The Bank of Maine Presents:
The Maine Striper Sessions with The Jason Spooner Trio & Pete Kilpatrick Band
A Benefit Concert for The Coastal Conservation Association of Maine
Port City Music Hall
November 18, 2011 7pm
ADV: $15.00
DOS: $18.00
VIP: $30.00 (SOLD OUT)

Tickets available online @ http://www.portcitymusichall.com , in person at the Port City Music Hall Box Office at 504 Congress Street, or charge by phone at 1-888-512-SHOW.

Port City Music Hall will host the First Annual Maine Striper Sessions – a unique benefit concert featuring two national artists with strong ties to Maine – The Jason Spooner Band and the Pete Kilpatrick Band.  For the first time ever, both bands will take the stage at Port City  – all proceeds from the concert will benefit the Maine’s Coastal Conservation Association, or “CCA”, which is the only grassroots volunteer and nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving Maine’s saltwater sport fishing and marine resources.  The Maine Striper Sessions is brought to you by The Bank of Maine; other organizations supporting this unique event are Taylor, McCormack & Frame; MacDonald Page; HM Payson; and the Boulos Company.

The Coastal Conservation Association of Maine
Dedicated to the protection and restoration of marine life for the enjoyment of all.

http://cca-maine.org/

Pete Kilpatrick Band

http://www.petekilpatrickband.com/

The Pete Kilpatrick Band hails from the coastal city of Portland, Maine. They have been writing, recording, and performing regularly since 2004 and have released five independent albums to date. They have been named Maine’s best act four times in the Portland Best Music Awards and have performed over 1,000 shows since their formation. Throughout the spring of 2011, the band was on the road w/ O.A.R. and DJ Logic performing throughout the country as part of FestEvol and Stefan Lessard’s of Dave Matthews Band’s IZstyle Winter Tour.

The PKB has been referred to as a “folk singer-songwriter with a rock ‘n’ roll band,” and the band feels that it’s a perfect title. The songs are acoustically driven but maintain a full and layered sound due largely in part to electric guitarist Pete Morse and Keyboardist Tyler Stanley’s approaches. Bassist Matt Cosby and drummer Ed Dickhaut round out the group, comprised of five close friends who have a deep appreciation for writing and performing music. Their sound has been compared to Snow Patrol, Travis, and Guster, and as NewBandDaily.com puts it, the band “has that suburban sensibility, that clarity and sweetness sometimes so necessary after a hard day’s work.”

Together they have shared the stage with Dave Matthews Band, David Gray, Ray Lamontagne, Barenaked Ladies, O.A.R, Guster, G Love and Special Sauce, Amos Lee, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Brett Dennen, Tim Reynolds, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Fitz and the Tantrums, The Wailers, Yonder Mountain String Band, DJ Logic, Blues Traveler, Spoon, Against Me!, Cold War Kids, Toots and the Maytals, Rusted Root, Mutemath, State Radio, Dawes, and Eve6.

The Pete Kilpatrick Band will be releasing their sixth studio album in early 2012.

The Jason Spooner Trio

http://jasonspooner.com/

Portland’s own Jason Spooner Trio (Jason Spooner – guitar & vocals, Reed Chambers – Drums & Percussion and Adam Frederick – Bass & vocals) recently wrapped up their busiest summer to date. Over the last 4 months the band has opened for acts as varied as B.B. King, Michael Franti, Jackie Greene and Sara Bareilles. This summer alone the band performed at Targhee Fest in Jackson Hole, WY – FloydFest in Floyd, Va – The Festival at Sandpoint – Sandpoint, ID – The Naukabout Festival on Cape Cod, the River City Roots Festival in Missoula, MT and The Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, CO.

In addition to recent press in High Times Magazine and USA Today, the Spooner Trio’s latest album Sea Monster has been featured heavily on Sirius/XM’s The Loft channel, on NPR’s All Things Considered and at over 11,000 Starbucks retail locations nationwide. Earlier this year, the album reached the #18 spot on the national BDS Indicator chart for all of Triple A Radio. It was the only independent album on the chart at the time.

The band has just returned to Maine after completing a western Fall tour with their New England neighbors, The Ryan Montbleau Band which included dates in CO, UT, WA, OR and CA.

