Maine is blessed with abundant resources of farmland, mighty forests, clean waters and the Gulf of Maine. Farming, forestry and fishing were the cornerstones of our state’s economy in our beginnings. These remain keystone industries. In a world increasingly desperate for the products that we can harvest, investment in the sustainable development of our natural resources can drive Maine incomes higher.

Lowering Maine’s cost structure in the ways that our Strategy suggests will have a discernible impact in short order. Lower electricity and healthcare costs can extend the growing season throughout our state, revitalize our pulp and paper industry and promote more efficient and more profitable lumber and wood products mills. Research and development efforts in composites and bio-fuels also hold great promise for using Maine’s resources in new and innovative ways.

While Maine’s traditional fishing industries face many challenges, our coastal waters and the Gulf of Maine represent an amazingly diverse resource that will continue to be a bountiful source of food and protein that the world needs. The same is true for Maine’s agricultural lands, as demand for locally sourced foods increases and the issue of food security becomes more prominent.

All of these efforts to use Maine‘s natural resources in innovative and sustainable ways benefit from something else that has incredible value: Maine’s legendary reputation for quality. That’s our brand, and we must continue to safeguard it, invest in it, and promote it.