Chellie Pingree never anticipated a life in politics. Living on the offshore island of North Haven, Maine, she raised her kids and ran a small business. She served on the school board and as the local tax assessor, a job no one else in town wanted. But in 1991, when she was approached about running for State Senate, she jumped at the chance.
She scored a remarkable upset, defeating a popular Republican, and went on to serve four terms in the Maine Senate. But throughout her political career, from Augusta to Washington and beyond, the lessons she learned on North Haven have always been her guide: Be accountable to your neighbors, and always use your common sense.
Every time gas and oil go up by $1 dollar, Maine's economy loses a billion dollars that it will never get back. That's unsustainable for our state and our families. Maine has the natural resources to produce affordable energy here at home while producing jobs and being good for the environment.
Off the shore of Maine there is enough wind to produce several power plants worth of electricity. Moreover, we can do it while creating jobs for Mainers and exporting energy instead of having to importing. I am a strong supporter of the University of Maine's work to develop offshore wind turbines that would be made right here in Maine.
There are also some exciting developments in getting our ocean to power our state, but from the tides. Maine has some of the largest tides in the world, and one project is looking at how to harness it.
Our homes, businesses, and state have much to gain by cutting back on the energy we use. We can save millions in utilities by insulating and sealing our homes as well as using efficient appliances.