Three Maine technical center students have been selected to join high school students from around the country to attend a paid summer research internship in the Aspirnaut™ program at Vanderbilt University in Nashville Tennessee.  Olivia Servidio, Katherine Gell and Elizabeth Leaf were selected from a pool of 200 applicants from around the country.

Maine citizens and businesses could lose one of the most effective ways to resolve disputes between them, if Congress passes the so-called FAIR Act now being debated in Washington.

Last week, the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities, and Technology (EUT) committee had a work session on LD 1634, An Act To Create the Maine Generation Authority, introduced by Rep. Nicole Grohoski (D-Ellsworth). LD 1634 was carried over from the First Session of the 130th Maine Legislature and was the Maine State Chamber’s top “carryover of concern” in the EUT committee this session. We are happy to report that the majority report on LD 1634 will be “ought not to pass” with the two Democratic senators – Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Eloise Vitelli, and Senate Chair, Sen. Mark Lawrence – voting against this legislation and siding with the five Republicans on the committee to make the majority report “ought not to pass” by a vote of 7 to 6.

On Wednesday, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce testified in support of LD 2030, An Act Regarding the Taxation of Energy Storage Systems and Equipment, sponsored by Rep. Maureen Terry (D-Gorham).  The bill would create an exemption from sales and use tax on the sale of commercial energy storage systems and related parts and construction. It also provides that such property qualifies under the Business Equipment Tax Exemption (BETE) program.