logging and forestry, paper and related product manufacturing, sawmills and wood-product manufacturing, […]
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Erin Brown, Jonathan Rubin, and Bruce Wyatt published a new report entitled “Credit Enhancement Strategies for Higher Efficiency Vehicles in Maine” which reviews two credit enhancements mechanisms and their impact on access to clean, reliable vehicles. Enhancements are necessary because lower-income and historically disadvantaged groups have less access to low-cost financing. They are not sufficient […]
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Great Need for Public Transportation in Rural Areas Access to critical services, such as jobs, education, healthcare, and shopping, is essential for the livability of any community. For those living in rural communities, these services are often farther away, requiring access to a vehicle or public transit. In Maine, the oldest and most rural state, […]
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High Fuel Efficiency Vehicles Can Bolster Maine’s Economy Recent data shows that 54% of Maine’s CO2 emissions come from transportation. A new report by Jonathan Rubin, Kathryn Ballingall, and Erin Brown of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center notes that Maine’s economy can benefit from reducing transportation-related petroleum demand and emissions. This economic benefit can […]
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Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center and UMaine School of Economics professor Philip Trostel was a panelist on Maine Public’s Maine Calling. Trostel was one of two experts who responded to questions about what is being done to address unemployment and labor shortages in Maine. Listen to the show on Maine Public’s website.
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Margaret Chase Smith researchers, Jonathan Rubin, Kathryn Ballingall, and Erin Brown presented the results of their research on Maine’s transportation system to the Maine Climate Council’s Equity Subcommittee meeting on Maine 20, 2021.
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The University of Maine System Rural Health and Well-being Grand Challenge Initiative’s Injury Prevention Collaborative recently held a seed grant competition for UMS researchers. The program is coordinated by Marcella Sorg and Jamie Wren at the University of Maine Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, with assistance from UMaine’s Office of Research Development. The UMS Injury […]
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Attorney General Releases Drug Overdose Data for February 2021 March 25, 2021 Data will continue to be updated on a monthly basis AUGUSTA – The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Office of Chief Medical Examiner have released drug overdose data for February 2021, which draws attention to the continued devastation the opioid […]
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