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Interviews Available – For More Information Please Contact:
Rob Evon
Port City Music Hall
rob@portcitymusichall.com

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New Educational Touch Tank at the Oriental Jade
Bangor, Maine., October 19, 2011 – The Oriental Jade of Bangor, Maine and Touch Tanks for Kids of Biddeford, Maine announce a strategic alliance. This partnership offers a delicious  fundraising alternative where the Bangor area students can explore the feasibility of raising funds for a Touch Tank Teaching System. The Touch Tank Teaching Program has been providing an interactive learning experience for Maine students since 2005. The interactive educational program, inspired by a Maine teacher, has proven so effective that teaching touch tanks can now be found in 17 states.The Oriental Jade’s Dinner Buffet Fund-Raiser Program has proven itself to be a successful and rewarding endeavor where your group can easily earn up to $1000 while enjoying an evening of delicious food and fun filled events.  This, of course,  includes interacting with the Oriental Jade’s community touch tank, that they recently had installed by Touch Tanks For Kids. The fun filled night is a wonderful way for a school or community nonprofit to explore whether a an educational touch tank is right for them.More information about the Oriental Jade and Touch Tanks for Kids partnership is available on the Internet at http://touchtanksforkids.org/430/visit-the-touch-tank-at-oriental-jade/
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New Educational Touch Tank at the Oriental Jade
Bangor, Maine., October 19, 2011 – The Oriental Jade of Bangor, Maine and Touch Tanks for Kids of Biddeford, Maine announce a strategic alliance. This partnership offers a delicious  fundraising alternative where the Bangor area students can explore the feasibility of raising funds for a Touch Tank Teaching System. The Touch Tank Teaching Program has been providing an interactive learning experience for Maine students since 2005. The interactive educational program, inspired by a Maine teacher, has proven so effective that teaching touch tanks can now be found in 17 states.The Oriental Jade’s Dinner Buffet Fund-Raiser Program has proven itself to be a successful and rewarding endeavor where your group can easily earn up to $1000 while enjoying an evening of delicious food and fun filled events.  This, of course,  includes interacting with the Oriental Jade’s community touch tank, that they recently had installed by Touch Tanks For Kids. The fun filled night is a wonderful way for a school or community nonprofit to explore whether a an educational touch tank is right for them.More information about the Oriental Jade and Touch Tanks for Kids partnership is available on the Internet at http://touchtanksforkids.org/430/visit-the-touch-tank-at-oriental-jade/
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“Visitors pour into Maine for the Maine experience – great beaches, clean lakes, pristine mountains, unique boutiques – and in recent years, fabulous local food! And what could speak more to that Maine experience than delicious seafood, fresh from the Gulf of Maine, prepared by some of the region’s most celebrated and talented chefs,” states Rauni Kew, Green Program Manager at Inn by the Sea.

“This year’s Ultimate Seafood Splash brings together local fishermen, renowned seafood chefs, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, and the Maine Aquaculture Association to introduce truly delectable and responsibly harvested local seafood. Using underutilized seafood supports the health of the Gulf of Maine by giving over-fished populations a break while supporting Maine’s great fishing tradition. We hope that the mouth-watering tastings created by our trendiest chefs will generate interest in underutilized seafood… getting on board with sustainability has never been so delightfully delicious,” says Kew.

Come to the Ultimate Seafood Splash and taste new flavors, learn how to prepare new dishes and walk away with some incredibly delicious recipes.  And talk about talent!  Celebrity chef Michael Ruoss of Salu in New Orleans will be cooking Northern shrimp caught by fisherman Ricky Trundy. James Beard Award winner Sam Hayward of Fore Street will delight your taste buds with Red Fish caught by fisherman Glen Libby.  Adam White of The Salt Exchange has been matched with cod farmer Morey Levovitz from Great Bay Aquaculture of Maine.  Cassady Pappas of Havana South and fisherman Rob Odlin are going to prepare a Pollock dish that you won’t forget.   Mitchell Kaldrovich of Sea Glass at Inn by the Sea will plate fresh Whiting brought to the shore by fisherman Richard Kolseth.

Joining the chefs will be a cadre of seafood farmers from the Maine Aquaculture Association offering delectable samples of farm raised AtlanticSalmon, Eastern Oysters, Blue Mussels, Cod, Soft Shell Clams, Scallops, Rainbow Smelt and Trout, and Natural Sea Vegetables.

