Energy Co-chair Hinck and Wind Industry Lawyer wife Browne not a CONFLICT OF INTEREST - Who is the Maine Ethics Commission?
2/25/10
In a unanimous vote today, the six person Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices said Rep. Jon Hinck, D-Portland, co-chairman of the legislative committee that deals with energy issues, does not have a conflict of interest in voting on legislation regarding wind power by virtue of the fact his wife, Juliet Browne, represents several wind power developers at the Verrill Dana law firm in Portland.
Here is information about this commission from http://www.state.me.us/ethics/about/index.htm
About the Ethics Commission
The Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices is an independent state agency that administers Maine's campaign finance laws, the Maine Clean Election Act, and the lobbyist disclosure law. It also issues advisory opinions and conducts investigations regarding legislative ethics.
The Commission consists of five members jointly appointed by the Governor and Legislative Leaders for three-year terms. The Commission is bipartisan, and no more than two members may be enrolled in the same political party.
The Commission meets monthly or bimonthly at the Commission's office at 45 Memorial Circle, Augusta, Maine. In the last 60 days before an election, the Commission must meet every two weeks.
Mission Statement
The Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices, an independent State agency, guards against corruption and undue influence of the election process by state, county, and certain municipal elected officials by adopting procedures, rules, and regulations to conduct its duties promptly, fairly, and efficiently.
Five Commission members, appointed for their probity, judgment, and objectivity by the Governor and confirmed by the Legislature, conduct ethics seminars, investigate and advise on apparent violations of ethical standards; administer the lobbying disclosure laws; administer and investigate violations of the campaign finance reporting laws and the Maine Clean Election Act; and manage the Maine Clean Election Fund. Commission meetings and hearings are public.
Commission Members
Walter F. McKee, Chair - Democrat - Hallowell
André G. Duchette - Democrat - Brunswick
Francis C. Marsano - Republican - Belfast
Margaret E. Matheson - Independent - Augusta
Edward M. Youngblood - Republican - Bangor
Views: 233
Comment
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Comment by Ron Huber on February 27, 2010 at 12:33am
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Screaming near the Blaine House can be highly effective. Especially when, like John Muir at the link, you use a powered megaphone
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Comment by Long Islander on February 26, 2010 at 8:30pm
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Don't scream near the Blaine House:
"This wonderful old house, (the Blaine House), has learned well how to open wide the door of Maine hospitality and at the same time offer peace and quiet to its occupants." - Karen Baldacci
http://www.maine.gov/firstlady/blainehouse/index.html
Just like the peace and quiet of wind farm neighbors.
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Comment by Joanne Moore on February 26, 2010 at 6:00pm
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Ethics? From people appointed by Baldacci? Regarding Industrial wind? Why do I get this sudden urge to scream?
Maine as Third World Country:
CMP Transmission Rate Skyrockets 19.6% Due to Wind Power
Click here to read how the Maine ratepayer has been sold down the river by the Angus King cabal.
Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT
******** IF LINKS BELOW DON'T WORK, GOOGLE THEM*********
(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/
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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law
Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future
"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."
https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/
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