The COVID-19 Edition for Monday, July 27, 2020

To view this edition of Impact online, click here.

 

 

Welcome to your COVID-19 Impact Newsletter!
As a valued member of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, we plan to stay in touch with you several times each week through emails like this one and on Facebook and Twitter, until the pandemic passes. We intend to provide you with the latest state and federal information, as well as highlighting the creativity and innovation that is occuring here in Maine during this unpredictable and rapidly changing time. To assist you in navigating the uncertainties ahead, we have created a diverse and comprehensive collection of web-based resources to help you take care of yourself and your family, your employees, your business, and your community.
Do you have a question? ASK THE EXPERTS.	We are here to help in any way we can!

 

 

We Must Close the Connectivity Gap to Educate all Students During Pandemic

This contribution to the Bangor Daily News was submitted by Pender Makin, Maine's commissioner of education, and Ben Gilman, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation.

The current pandemic has revealed that broadband is the modern-day necessity. But for far too many families, lack of reliable internet is a daily reality that has turned into a learning crisis in the face of COVID-19 and distance learning.   Meanwhile, the events of 2020 seem expressly designed to illustrate, in glaring detail, the racism inherent in our public policies. Existing educational inequities - experienced far more by low-income, Black, Hispanic and Latinx and Indigenous Americans - are being exacerbated by connectivity gaps across the country and here in Maine. We can solve this through a commitment from policymakers and communities to find and address areas with poor quality or expensive internet. The time has come to ensure that every household has high-quality internet access.   With school districts and higher education institutions across our state closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the families of more than 182,500 Maine K-12 and 80,000 postsecondary students did their best to adjust to online learning. However, far too many families, students and teachers were held back by a lack of the critical home technology they now need to teach and learn.   As it looks increasingly likely that schools will not be back to normal in the fall, the piece-meal solutions that our school districts used to reach more students virtually will not be enough. We need real investment to close the connectivity gap statewide.   The Department of Education estimates that 24,000 K-12 students in Maine do not have at-home connectivity. This connectivity gap disproportionately affects students in rural areas, where 60 percent of Mainers live. In Maine, more than 17,660 miles of roadways or 50 percent of the state does not have internet fast enough for school or work. The state of Maine Broadband Action Plan estimates that it will cost $1.6 billion to address the broadband needs of the state.   As districts implement online learning, students without internet access miss critical instruction time, collaboration with peers, enrichment resources and opportunities to utilize educational tools. Further, these student's families cannot use the internet to access telehealth services. As the U.S. economy starts to recover, lack of internet access will make it more difficult for the 62,000 unemployed Mainers to find and interview for jobs.   To be clear, educators in Maine are trying. The Department of Education has launched #ConnectKidsNow!, an initiative to address the digital divide in Maine. The department is working with districts and the Maine Principals Association to determine the connectivity needs in districts.   The department is also working with leaders from Adult Education, University of Maine System and Maine Community College System to identify the broadband needs of postsecondary students. This will mean they need support providing thousands of students with laptops and hotspots. Unfortunately, it has become clear that one hotspot on a limited data plan isn't enough for reliable internet, especially in a household of more than two people.   Maine education leaders are not in this alone. The Bangor Savings Bank Foundation is supporting the #ConnectKidsNow! Initiative with a $50,000 grant. The grant will be used for covering the cost of connectivity at home for 500 students, provide hotspot enabled devices for 500 students and purchasing 500 devices for students.   It is clear that, in 2020, having broadband internet at home is not optional - it is a requirement for learning and life. This moment has revealed that reliable internet access at home is about as important as power and running water. In a time when the call for social justice is finally reaching those in positions of power and prominently featured in the news, connectivity is another important factor that will prevent future marginalization of low-income, Black, Hispanic and Latinx and Indigenous communities.   This is why we must commit to ensuring that each and every student in Maine is connected. Closing the connectivity gap is possible if we collect data to understand the need, make good use of available resources and make investments in both wired and wireless broadband infrastructure.   We know we need to be invested in this issue for the long haul. The connectivity gap will not be closed overnight. While the COVID-19 pandemic has shined a light on the challenge, it was there before. A real solution will require persistence even after the pandemic is behind us. Let's ensure that the legacy of the COVID-19 outbreak includes connectivity for all students in Maine.

 

Senator Collins Calls for Increasing Support for Clean Energy Sector in Next COVID-19 Package

Before the pandemic hit, clean energy job growth had outpaced the economy by 70 percent over the past five years

U.S. Senator Susan Collins joined a group of six of her colleagues in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), urging the consideration of policies that will bolster jobs and innovation across the clean energy economy in the next COVID-19 relief package, including for renewables, nuclear, carbon capture, energy efficiency, advanced transportation, and energy storage. The letter was also signed by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Martha McSally (R-AZ), and Richard Burr (R-NC).   "Clean energy companies and workers play an integral role in U.S. energy independence and diversification," wrote the Senators. "Unfortunately, the clean energy sector has seen massive job losses - an estimated 500,000 jobs lost since the start of the COVID-19 crisis."   The Senators continued, "As we focus on getting the country back to work, we must include an industry that had already been putting Americans to work faster, and in more places, than the overall economy before the COVID pandemic hit. Clean energy job growth had outpaced the economy by 70 percent over the past five years. Further, this growth is truly nationwide, encompassing every state."

