52 House Republicans Kill the Land for Maine's FutureProgram

Today legislators had to decide which was most important: the will of the people, or the willfulnessof the Governor. Twenty five Senators voted with the people, overriding the Governor's veto ofSenator Roger Katz's bill to allow bonds for the Land for Maine's Future program to be sold withoutthe Governor's approval. That was more than enough for the required 2/3 vote to override theGovernor's veto of Roger's bill.

Sadly, 52 Republicans chose LePage over the Land for Maine's Future, supporting the Governor'sbroken promise rather than the LMF bonds. While 91 Representatives voted to over-ride the veto,those 52 no votes left us about a half dozen votes short of the necessary 2/3, killing the bill and theprogram. Many LMF supporters, legislators, lobbyists, and private citizens were shocked anddismayed.

David Trahan, Executive Director of the Sportsman's Alliance, told me he was "Deeply saddened.Now, the Land for Maine's Future has become nothing more than a political exercise - and this voteallows the Governor to continue to use LMF for political gain." Along with staff and lobbyists forenvironmental groups, Trahan has been outspoken in his support for LMF and his opposition to theGovernor's effort to deep six the program.

Dave Trahan is right. The Governor wins. The rest of us lose.

As a Republican whose hero, President Teddy Roosevelt, was the greatest conservationist our nationever elected to the Oval Office, it was a sad day for me. Those 52 Republicans abandoned ourheritage, voting to place a lengthy list of outstanding conservation projects in jeopardy.

I will write about some of those projectslater, as they fall by the wayside. Somemay be able to raise additional funds tomake up for the loss of LMF money. Butsome will most assuredly be lost.

Please check out the House roll callvote here. A Yes vote was to override the Governor's veto of Roger's bill. If any of the legislators whovoted no represent you, contact them and ask for an explanation. Then please share that explanationwith me.

False Arguments

Those 52 Republicans, led by House Republican Leader Ken Fredette, argued wrongly that this wasa Constitutional issue and the legislature was intruding on the Governor's Constitutional authority.That's just plain wrong. The better argument is that this is about doing what the people want. Wevoted for these bonds and expected them to be sold.

It's also about keeping promises. I probably don't have to remind you that the Governor promised tosell these bonds two years ago, and this year decided to hold them hostage to his demand that forest

cutting be increased on our public lands and the money diverted to other programs.

Rep. Patrick Corey, a House Republican who voted to override the Governor's veto, explained theissue very clearly - focusing on the importance of respecting the will of the people. Some RepublicanHouse members felt threatened by their leadership and the Governor's staff, as related by HouseMajority Leader Jeff McCabe in his own powerful speech today. Twice, Jeff cited and quoted fromeditorial columns written by Dave Trahan.

Tom Abello of The Nature Conservancy commiserated with me after the vote, expressing his deepdisappointment and noting that, "This bill was about good governance and following the will of thepeople. It was a vote to take politics out of the bonding process." And he noted the many inaccuratespeeches trying to turn this vote into a Constitutional issue.

Cold Stream

Right now, all I can think about is the Cold Stream Forest Project in Somerset County. LMF made acommitment to this project in July of last year, but needs the funds and the Governor's approval tocomplete the project which protects 8,153 acres, including over 3000 acres of critical deer winteringhabitat, and 30 miles of streams on a major tributary of the Kennebec River, conserving more wildbrook trout pond habitat than in all the rest of Northern New England.

And here's something else you need to know. These LMF projects are matched by far more moneyfrom other sources. For example, the LMF funding for Cold Stream would have been used as amatch for a much larger USDA Forest Legacy Program grant (Cold Stream ranked #3 in the nationfor Forest Legacy grants in 2014). The project is actually a partnership between Maine's Bureau ofParks and Lands, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Sportsman's Alliance of Maine, TroutUnlimited, Trust for Public Land, and Forest Legacy Program.

When the LMF Board - all appointed by Governor LePage - voted to accept 25 project proposals inJuly of 2014, using bond money already approved by Maine voters, they expected to spend about $9million while receiving $25 million in matching contributions. A great deal, any way you measure it.

Well, not according to those 52 House Republicans. Shame on them!

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