Politics & Co.
With the shutdown of the federal government in the rearview mirror (for now), state officials are turning their attention closer to home and to a bond package on which voters will have their say Nov. 5.
To the polls
Five questions on the November ballot outline $150 million in state borrowing for transportation projects, higher-education spending and capital improvements to the Maine Army National Guard readiness centers and support facilities. The largest of the ballot items, a $100 million transportation bond, includes $44 million for repairs to high-priority highways and $27 million for bridge reconstruction. The other bond measures outline $15.5 million for investments at the University of Maine System, a separate $15.5 million for the Maine Community College System, $4.5 million for a science facility at the Maine Maritime Academy and $14 million for the National Guard Armories. See the state's full guide to the upcoming bond measures at mainebiz.biz/2013bonds.
In the black
The state's revenue exceeded its spending for the first quarter of its fiscal year, which began July 1. The Maine Public Broadcasting Network reported the state was $13.3 million ahead of budget projections, despite lower-than-expected corporate tax revenue. Finance Commissioner Sawin Millett said the state's revenues were up nearly $20 million in September, driven by more people finding jobs and more self-employed workers filing tax payments than expected. In an economic report to the state's Consensus Economic Forecasting Commission, industry representatives said that the economy has continued to grow slowly, but has not fully recovered from the 2008 recession.
Murky weather
The state Department of Environmental Protection's effort to roll back regulations on ground-level ozone emissions has met with opposition from other states in the Northeast. Regulatory agencies in Delaware and New York, which join Maine in a 13-state group that has agreed to common air quality standards, have filed their opposition to the plan with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Regulators in Maine say the current rules could hamper expansions for businesses like paper mills, but officials in other states disagreed. Maine's plan will need federal approval.
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