On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, Rep. Alex Cornell du Houx announced his bid for re-election to the Maine State Legislature in District 66.
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.
