Governor`s Travels, by Gov. Angus King: on Environment


River "amenities" have enormous economic & cultural value

San Antonio's special character flows (couldn't resist) from the river that meanders through its heart. It's a perfect example of how something the planner-types call "an amenity" (and hard-nosed but short-sighted businesspeople sometimes call a frill) can have enormous economic, social, and cultural consequences. Texas as a whole takes in about $6 billion a year on tourism; San Antonio alone represents $4 billion of that total. And the River Walk, along with the Alamo, is what makes it happen.
Source: Governor`s Travels, by Gov. Angus King, p. 56-57 Aug 16, 2011

National parks are tax money well spent

A word is in order about our national parks. They're great--well maintained, impressive (each in its own way), and most particularly, staffed by courteous & dedicated people. From Kitty Hawk to Fort Sumter to Big Bend, we found really nice people who were passionate about "their" place and who made us feel welcomed and valued as guests. People are always complaining about taxes, but whatever goes to these magnificent places is money well spent. We still don't need one in northern Maine, though.
Source: Governor`s Travels, by Gov. Angus King, p. 70 Aug 16, 2011

Two Maines: inexorable decline of rural areas

In Maine, one of our most persistent problems--dating back at least 100 years--is what we call the Two Maines: the more prosperous and economically diverse southern part of the state, centered on Portland and its proximity to Boston, and the northern and eastern parts, whose economies have always been based on natural resources--farming, fishing, and forestry--all of which seem to be in a perpetual state of gradual decline. Generations of leaders--governors, legislators, mayors, local citizens--have worked on this, trying everything from special tax incentives, infrastructure improvements, and educational centers to regional industrial parks and development authorities. In fact, I spent the better part of my second term trying to slow, if not reverse, this seemingly inexorable trend.
Source: Governor`s Travels, by Gov. Angus King, p.102 Aug 16, 2011

Get cars out of the more crowded national parks

Tour buses, lines at the store, endless circling for a parking place. To its credit, the Park Service is wrestling with this issue on an ongoing basis and clearly understands the conflict inherent in its basic charge--to make America's natural wonders accessible while at the same time preserving and protecting them for future generations. There's no easy answer to this one, but some steps seem pretty obvious, like getting the cars out of at least some of the parks altogether and using shuttle buses or some other alternative. It seems to me that something like this has to come--at least to the more crowded parks--in the pretty near future.
Source: Governor`s Travels, by Gov. Angus King, p.116-117 Aug 16, 2011

  • The above quotations are from Governor`s Travels

    by Gov. Angus King.
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Candidates and political leaders on Environment:

Retiring Senate as of Jan. 2013:
AZ:Kyl(R)
CT:Lieberman(D)
HI:Akaka(D)
ME:Snowe(R)
ND:Conrad(D)
NE:Nelson(D)
NM:Bingaman(D)
TX:Hutchison(R)
VA:Webb(D)
WI:Kohl(D) 		Retiring House to run for other office:

Running for President:
TX-14:Ron Paul(R)

Running for Mayor:
CA-51:Bob Filner(D)

Running for Governor:
IN-6:Mike Pence(R)
WA-1:Jay Inslee(D) 		Retiring House to run for Senate:
AZ-6:Jeff Flake(R)
CT-5:Chris Murphy(R)
FL-14:Connie Mack(R)
HI-2:Mazie Hirono(D)
IN-2:Joe Donnelly(D)
MO-2:Todd Akin(R)
MT-0:Dennis Rehberg(R)
ND-0:Rick Berg(D)
NM-1:Martin Heinrich(D)
NV-1:Shelley Berkley(D)
NY-9:Bob Turner(R)
WI-2:Tammy Baldwin(D)
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