About Harvest on the Harbor
Harvest on the Harbor, Maine’s premiere food and wine experience is organized by the Greater Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau and takes place on the picturesque coastal waters of Portland, Maine, October 20-22, 2011.  The festival celebrates Maine’s culinary arts and is committed to locally grown and responsibly harvested foods.  Details of all the events including the Grand Tasting on the Harbor, Lobster Chef of the Year Competition, Ultimate Seafood Splash, Top of the Crop:Maine’s Best Farm to Table Chef and Savory Samplings at the Marketplace can be found at www.harvestontheharbor.com

Sponsors of the event include Down East Magazine, WHOM 94.9FM, Portland Press Herald, and Time Warner Cable. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to www.HarvestOnTheHarbor.com

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A community windjammer party also needs entertainment, and the Camden Windjammer Festival is pleased to announce that the line-up for the Labor Day celebration promises thrills, spills, music, and laughter for all the family.

On Friday September 2nd as the windjammers finish tying up there will be a free public contradance with caller Chrissy Fowler of Belfast (www.chrissyfowler.com) and the band Crowfoot (www.crowfootmusic.com) ongoing on Camden’s Public Landing from 3:30-5pm. Friday fun continues with the Schooner Passenger & Crew Talent Show in Harbor Park. The Schooner Passenger & Crew Talent Show will feature acts funny, fantastic and fabulous from the decks of the windjammer fleet. Friday evening concludes with a fireworks display over Camden harbor, presented by Down East magazine.

Saturday night’s entertainment menu offers two options. At 7:30pm the Camden Public Library will be showing the 1937 Spencer Tracy version of the movie “Captains Courageous” in the Amphitheatre on Atlantic Avenue. Meanwhile at the Camden Opera House, the wonderful Maine humorist Tim Sample will be performing an all-ages show also at 7:30pm.

Born in northern Aroostook County and raised on the Maine coast, Tim Sample is widely recognized as Maine’s premier native humorist. Tim released his first album of “down east” humor in the summer of 1980. Since then he has recorded nine more albums, four of which were released on the Bert and I label, and written and/or illustrated several books including the regional best-sellers Saturday Night at Moody’s Diner and How to Talk Yankee. Author Stephen King has compared Sample’s work to that of Mark Twain and Charles Kuralt referred to him as “Maine’s humorist laureate “ .

Tim’s show at The Camden Opera House will feature new material from his latest album “ Live at Stone Mountain Arts “ which was released in January of 2011. As with all Tim Sample performances the Camden Opera House show will be “profanity free” and suitable for all audiences. For information on tickets call the Chamber at 236-4404 or visit the Opera House online at http://www.camdenoperahouse.com/events.cfm
On Sunday evening (September 4th), the festival closes out with a free performance by the Dave Rowe Trio with special guest Denny Breau courtesy of Maine Today Media. Guitarist Breau is a triple threat: a consummate picker, evocative songwriter, and a singer with a voice that is warm and inviting but completely unpretentious. Hairy-chested, fiddle-driven nautical songs, rollicking bluegrass and Appalachian tunes, old-timey instrumental masterpieces, broad-shouldered Celtic classics, captivating originals, and Downeast wit pepper every show by Maine’s own Dave Rowe. His group’s inventive use of instrumentation on guitar, fiddle, electric bass, and tin whistles along with strong vocal harmonies which hearken back to the great folk bands of the 1960s creates an unique musical tapestry rarely heard in the contemporary folk landscape. The concert, scheduled to start at 7:30pm, will take place under the stars in Camden’s Harbor Park, with Maine’s prettiest harbor providing both a backdrop and inspiration.

The full schedule of events can be found at www.camdenwindjammerfestival.com, but suffice to say the weekend offers something for everyone. From sailing aficionados and blueberry pancake and clam chowder enthusiasts to aspirant crate-racers and boat builders, the weekend is looking mighty ship-shape.

The Camden Windjammer Festival is sponsored by Down East Magazine, Maine Today Media, Wayfarer Marine, Camden Harbour Inn, The Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce, Allen Insurance & Financial, Cellardoor Winery, the Hartstone Inn, and Point Lookout.

Also providing valuable support are The First, Camden National Bank, the Camden Downtown Business Group, the Camden Public Library, EBS, Elm Street Printing & Graphics, Eric Hopkins, Camden-Rockport Animal Rescue League, The Maine Windjammer Association, the Town of Camden, Art Tibbetts Marine Contractors, Sikaflex, West Bay Rotary, and the Camden Rotary Club.

