PORTLAND, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Military leaders and veterans joined local officials Saturday at the Portland Public Library to gather support for an energy bill in Congress.

The veterans say that relying on oil is not only bad for the environment, but, they say, it helps fund terrorism by sending American dollars to oil-producing countries overseas.

They support the American Power Act co-sponsored by Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman. That legislation aims to cut greenhouse gases by creating cleaner energy sources here in the United States.

The veterans say that the Pentagon has looked at areas that could be hit by severe climate change like droughts and floods.

Military leaders believe that when those things happen, people in those countries become poorer, more desperate, and ripe for recruitment by radical groups like Al-Qaeda.

http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=118927&catid=2

Using paid advertising combined with media events, activists this week have been targeting Maine’s Republican senators, trying to earn their votes a key climate change vote slated for today (Thursday).

But the national political agenda will not end with the vote. On Saturday, a coalition of veterans and national security organizations will host a town hall meeting here to call for passage of comprehensive climate and energy legislation.

A flurry of advocacy ads will try to affect a vote today on what’s called the “Murkowski amendment.”

The name refers to U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, will bring legislation to the Senate floor for debate today to disapprove of the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent endangerment finding that carbon dioxide is a dangerous pollutant and harmful to human health and the environment. Murkowski and Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, agreed to bring the joint resolution, S.J. 26, to the floor for up to six hours of debate before voting on a motion to proceed.

If the motion is successful by 51-vote majority, the Senate would then allow for an hour debate before voting on its passage, which also requires 51 votes.

Operation Free, a coalition of veterans and national security organizations “dedicated to securing America with clean energy,” according to its literature, on Wednesday pushed for a no vote on the Murkowski amendment.

“We need strong climate change legislation to address the security threats associated with climate change and our dependence on oil,” said Maine state Rep. Alexander Cornell Du Houx, D-Brunswick, an Iraq War veteran with Truman National Security Project and Operation Free, during a press event at Portland City Hall Wednesday.

Rep. Du Houx said Collins and Snowe have shown independence in their handling of national security and environmental issues.

According to her staff, Sen. Collins has not decided how she will vote on the Murkowski resolution. To date, Collins is the only Senate Republican to introduce comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation, her staff reported in an email message Wednesday.

“While I support regulating greenhouse gas emissions, I have reservations about the sweeping approach EPA is pursuing,” Collins said in a statement. “For example, for the first time the EPA has classified biomass as not carbon neutral, which could have a negative impact on Maine’s forest products industry. I have not yet decided how I will vote on the Murkowski resolution, and I continue to believe the best way to proceed is for Congress to pass a framework for regulating carbon emissions as Senator Cantwell and I proposed in the CLEAR Act.”

Efforts to solicit a response from the office of Sen. Snowe for comment on her position on the Murkowski amendment were unsuccessful.

Advocacy groups aren’t taking anything for granted.

Du Houx said big dollars are coming from the Truman National Security Project, a national security leadership institute which calls itself “the nation’s only organization that recruits, trains and positions a new generation of progressives across America to lead on national security.”

“The Truman National Security Project, we’ve launched a $3 million ad buy with Republicans for Environmental Sustainability, and that’s airing in Maine and a number of other states,” Du Houx said Wednesday.

Du Houx said the $3 million ad buy will try to sway the outcome of this vote.

“It’s aimed at the senators who we think should be leaders on this issue,” he said. “Senator Collins and Senator Snowe in the past have been very strong on national security and they’ve been strong on environmental issues. We hope they will continue to do that by not supporting the Murkowski amendment.”

Separately, the group Americans United for Change announced on Tuesday the launch of a new ad in Maine, urging Collins to break with fellow Republicans to reject Murkowski’s bid to reject EPA rules on emissions.

The group is pouring $40,000 into Portland from Tuesday through Thursday with an ad mirroring a national spot airing in Washington, according to a press release. The ad urges Collins to back Democrats’ effort to reject the Murkowski resolution, and is based on indications, a group spokesman said, that Collins is inclined to back the legislation.

The ad ties the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to the new EPA rules, with a video of a gushing pipeline playing behind other images and narration in the ad.

While activists decried Murkowski’s amendment as an attack on the Clean Air Act, advocates for the amendment say the EPA is acting like a rogue agency. Nicolas Loris, a research assistant at The Heritage Foundation’s Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, said the EPA is beginning the process “of imposing costly and environmentally questionable CO2 cuts by using the Clean Air Act. … Mandating more miles-per-gallon increases the cost of buying a new car and makes them less safe.”

