BY TUX TURKEL, Maine Sunday Telegram When heating oil spiked in 2008, roughly 500 Mainers took a state housing authority course to become weatherization technicians. Another 200 became certified energy auditors. Then two unexpected things happened: Oil prices collapsed and the country plunged into a deep recession. The result was that fewer people had the [...]

By Cliff Ginn and Rob Brown With so much attention on health care, few have noticed that Congress just passed crucial legislation to expand educational opportunity. Increasing access to higher education and training is the best way to prepare Americans with the knowledge and skills that the 21st century economy demands. Raising the proportion of [...]

There’s a serious shortage of environmentally friendly jobs in Maine that match the education schools offer. By ADAM MARQUIS, Portland Press Herald PORTLAND – Forget death and taxes. The two certainties of life in Maine are a lack of good-paying jobs and high and volatile energy costs. On education, as a recent college graduate facing [...]

Reported By: Susan Sharon It may be one of the best kept job-retraining secrets in Maine. It offers an attractive benefits package and good pay and the training program itself is free. And it’s being held up as a model for how business, education and labor can help strengthen the new economy. Stacey Timberlake of [...]

By Rob Brown and Don Berry Maine’s intertwined economic and energy challenges have deep roots. We have the nation’s oldest housing and work force, greatest reliance on heating oil, and highest percentage of young people neither working pursuing education. Electricity costs are high, and Maine has the lowest income and education levels in New England. [...]

By Ron Bancroft An expanded sales tax, a lower overall income tax rate and progress on efficiency all merit praise. As I suggested last week, two significant pieces of legislation dominated the latter days of the legislative session in Augusta: tax reform and an omnibus energy bill. Many of us had given up hope that [...]

By Rob Brown , Special to the Sun Journal Energy costs are stifling Maine’s economy and making it increasingly difficult for ordinary people to pay their bills. The greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression has greatly accelerated the economic insecurity of Maine’s families, making this bad situation even worse. In this crisis lies an [...]

Robert E. Brown II and Clifford M. Ginn Maine Policy Review, Issue 17 Number 2 Fall/Winter 2008 Maine has enormous potential to build a new energy economy that will sustainably produce, distribute, consume, and reduce demand for energy. This will lower costs for citizens, businesses, government, and civic institutions while reducing global warming. Following the [...]

By Rob Brown and Auta Main The days when a high school diploma assured a good job for life are long gone. Like most growing industries, even Maine’s manufacturing sector now frequently require education well beyond high school just to get in the door, let alone advance up the career — and income — ladder. [...]

By Maine Politics Most news media in Maine recently covered the heartwarming story of Chelsea Edgar of Whitefield, who was the first recipient of a new state-issued high school diploma. Because of this program, Chelsea, obviously a bright young woman, will be able to attend Kennebec Valley Community College this fall. This is a great [...]