The Camden Windjammer Festival is a community led celebration of Camden’s maritime heritage and living traditions. For regular updates on the Camden Windjammer Festival and for more information on any aspect of the weekend, visit www.camdenwindjammerfestival.com or www.visitcamden.com, or call the Chamber of Commerce at 207-236-4404 or 1-800-223-5459.

Camden, MAINE (July 22, 2011) —Multiple events focused on art, culture, food and wine will come together in the seaside towns of Maine’s Midcoast during the first weekend of October.  Thousands of visitors are expected to attend.

On Camden harbor — against a backdrop of schooners, mountains and turning leaves – 100 artists will display fine art and crafts.  At Camden Opera House and in other locations throughout the area, an international film festival will offer cinema from around the world.  Lincolnville will feature VinFest, with grape stomping, homemade wine competitions, winery tours and other festivities, as well as a community celebration – Lincolnville Fall Festival.

“This will be a real celebration of culture and the landscape that has inspired so many artists over the years,” said Dan Bookham, executive director of the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce.  “Visitors can combine fine dining, shopping, art, cinema and local color into a truly magnificent long weekend. I can’t imagine a more compelling start to foliage season than with a drive up the Maine coast to join in the festivities.”

Events taking place during the weekend of Sept. 29-Oct. 2 include:

• Carol Sebold Harbor Arts Juried Arts & Crafts Show (Oct. 1-2) — This autumn tradition draws artists from around the country to display, discuss and sell their work in Camden.  The show features an eclectic mix of established and emerging artists in a variety of disciplines. Last year’s event drew more than 4,000 visitors. A limited number of spaces for artists are still available. An application for this juried show and additional information is available at www.camdenharborarts.com.
• Camden International Film Festival (Sept. 29-Oct. 2) – The festival will showcase the finest documentary cinema from around the world at multiple locations in Camden, Rockland, Rockport and Lincolnville. More information at www.camdenfilmfest.org.
• VinFest (Sept. 31-Oct. 1) — The harvest festival begins Friday with an elegant dinner-dance under a tent in the vineyard, $100 per person. Saturday’s festivities include food and wine pairings, grape stomping, a homemade wine competition, lunch, music, wine cellar tours, and more, $10 per person.  Activities 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Cellardoor Winery.  Information at www.mainewine.com.
• Lincolnville Fall Festival (Oct. 1-2) – The celebration includes a parade, rides, food and fun at Lincolnville Beach. All day Saturday and Sunday.

In addition, local museums, galleries, fine restaurants and stores will offer other activities.  The landscape that inspired artists such as three generations of Wyeths, poet Edna St. Vincent Millay and many more also will offer hiking, sailing and other outdoor activities for those interested in exploring the region from different perspectives.

“You will see the entire Camden Harbor full of white art tents.  Every square inch that we can cover with art tents we do: the streets, the hilltop, the hollow and the waterfront,” said Alicia Bagnall, special events coordinator for the Chamber.  “Carolyn Currie will bring her guitar talents and vocals to town, and many stores will be holding sidewalk sales.  It’s a really festive atmosphere.”

About the Chamber

The Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit membership association that seeks to promote the interests of business and encourage economic development. For more information visit the Chamber at www.camdenme.org or email us at chamber@camdenme.org.

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Fast becoming a favorite of locals and visitors alike, the Maine Home+Design Midcoast Show returns to Point Lookout for the third year the weekend of June 11thand 12th. Architects, builders, landscape designers, interior designers, kitchen suppliers, artists, food purveyors, and more will be represented in over 200 booths. This show is a must for people interested in any aspect of building, remodeling and enjoying their homes. Tickets are $10 for adults, children under 12 free, and a portion of your admission price will go to support Midcoast Habitat for Humanity.

One of June’s biggest parties got an extra boost of fun when Cellardoor Winery and Megunticook Market announced recently that Huey Lewis and The News will be performing at their annual Pop the Cork celebration in Rockport village. The party starts at 5:30 on 6/23/11. As always, food, wine and fun will abound. There are sure to be plenty of extra surprises, including the unveiling of Cellardoor Winery’s 2011 Artist Series release. Advanced ticket purchase required.Get your tickets at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/173230 or by calling the winery at (207) 763-4478.