Adam Lee, president of Lee Auto Malls, disagreed, saying the endangerment finding makes sense for auto manufacturers. He opposed the Murkowski amendment while speaking at Wednesday’s press event, invoking the memory of Maine Sen. Ed Muskie, a renowned Maine Democratic congressman and environmentalist.

“We need to protect our air and water, we need cars to get better gas mileage, we need to use less oil and gas, and we need to import less oil from abroad,” Lee said. “Doing these things may or may not cost us more money. … Some things are worth paying for. If Ed Muskie could see this, he would roll over in his grave.”

In an interview, Lee explained that he’s one of the few auto dealers speaking up for the EPA regulations and related mileage standards for automobiles.

“It’s an unusual position to take because for whatever reason there don’t seem to be many auto dealers who feel a need to speak out on this,” Lee said. “However, I’ll say the auto manufacturers agree. They do not want to see this pass either because they worked very hard to come up with a national standard last year, a new fuel economy standard. … They feel they got the compromises they needed to make themselves comfortable.”

Beyond today’s vote on the Murkowski amendment, groups are looking long-range at clean-energy legislation.

At 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Portland Public Library, Operation Free will host a town hall meeting with top retired military leaders and veterans, along with local elected officials, “to discuss the connection between climate change and national security, and call for passage of comprehensive climate and energy legislation.”

http://www.portlanddailysun.me/cgi/story2.pl?storyid=20100609115341000128

For combat vet Alex Cornell du Houx, service is a constant

War, according to the old generals’ proverb, is the continuation of politics by other means.  For 27-year-old Alex Cornell du Houx, the proverb is reversed – his career in politics is the continuation of his work as a warrior by other means.  With just over a year on the job representing the people of Brunswick, Maine, the former Marine reservist and combat vet is already making a name for himself as a champion for veterans in local politics.  His bill to provide in-state tuition for veterans from anywhere in the U.S. at Maine’s state universities was into law in September, and he’s now working on measures to alleviate homelessness among veterans.

Meanwhile, memories from his 2006 tour in Fallujah, where he saw “vehicles in lines to get gas that stretched as far as the eye could see,” propel his efforts on the national stage to increase U.S. energy independence.  That’s part of the work he does in his second job, as outreach director for the Truman National Security Project.  It helps keep him engaged in national politics, and it also helps the bills.  Although his legislative work is a full-time job, the pay is part time – about $10,000 a year.

Cornell du Houx was recognized for his efforts in clean energy this spring with an invitation to the White House on Earth Day.  He announced his bid for a second two-year term as a local lawmaker the same day.

Pondering Politics

Cornell du Houx enlisted in the Maine Corps Reserve in 2002, the same year he began studying government and theater at the liberal-leaning Bowdoin College.

By the time he was a junior, his infantry company was activated for duty in Fallujah.  “I personally didn’t agree with the war in Iraq, but it was my duty as a Marine to be there,” he said.

Profiled on NBC Nightly News as his unit prepared to ship out, he became a poster boy for troops who were proud to serve despite their problems with the policies of the war itself.

It was on the final leg of his journey home more than a year later, as he reflected on everything he had seen and done, that he began to ponder the possibility of a life in politics.

Even before he left for Iraq, he was frustrated with how veterans were being treated and the inadequacy of the Montgomery GI Bill, among a host of other issues.  His time downrange had only amplified his frustration.

“I don’t know that I was pissed off, but I was disheartened, “he said.  And on the long bus ride home, he decided he wanted to do something about it.  “I still had a year of school left, but I knew I wanted to continue with some form of public service – political service, community service or military service.”

And while the idea of a young enlisted Marine running for office might surprise some people, Cornell du Houx had been in the trenches of public service long before deploying to war.

A mixed education

An AmeriCorps volunteer who worked in local schools, Cornell du Houx also raised his hand for several service trips to South America.  Back home he built houses with Habitat for Humanity and served on the organizations’ board of director for Maine.  He did this all while going to school at Bowdoin, where he eventually was elected into key posts with College Democrats of America.

He says combining his education and activism with duty in the Marine Corps was a perfect marriage.

“Both Bowdoin and the Marines taught me that service has no political party, no original location,” Cornell du Houx wrote in an essay for Newsweek magazine in 2008.  “The marines taught me strength, vigilance and discipline.  Bowdoin taught me the values of activism, debate, intellectual curiosity and the importance of political participation.  Each of these values helped instill in me the common notion that if we really want to help change our communities, big and small, we must get involved, respect each other and never give up on our visions for tomorrow.”

