What could be more promising than a bill in support of solar panels in Maine? Yet the seated senator representing Waldo County was so weak in his support of the measure that he only voted for the bill when he was sure the governor would veto it.

Jonathan Fulford might have been seated on the panel as our senator, and he would have been a strong proponent of this bill, except that in November 2014 he narrowly lost the Waldo County Senate race by a mere 115 votes (we’ll get another shot at this on Nov. 8).

Jonathan was there, a bright and eager participant in the hearing, listening to Maine citizens and business owners talk about the exciting future of solar energy in Maine. He also stood at the microphone and spoke eloquently for the measure.

Sen. Mike Thibodeau was nowhere to be found. Not to be easily denied, we went to his office but he was too busy to talk with us, surrounded by men in business suits. Later, when I did catch him in the hall, he was friendly enough, but said he didn’t know much about the bill. Then, he went back to his group of friends in suits.

There is no down side to solar energy, no dirty clouds of smoke, no excavation, no nuclear half-lives. Solar is a segment of the economy that has enormous potential for growth and we should be encouraging its development for all kinds of reasons. Due, in part, to Thibodeau’s disinterest, the solar bill didn’t survive; Maine lost out, big time.

Fulford is stepping forward to lead us into the future. Waldo County needs you to show up at the polls and vote for him.

Jennifer Hill

Waldo


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