75 years ago Captain Frank Swift of Camden offered the very first windjammer cruises from the prettiest harbor in Maine and the company he founded- Maine Windjammer Cruises- is still going strong and offering special trips this summer, not least on the two original Swift vessels still in the fleet- Grace Bailey and Mercantile. The 75-year-old company is currently owned by Captain Ray and Ann Williamson, who also celebrate their 25thanniversary as owners this year.

The industry as a whole (a score and then some of authentic vessels sailing out of Maine ports, predominantly out of Camden, Rockport, and Rockland) will be celebrating too. To mark this historic milestone the Maine Windjammer Association, the organization that includes more than a dozen of the windjammers, will host a celebratory raft-up, as well as a windjammer parade and concert open to the public. The “Schooner Gam” (or meet up) will take place June 13. FMI: www.sailmainecoast.com
A couple of days before there’s another birthday in the fleet, when Rockland based windjammer Isaac H Evans turns 125 years old on June 11. There will be a party open to all from 4:00pm – 7:00pm in Rockland’s North End shipyard on the 11th, with music, appetizers, and tours of the boat. All ages welcome. 877-238-1325. www.mainesailingadventures.com
Finally, but still on the water: older than all yet somehow ageless, two of the majestic windjammers that call Penobscot Bay home will turn 140 years old this year. Sailing since the days of President Grant, the Stephen Taber of Rockland and the Lewis R. Frenchof Camden are having a joint birthday party June 17-18, 2011 with open houses, a celebration at the Pearl on Rockland’s public landing, and a bragging rights race that will a spectacular event to watch from dry land or spectator boat. www.windjammerbirthdays.com/
June in the Camden Hills area and Penobscot Bay offer something everyone: for more events visit our calendar at http://camdenme.org/calendar

PORTLAND, ME  – April 7, 2011 – The Maine Wind Industry Initiative (MWII) announces the final agenda for the 2011 Wind & Ocean Energy Seminar. Scheduled for April 13-14 at the Wyndham Portland Airport Hotel, the two-day conference will focus on how Maine companies can capture new business and create jobs from the opportunities in the expanding wind and ocean energy markets.

Conference sessions include:

• Opportunities and Outlook for North American Wind and Ocean Energy
• Developing Composites in Offshore Wind
• Wind Turbine Supply Chain
• Opportunities and Issues for North East Offshore Development
• Offshore Wind Service Vessel Needs and Opportunities
• Maine Tidal Energy Project: The Largest Ocean Energy Device Deployed in the US

“Maine is uniquely positioned to be a leader in the offshore wind and ocean energy markets. We have the greatest potential for wind energy development of the entire northeast, and expertise in marine services and composites development,” says Paul Williamson, Director and Industry Coordinator, MWII. “This two-day conference will help Maine businesses understand the opportunity, meet industry players, and position their companies to capture new business.”

The event is a Composites World conference, produced by Gardner Publications in association with the Maine Composites Alliance and the Maine Wind Industry Initiative. For a complete brochure of the two-day conference, visit http://www.compositesworld.com/conferences/2011-wind-and-ocean-energy-seminar

Registered press can contact Paul Williamson for a pass to attend the two-day event by calling 207.242.3521, or emailing pw@mainewindindustry.com

About The Maine Wind Industry Initiative (MWII)

The Maine Wind Industry Initiative was created to develop opportunities for Maine industry in the growing wind industry in the Northeast United States, and to support Maine’s efforts to become a major energy supplier to the northeast corridor. MWII identifies and documents industry needs, pursues market opportunities on behalf of Maine industry, and assists the State in leveraging its considerable natural resources to the benefit of the State. For more information, visit http://mainewindindustry.com/

Contact

Paul Williamson

Maine Wind Industry Initiative

207.242.3521

pw@mainewindindustry.com

or

Alison Harris

Harris Media Services

207.829.4500

alison@harrismediaservices.com

Planned gifts – typically absorbed into endowment funds – generally involve more complicated gift arrangements than current gifts of cash or marketable securities. They also typically begin at the 6 figure level, involve gift, estate and/or income tax benefits to their donors, and can increase significantly the financial resources of nonprofit organizations for their long-term operation.

In this course, we will review and explore:

* organizational prerequisites, including board and staff roles
* underlying policies and procedures
* the industry of planned giving
* wealth transfer and tax implications that incentivize planned gifts
* mechanics of planned gifts
* resources to support planned giving programs (e.g. allied professionals, web-based services)
* the concept of appropriate donor recognition and stewardship

We will also discuss how to identify potential planned giving opportunities.

