I was pleased to see in the Kennebec Journal on Jan. 25 that some concerned Mainers were brave enough to bring the issue of the Trans-Pacific Partnership to the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce awards ceremony in Augusta as Sen. Susan Collins was introduced.

They held a banner about the TPP, which is intended to be fast-tracked through Congress this year. Unfortunately, your article didn’t explain what the TPP is and why the two women oppose it, and indeed why all of us should oppose it, too.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership has been described as “NAFTA on steroids,” a reference to the North American Free Trade Agreement that has cost Maine 30,000 jobs over the last 20 years.

The TPP will allow corporations to sue us for policies such as Buy Local, organic food promotion, and environmental regulations against fracking, for example. Anything that interferes with their ability to earn maximum profits could be challenged, and all disputes would be decided by “judges” on leave from corporations.

Both of Maine’s representatives have indicated they will not support fast-tracking, nor are they likely to support TPP even following a full and open debate of its pros and cons. Rep. Mike Michaud, D-2nd District, said in a statement: “We know what happens when Congress passes this type of legislation granting fast track. Factories close, plants move overseas, and our workers are left behind. We simply can’t afford to repeat the mistakes of the past.”

Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, said,”Congress should be figuring out how to create jobs here at home, not ship them overseas.”

Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King won’t say if they will support the White House attempt to push the Trans-Pacific Partnership through a fast-tracked approval process without divulging its contents or allowing debate in Congress. I ask others to urge them to oppose the TPP.

Natasha MayersWhitefield


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