Campaign plan

Cornell du Houx was still working on his senior thesis when he got a call from Maine’s Speaker of the House asking if he was interested in running for office.  His hard work before and after deployment had not gone unnoticed.

He had been thinking about it, but now it was real.

He formed a campaign committee of close friends and advisers and went to work knocking on doors, introducing himself and asking for money.  Maine’s campaign financing rules require candidates to collect 60 $5 checks from supporters to qualify for state funding.

“It took me about a month literally going door to door asking for $5,” he said.  From there, the state picks up the rest

“When you first start campaigning for yourself, it’s very odd saying, ‘Elect me.’  You don’t want to promote yourself, but the reality is you need to make sure people know what you’ve accomplished.”

But by all accounts he got the hang of it.  On the same day another young upstart was elected president, Cornell du Houx got the news that the voters of District 66 had given him their nod.

When the governor swore him and the other incoming state representative into office, he couldn’t help but remember the last time he swore an oath of serive.

“I hadn’t thought about it until that moment, “he says.  “You feel very humbled and privileged.  You know people have put their trust in you to be there.”

-Jon R. Anderson

Environmentalists are urging Maine’s two U.S. Senators to reject legislation they say would block new rules regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The so-called “Murkowski Resolution,” introduced by Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, could come up for a Senate vote as soon as tomorrow.

If the so-called “disapproval resolution” is endorsed, it would prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from large polluters and block a variety of other standards announced by President Obama two weeks ago, opponents say.

Opponents of the resolution in Maine, which include the groups Environment Maine and the Natural Resources Council of Maine, held a news conference in Portland today to urge Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe to vote against the resolution.

“The people of Maine overwhelmingly want climate change legislation, and we don’t want to side with big oil and their lobbyists. We want to protect our national security, protect our environment and improve our economy,” said state Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx, a Brunswick Democrat.

Spokespeople for the two senators say they are still reviewing the resolution and have not may any decisions yet.

Maine native and Vietnam veteran Maj. Gen. Don Edwards and other military leaders, veterans and local officials will host a town meeting to discuss the connection between climate change and national security and call for the passage of comprehensive climate and energy legislation.

The meeting is at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square.

Adam Cote of Portland, who ran for Congress in 2008, will also be at the meeting. He served in Bosnia and Iraq in the U. S. Army.
State Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx, D-Brunswick, will moderate the forum.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is being coordinated by Operation Free, a coalition of veterans and national security organizations working to secure sources of clean energy.

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Town-meeting-set-on-climate-change.html

Since his election in 2008, Cornell du Houx has worked tirelessly for Brunswick and the state of Maine, to improve every resident’s quality of life.

Green jobs and clean-energy issues have always been a core commitment for Cornell du Houx. His efforts on national security and climate change with OperationFree have been recognized by President Barack Obama and the national media. He has cosponsored and worked on legislation promoting renewable energy investment in the former Brunswick Naval Air Station and across the state. He supported legislation to increase weatherization of Maine homes and businesses, limitations on environmental toxins, and funding for the state’s Land for Maine’s Future program.

He currently works on climate change, energy and national security issues with the Truman National Security Project, when not in session at the State House. His work took him to Copenhagen for the U.N. Climate Change Conference. There he spoke on various panels and addressed the international press, promoting Maine’s leadership in weatherization efforts and the state’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which has resulted in over $1 million for state energy projects.

“Building the clean-energy economy will bring good-paying jobs to Maine, jobs that cannot be outsourced,” said Cornell du Houx. “Over 80 percent of Maine residents rely on oil. The Pentagon has stated that America’s dependency on foreign oil is a National Security threat. Here in Maine, we have great opportunities to produce clean energy from a variety of renewable resources.”

Cornell du Houx has worked hard to ensure jobs and economic development by spearheading legislation to benefit Brunswick. As part of the region’s delegation, he has been a key figure in pushing through a bond package to benefit BNAS redevelopment and bring quality jobs to Brunswick and the region.

He supported an investment of $57.8 million in job creation bonds. “These bonds will put people to work this year, make critical investments in highways, railways, and ports, and strengthen our economy,” said Cornell du Houx.

He has fought passionately for accessible health care for Mainers and pressed for legislation to ensure that insurance companies provide dental care for all children. The bond package he supported also includes an increase in care for children at new dental centers and an increase in the number of dentists in Maine.