Sarah Ruef-Lindquist, J.D. is a graduate of the Institute for Civic Leadership and a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (“CTFA”). She has practiced law, was Vice President for Southern Maine at the Maine Community Foundation and Sr. Administrative Trust officer at Union Trust Company. She is a frequent writer and speaker on the topics of trust and estate planning, charitable gift planning and planned giving.

Wednesday, April 14, and Thursday, April 15, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
call USM Cont Ed. 1-800-787-0468  or go to USM Cont Ed web site here
$285 (12 contact hours/ 1.2 CEUs)
Abromson Center, 88 Bedford Street, USM Portland campus

Sarah Ruef-Lindquist can be reached at her web-site, Planning for Good here

The fishermen fear that this could take place if the legislature approves LD 1810, An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Governor’s Ocean Energy Task Force.

The bill would  authorize the Department of Conservation’s Bureau of Parks & Lands to lease nearshore state waters to the wind industry, and loosens the state’s and municipal environmental and conservation laws, rules and ordinances to be used the state waters windfarm application decisionmaking process.

LD 1810′s public hearing took place March 11th. At the hearing, Marine Resources Committee co-Chair Leila Percy told the Utility & Energy Committee, which is considering LD 1810,   that to protect marine resource users, the 35 page bill – which was only introduced in committee that week – required careful scrutiny before any final action is taken “I want to speak about the bump in the road, “ Percy told the committee. “I haven’t had a chance to read the bill. bsp;And a lot of my constituents haven’t had a chance to read the bill.” Percy said she had spoken with fishermen at the Seminar on Ocean Windfarms & Maine Fishermen at the  2010 Maine Fishermens Forum l

Percy called for the bill to passed as a “resolve”, then brought before fishing and tourism based coastal communities and before the Marine Resources Committee and the Natural Resources Committee,  before final action on a bill in 2011.
“I think having everyone’s voice in a much greater conversation would be helpful” she said.

Other portions of the bill  have also come under fire. If passed,  the Bureau of Parks and Lands could:

* Offer 2 year “lease options,  3 year predevelopment leases”,  5 year “pre-operation leases” and 30 year operating leases. In addition the Bureau plans to offer 50 year  leases of the state’s submerged marine lands to wave and tidal energy interests

LD 1810 would also:

* Allow the banning of commercial fishing within the wind leases using any gear that wind industry insurers deem risky to wind farm’s underwater cables and  structures.

* Allow wind companies to use eminent domain on shoreline and inland property owners, to allow the industry to cut powerline and tower rights of way through private land as needed to connect the offshore developers to the national grid.

* Forbid coastal towns from assessing property taxes on wind turbines or related equipment and facilities in the municipalities’ waters that are “below the mean low-water line on waters subject to tidal influence.”

* Forbid coastal resorts from challenging nearshore windfarms for threatening to  degrade economically critical, measurable scenic values without penalty or need to compensate other users for lost values.

* Forbid Maine citizens from filing appeals of Maine Department of Environmental Protection windmill project decisions to the Maine Board of Environmental Protection. Would-be appellants would need to go straight to state court.

* Forbid the Maine Board of Environmental Protection from assuming jurisdiction over Maine Department of Protection windmill applications.

Critics say  the result of the relaxed and weakened standards could stimulate a wild west style  submerged lands rush, with speculators staking exploratory claims over Maine fishing grounds, then selling their leases for a tidy profit to one of the big energy concerns that hope to dominate the wind energy business.

“Who wrote this junk bill?” said fishermen  Brian Preney of Boothbay, a member of the state’s Sea Urchin Zone Council.  “Would anybody with any civic responsibility propose such a poor piece of legislation?  I would like to know who wrote it and who they represent, because it certainly is not me or the people of Maine.”

As a result of the fishing industry’s concerns, political leaders are taking action. Speaker of the House Hannah Pingree has pledged  that the bill  will be extensively modified.

“I think we’ll scale down the bill significantly”, she reassured one concerned constituent.  ”We were disappointed the bill came from the Governor so late in the session with so many big issues to be resolved.”

The state’s heating industry is also up in arms about the bill, which proposes phasing that business out and requiring Mainers to use electricity for heating their homes and workplaces.

Final action on LD 1810 takes place 1pm Thursday March 18th, when the Maine legislature’s Utility and Energy Committee holds its work session on the bill.