 

 

Senate Passes Bipartisan King Legislation to Cut Red Tape For "American-Made" Products

Last week, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation led by U.S. Senators Angus King and Mike Lee to establish a uniform federal standard for products labeled "Made in the U.S.A." or "Made in America." Under current conditions, businesses that make their products in the United States face a patchwork of different state laws - making compliance costs burdensome in order to ensure products can be sold across the country with the designation. The Reinforcing American-Made Products Act replaces this needlessly complicated approach with a uniform standard for Made in America products - easing the compliance costs for product labeling and incentivizing American manufacturing.

 

Rep. Golden Votes to Pass NO BAN Act Through the U.S. House

Legislation would overturn administration's "Muslim ban," prevent future administrations from denying entry to the country based on religion   The NO BAN Act preserves the administration's right to restrict travel to protect the country against communicable disease

On July 24, Congressman Jared Golden joined members of Congress from both parties to pass the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act (NO BAN Act) through the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation, cosponsored by Golden, would forbid discrimination based on religion in American immigration policy, while protecting presidents' authority to restrict travel to prevent the spread of disease. Specifically, the NO BAN Act would require that any ban on travel from a particular country be temporary, based on credible evidence, subject to the oversight of Congress, and imposed only in response to specific actions a country has taken to threaten the United States.

 

Maine and NH Delegations Urge Navy Secretary to Resume Safe and Full-Scale Operations at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Today, the entire Maine and New Hampshire Congressional Delegations sent a letter to U.S. Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite, inquiring what steps and protocols are in place to safeguard the health and safety of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) workforce as it returns to full strength.   "We recognize the important work of our shipyard employees in maintaining the readiness of our fast attack submarine fleet, and we appreciate the communication we have received from shipyard leadership," the delegations wrote. "However, we urge the Navy to continue to strike the right balance between maximizing the productivity of the workforce while minimizing the risk associated with the COVID-19 health emergency, especially for those at highest risk."   "As you may know, PNSY developed a four-phased approach in order to return the workforce to full strength. The first phase began on June 1, 2020, and was set to align with guidance put forth by the State of Maine," the lawmakers continued. "We understand that employees with higher risk of severe illness began returning to the shipyard on June 29th. As the transition to full strength begins, we would appreciate a response to the following questions so that we may better understand the processes in place to ensure the safety of the workforce."   The Maine and New Hampshire delegations included a series of questions that address metrics being used by the Navy, social distance practices that will remain in effect, updates on positive COVID cases and other areas of concern to ensure the well-being of all workers.

 

Use the Maine State Chamber's Blog and Daily Impact to Tell Your Story!

Numerous Maine companies are stepping up or pivoting nimbly, as Maine people resourcefully address the challenges of this pandemic. Share your perspective and experience with us and with the rest of the business community. How are you facing and overcoming the challenges posed by this pandemic? What are you and your employees doing in this dramatically different economy? Tell us about the innovations your company or employees are making or ways you have adapted your company to meet your customers' needs.   Each blog entry should be 300 to 500 words. Join us in creating a written history of the business community's resilience and innovation during this extraordinary time. Please submit your entries to [email protected]. For more information or questions, please contact Mark Ellis by emailing [email protected] or by calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 109.

 

Whatever Works: Reinventing the Office for a Post-COVID World

Several articles in today's Mainebiz explored the variety of considerations and creative solutions regarding returning to work in the current pandemic environment.

