by Anna Kellar What does it mean to be an organization called the League of Women Voters in 2022, when the ideas of community action, feminist politics, and voting are each hotly contested? We are a league because we believe in collective action, in community, and in the power of people coming together to solve […]
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by Amanda Rector I remember very clearly the last days I spent in my Augusta office before the COVID-19 pandemic had me working from home. The last in-person meeting I spoke at was awkward as we tried to figure out the social dynamics: do we shake hands? Elbow bump? Wave from a safe distance? I […]
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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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In a new report “Effects of the Transportation and Climate Initiative Program in Maine: A Study of Rural and Urban Households” by William Somes and Jonathan Rubin, the MCS Policy Center examines the differential effects of the Program in Maine. As climate awareness continues to grow, many states are taking matters into their own hands. […]
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Through the Maine Government Summer Internship Program, Karoline Bass has a summer internship with the Division of Technical Services for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The division includes scientists, geologists, engineers, and data managers who focus on petroleum-contaminated sites. The Department is part of one of the four bureaus that compose the Maine […]
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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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Peggy McKee, a research associate at the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center (MCSPC) at the University of Maine, talked with News Center Maine about the Center’s summer program that supports 35 college students working as interns with state, county and municipal governments. The Bangor Daily News and the Penobscot Bay Pilot also reported on the internship program.
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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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