Below is the coverage of Eliot’s answers:

ENERGY

Cutler sees natural gas as an important ingredient in lowering costs, and he supports an LNG plant in Maine. He would shift home heating from oil to electricity. His most innovative idea — and it’s really an old one — is to create a public power authority.

NORTH WOODS

Cutler called for changes in the way we do easements, citing landowners’ concerns about liability and value. He said resolving these concerns is “centrally important to continuing uses in the North Woods.”

CONSOLIDATION OF STATE AGENCIES

Cutler elaborated on his opposition to consolidation, saying, “I’ve done government reorganizations at the federal level; some worked, some didn’t. Moving boxes around is not smart business. When you have agencies that relate directly to what centrally defines our state and manage our resources, mergers don’t make sense. What does make sense is changing the way we do business to reduce costs and tear down the wall of ‘no.’”

I really like that “wall of ‘no’” concept, but I would expand it to say no harm should be done to our environment as we use it to expand our economy.

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Cutler used the occasion to tout his three-point plan to make Maine a more affordable place to live and do business by lowering the cost of electricity, along with lowering the cost of health care and government.

“Lowering electricity costs is one the big levers we can use to create jobs and attract investment in Maine,” Cutler said. “One of Maine’s competitive advantages is our abundant sources of renewable energy. We have great opportunities for solar energy, as well as wind, tidal and biomass. As a state, we should be doing all we can to encourage new sources of lower cost electricity that can be put to work here in Maine.”

Cutler praised the joint venture between the Roberts company and Solar Market/Sun Gen, the company that installed the system. “I am excited that these two companies are on the cutting edge of innovative energy partnerships in Maine, and I’m sure many others will be watching and learning from this project,” he said.

The Independent candidate and former White House energy chief also has called for the creation of a Maine Power Authority, which would use low-cost capital to partner with energy entrepreneurs to develop new power projects around the state. More information about Cutler and his plans for Maine can be found at www.cutler2010.com.

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JANUARY 29, 2010
CONTACT: TED O’MEARA
207.699.4401
ted@cutler2010.com

INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR ELIOT CUTLER ATTENDS ACTIVATION OF LARGEST SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM IN MAINE; TOUTS RENEWABLE ENERGY

ALFRED, Maine – Independent candidate for Governor Eliot Cutler today attended a celebration of the activation of the largest utility interfaced solar energy system in Maine. The new system, installed at the George R. Roberts Company in Alfred, includes more than 600 solar panels and is two and a-half times larger than any system previously installed in Maine.

Cutler used the occasion to tout his three-point plan to make Maine a more affordable place to live and do business by lowering the cost of electricity, along with lowering the cost of health care and government.

“Lowering electricity costs is one the big levers we can use to create jobs and attract investment in Maine,” Cutler said. “One of Maine’s competitive advantages is our abundant sources of renewable energy. We have great opportunities for solar energy, as well as wind, tidal and biomass. As a state, we should be doing all we can to encourage new sources of lower cost electricity that can be put to work here in Maine.”

Cutler praised the joint venture between the Roberts company and Solar Market/Sun Gen, the company that installed the system. “I am excited that these two companies are on the cutting edge of innovative energy partnerships in Maine, and I’m sure many others will be watching and learning from this project,” he said.

The Independent candidate and former White House energy chief also has called for the creation of a Maine Power Authority, which would use low-cost capital to partner with energy entrepreneurs to develop new power projects around the state. More information about Cutler and his plans for Maine can be found at www.cutler2010.com.

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