Still in Phase 2 of its return plan, MEMIC's Portland anchor remains well shy of the 40% staff level it determined can safely be inside at this time. Looking a lot different than before the pandemic, MEMIC's headquarters now have hand-sanitizer dispensers on every floor, new name badge and face-covering requirements and no more coffee machines for common use. Meeting rooms are also closed and everything is done on video.   As Maine companies large and small think about reconstituting existing premises, finding new ones or planning to stay virtual forever after COVID-19, the implications for office real estate in Portland and beyond are huge. The health crisis is also fueling innovation in unexpected places, like the Holiday Inn by the Bay pitching its rooms as quiet places to work away from home.   While the work-from-home trend is not new, it has gained momentum during the pandemic - and there's a definite economic incentive for employers in case of a protracted downturn. In the United States, 60% of employed people were working at home during the crisis, up from 25% a couple of years ago, according to a Gallup poll conducted in April. In a separate survey by McKinsey, eight out of 10 respondents said they enjoy working from home, with 41% saying they are more productive than before and 28% finding they are as productive.   Several large Maine-based employers with a presence in other states are holding off on a return to the office for the time being. Tilson, a network deployment and IT professional services firm with 543 employees, including 183 in Maine. As much as Tilson CEO Joshua Broder misses being with the team in the office, he says he doesn't anticipate a return this year, and only if two criteria are met.   "For us to reoccupy our offices it has to be safe enough that we don't need to implement engineered controls and PPE in the office - we don't have an appetite to take any safety risk in the office, and schools have to be operating largely in person so child care is not a problem for our employees," he says. He doesn't anticipate the first set of criteria being met this year.   Similarly at global payments provider WEX Inc., most employees are expected to continue to work from home until 2021 though the firm remains committed to a planned $50 million operations center in Scarborough. A spokesman says that while it's premature to talk about changes in the company's office design or real estate footprint, its plans for Scarborough have not changed.   Real estate brokers also expect the market to be in flux for some time. Justin Lamontagne, a partner and broker with NAI The Dunham Group, says that's already having an effect though it's too early to pin down current office vacancy rates in Portland.   "This pandemic is an opportunity for businesses to take a hard look at their real estate needs and commitment to office interaction" he says. "Depending on the industry or specific employee role, many office professionals will never come back to physical bricks and mortar. But many other businesses are realizing the loss of connectivity and collaboration far outweigh the cost of office space."

 

East Millinocket Announces Purchase of Mill Site

Late last week, the Town of East Millinocket announced it has successfully negotiated and purchased the former Great Northern Paper Company mill site from Katahdin KI 50, LLC (a subsidiary of North American Recovery Management NARM) for $1,450,000. This purchase was funded through $1,450,000 in grants.   The Board of Selectmen, in an attempt to provide industrial redevelopment of the former GNP paper mill site, agreed to negotiate a purchase and sale of most of the former mill property from Katahdin KI 50, LLC, who are the current owners of the now defunct Great Northern Paper Company site in East Millinocket (also known as GNP East). The Town has worked with the East Millinocket Industrials, Inc. Board of Directors to develop a strategy to acquire, redevelop and market this industrial property. Currently, there is about 215 acres of industrial zoned land along the West Branch of the Penobscot River which has about 222,200 square feet of reusable space within a collection of several buildings.   Katahdin KI 50 and Metro Industrial Demolition & Environmental Contractors will commence demolition of the steam plant/biomass facility which should be completed within 18 months of the town's purchase of the site. The Town will develop the property as an industrial complex with multiple industrial users. The Town will seek funding from a number of identified grants, foundation monies and low interest loans to assist in mill site improvements, building modifications and repairs, and final demolition/remediation. Plans include efforts to market and manage the usable remaining buildings and land.

 

UMaine, UMass Amherst Researchers Bioengineering Novel Membrane to Capture COVID-19 Airborne Droplets

Detection and analysis of airborne coronavirus droplets using a bioengineered membrane is the focus of exploratory research at the University of Maine and University of Massachusetts Amherst, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Their inspiration comes from nature - the pitcher plant, with its liquid membrane that traps insects. The project, led by UMaine biomedical engineer Caitlin Howell and UMass Amherst chemical engineer Jessica Schiffman, received a more than $225,000 NSF EAGER award - early-concept grants for exploratory research. Collaborating on the project is UMaine virologist Melissa Maginnis.   The spread of COVID-19 via aerosolized droplets by talking, coughing and sneezing is a major concern during the coronavirus pandemic. The interdisciplinary research team at UMaine and UMass Amherst hopes to develop novel technology to facilitate the efficient collection of viruses from bioaerosols. Their model for the membrane technology is the carnivorous Nepenthes pitcher plant, which has a slippery rim and inner walls that cause insects to fall and become trapped within its digestive fluid. The team will engineer a composite material with a liquid layer on the surface of a membrane to capture pathogenic particles for analysis.   The goal is to develop a membrane that can be used as an insert in any air filtration system to capture virus-containing droplets and make them easier to collect from the insert for analysis. The technology would be inexpensive and widely deployable in high-risk locations, such as hospitals, schools, elder-care facilities and travel hubs.

 

Mainebiz Webcast: Cybersecurity For The Remote Workforce

Wednesday, July 29 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. | Register here

Prepare the proper cybersecurity for your company's remote workforce and learn how employers and employees can help mitigate risks. Today's business environment has more people than ever working remotely with connected devices accessing company resources via unsecured Wi-Fi networks. It is critical to understand how these devices and networks are interacting with your company data and how employers and employees can work together to mitigate these risks.   This webcast is FREE and made possible by sponsorships from Thomas College, Tyler Technologies, and WGTech. The webinar's panelists are Frank Appunn, Ph.D., Professor of Information Technology at Thomas College; Rob Herman, IT Manager and Virtual CIO at WGTech; and, Rick Simonds, General Manager and VP of the Cybersecurity Group at Tyler Technologies.

 

 

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To advertise in the COVID-19 Impact, please contact Melody Rousseau by emailing [email protected], or by calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 102.

 

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