As a veteran of the Iraqi War, Cornell du Houx is deeply committed to veterans’ issues and sits on the VA Homeless Veterans Working Group. Cornell du Houx sponsored legislation to evaluate and address the issue of Maine’s homeless veterans and legislation to make Maine one of the first states in the nation to provide any veteran with the advantage our quality, higher-education system at no cost, in conjunction with the 21st-Century GI Bill.

Former US Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell praised Cornell du Houx’s dedication and said, “Alex’s commitment to serving the greater good may be equaled by a rare few, but it is surpassed by none.”

He grew up in the small town of Solon and attended Bowdoin College as a Mitchell Scholar. Cornell du Houx joined the Marine Reserves in 2002 and was deployed to Iraq with the Marines’ Alpha Company in 2006, spending a year patrolling the streets in and around Fallujah.

Or click here to download the paper request form.

Maine currently has three qualified parties: Democratic, Green Independent, and Republican. (Note: although some unenrolled candidates choose to designate themselves as “Independent,” there is no “Independent” party in Maine now). In order to qualify for the Primary Election ballot, party candidates must submit nomination petitions to the Secretary of State’s Office by March 15th.

Offices included in the 2010 Primary Election are Governor, Representative to Congress (both districts), all 35 State Senate districts, all 151 State Representative districts, and the following county offices, which vary depending on the county: Judge of Probate, Register of Probate, County Treasurer, Register of Deeds, Sheriff, District Attorney and County Commissioner.

Voters who are enrolled in a party are encouraged to participate in the Primary Election as the first step of the biennial candidate election process. There may be a Referendum Election held on the same day as the Primary Election, and all voters, whether enrolled in a party or not, are encouraged to participate in that election. More information on the June 8, 2010 Referendum Election is available below.

Referendum Elections are held to provide Maine’s citizens an opportunity to vote on People’s Veto Referenda, Direct Initiatives of Legislation (i.e. Citizen Initiatives), Bond Issues, other referenda proposed by the Legislature, and Constitutional Amendments. Referendum elections are an important part of the heritage of public participation in Maine.

Measures that will appear on the June 8, 2010 referendum ballot: (in the order they will appear on the ballot):

It is important that we repeal question one as it

Question 1 (People’s Veto):
“Do you want to reject the new law that lowers Maine’s income tax and replaces that revenue by making changes to the sales tax?”

Question 2 (Bond Issue):
“Do you favor a $26,500,000 bond issue that will create jobs through investment in an off-shore wind energy demonstration site and related manufacturing to advance Maine’s energy independence from imported foreign oil, that will leverage $24,500,000 in federal and other funds and for energy improvements at campuses of the University of Maine System, Maine Community College System and Maine Maritime Academy in order to make facilities more efficient and less costly to operate?”

Question 3 (Bond Issue):
“Do you favor a $47,800,000 bond issue to create jobs in Maine through improvements to highways, railroads and marine facilities, including port and harbor structures, and specifying the allocation of $4,000,000 of the transportation bond approved by voters in November 2009 to be used for capital rail purposes?”

Question 4 (Bond Issue):
“Do you favor a $23,750,000 bond issue to provide capital investment to stimulate economic development and job creation by making investments under the Communities for Maine’s Future Program and in historic properties; providing funding for research and development investments awarded through a competitive process; providing funds for disbursements to qualifying small businesses; and providing grants for food processing for fishing, agricultural, dairy and lumbering businesses within the State and redevelopment projects at the Brunswick Naval Air Station that will make the State eligible for over $39,000,000 in federal and other matching funds?”

Question 5 (Bond Issue):
“Do you favor a $10,250,000 bond issue to improve water quality, support drinking water programs and the construction of wastewater treatment facilities and to assist farmers in the development of environmentally sound water sources that will leverage $33,250,000 in federal and other funds?”

You may qualify for a refund if:

• You do not have a spouse or dependent(s) and your 2008 household income was $60,000 or less; or
• you do have a spouse or dependent(s) and your 2008 household income was $80,000 or less

AND

• Your 2008 property tax was more than 4% of your 2007 household income; or
• The rent you paid in 2008 was more than 20% of your 2007 household income.

NOTE: Seniors do not need to meet this requirement when their household income is below $13,600 for those living alone or below $16,800 for those living with a spouse or dependent. See the application booklet for more information on who qualifies for the senior portion of the program.

For an Application and more information please visit http://www.maine.gov/revenue/taxrelief.