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GUBERNATORIAL FORUM

GOP hopefuls favor nuclear power, split on Sunday hunt

By Susan M. Cover scover@mainetoday.com
MaineToday Media State House Writer

AUGUSTA -- Five Republicans running for governor said Thursday they all support bringing nuclear power to Maine, all oppose a national park in the North Maine Woods, and are all leery of a constitutional amendment to protect fish and wildlife funds.

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THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION: GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Abbott, right, responds to a question raised Thursday during a forum sponsored by the Maine Forestry Products Council in Augusta. Several Republican candidates attended the forum.

Staff photo by Andy Molloy

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But they split on Sunday hunting and offered different ideas for how they would move the state forward.

A forum hosted by the Maine Forest Products Council featured five of the seven GOP candidates, with Bruce Poliquin and Sen. Peter Mills, R-Cornville, unable to attend.

The format gave attendees a chance to talk about energy costs, government consolidation and the state's regulatory environment, and to address those who work in forestry, farming, fisheries. A separate forum for Democrats was held earlier in the day.

Republicans had particularly harsh words for the Land Use Regulation Commission, which oversees 10.4 million acres of unorganized territory in northern Maine.

"LURC, like the Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Protection Agency, have become control freaks," said Waterville Mayor Paul LePage. "The state of Maine needs regulatory oversight, not regulatory control."

Les Otten, who runs businesses in western Maine, said the board is not as professional as it should be.

"I don't believe LURC is a viable government agency anymore in the state of Maine," he said.

When it came to Sunday hunting, Maine & Co. President Matt Jacobson said he favors it.

"I can drink a beer on Sunday, why shouldn't I hunt on Sunday?" he said.

Otten said he would want to study the issue while Steve Abbott, former chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, said he opposes it because of issues with landowners.

LePage said he supports it, but would want to leave it up to landowner to decide.

And William Beardsley, former president of Husson University in Bangor, said he opposes it. "It think that's a time for family, faith, things like that," he said.

On the issue of a proposal to consolidate the state's four natural resource agencies, Abbott said the state does not have the kind of information it needs to make sure government is working effectively.

"We should audit all state spending and use the audit to determine how agencies are performing," he said.

When talking about energy costs, Otten said he served on the state task force that made recommendations for taking advantage of the state's wood-to-energy potential. (Otten is also a director of a Bethel-based wood pellet stove company, Maine Energy Systems.)

But he said the report ended up "on the bottom shelf of a closet in the Blaine House."

"When oil is back to $4.50, this state is going to be in crisis, and we have no energy plan," he said.

Jacobson said the high cost of energy is the biggest deterrent to starting a new business in Maine.

"It's time for a governor to lead on this issue," he said.

Beardsley said any effort to diversify the state's energy portfolio must include reliable sources that can serve as backup to each other.

"There's no way we're going to produce Aegis destroyers with wind alone," he said.

Unlike the Democrats -- all of whom said they would support a constitutional amendment to protect funds dedicated to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife -- the Republican candidates at the forum uniformly opposed it.

Abbott, LePage and Jacobson said they would be very careful about supporting any amendments to the state constitution. Beardsley said he opposes "dedicated funds" and Otten said he doesn't like the idea of funding something in "in perpetuity."

On a lighter note, the candidates took the opportunity to poke fun at the current Legislature, particularly lawmakers from the Portland area.

In response to a question about whether the size of the Legislature should be reduced by one-third, Abbott said he believes there should be fewer lawmakers. He said it would help rural Maine because there would be fewer lawmakers from Portland who "hatch and promote kooky ideas in this state."

LePage picked up on that theme.

"In southern Maine, yes, there's a lot of kooks down there," he said.

Registered Republicans will vote June 8 to choose the GOP candidate to represent the party in November.

Susan Cover -- 620-7015

scover@centralmaine.com