Testimony of Nancy Smith, Executive Director of GrowSmart Maine in support of LD 1686. January 11, 2018 Senator Woodsome, Representative Berry and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, my name is Nancy Smith and I am the Executive Director of GrowSmart Maine and I live in Monmouth. We are a…
By David Webster. There are many reasons for renovating older buildings. For me, seeing buildings as a major contributor to the character of a place is a reason to renovate rather than replace. They represent the history of a community; why and how a community evolved, what the economic drivers were, what the people in…
“I don’t ask you your age, don’t ask mine.” Earlier this year GrowSmart Maine asked members, colleagues and total strangers to take a survey. We wanted to know which issues matter to them, how they thought we should address them and, oh yeah, how they thought we were doing. As our staff and board members…
Testimony of Nancy Smith, Executive Director of GrowSmart Maine in support of LD 1373 “An Act To Protect and Expand Access to Solar Power in Maine” May 4, 2017 Senator Woodsome, Representative Berry and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, my name is Nancy Smith and I live in Monmouth….
Testimony of Nancy Smith, Executive Director of GrowSmart Maine, in opposition to LD 1392 “An Act To Allow Municipalities To Opt Not To Enforce the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code” April 26, 2017 Senator Volk, Representative Fecteau and members of the Joint Standing Committee on, Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development, my name is…
This month, GrowSmart Maine will be featuring speakers and subject matter experts on the topic of Maine’s New Forest Economy – leading up to our forum on the subject on March 24th in Hallowell. More information and Registration here. Ted Wright is the Executive Director of the Trust to Conserve Northeast Forestlands. He grew up in…
Testimony of Nancy Smith, Executive Director of GrowSmart Maine in support of LD 1649 “An Act to Modernize Maine’s Solar Power Policy and Encourage Economic Development” March 16, 2015 Senator Woodsome, Representative Dion and members of the Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, my name is Nancy Smith and I am the Executive…
Legislative committees seem to be holding to a strategy of focusing on those bills with strong bipartisan support. There are exceptions, but for the most part if a bill does not have strong support in committee, it will not advance this year. No word still on when or if we will see a supplemental budget…
GrowSmart Maine’s Smart Growth Forums are back for 2016 – and better than ever! Here’s a sneak peek at what’s in store this year: February – A Look into Maine’s Renewable Energy – location TBD Come to our February forum to learn how Maine’s electricity system works, what it means to residents and businesses, and…
The 127th Maine Legislature is in its Second Regular Session, and GrowSmart Maine is weighing in on bills in several legislative committees, all with an eye towards strengthening and supporting Maine’s economy, communities and environment. We are engaging in several bills in Energy, Utilities and Technology. You may recall that last session there was quite…