Congressman Mike Michaud

FEATURES

A New Approach to Economic Development for Our Region

For the latest news and more information, click on the links below

A View from Inside the Committee Hearing Room
Mike's Opening Statement
Jonathan Daniels' Opening Statement
Charts and Data from the June 12th, 2006 Hearing
Text of the Bill
General Summary
Detailed Summary

I have introduced legislation which should be a strong step towards improving Maine's economy and creating jobs.  We all have a stake in bringing prosperity to Maine. While there are sometimes disagreements on the exact path we should take, everyone can agree that we want to arrive at the same destination: a future with economic growth instead of decline, with young people staying instead of moving away, with a respect for preserving our natural resources and maintaining our traditional uses of our land instead of haphazard development and limited access, and a future with good paying jobs that Mainers deserve.

I have joined an array of economic development experts and advocacy groups in writing my bill to create the Northeast Regional Economic Development Commission. The Commission would be charged with investing $40 million per year in federal resources for economic development and job creation in the most distressed areas of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.

This is an idea whose time has come. Its roots can be traced as far back as 1965, when Congress approved the creation of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). Since its creation, the ARC has reduced the number of distressed counties in their region from 219 to 100. It has cut the poverty rate from 31% to 15%, and helped 1,400 businesses create 26,000 new jobs in the region since 1977.

With a record like that, other regions began to look at this model, and realized that they needed the same thing in their own area. Over the past decade, this has led to the creation of three additional commissions and proposals for two more.

When I arrived in Congress and saw these proposals, it became clear that other regions were catching on to a good idea, but that Maine and the whole Northeast could be missing the boat. There is currently no single body focused on the need for jobs and economic development in the Northeast region.

Creating a regional commission would give us the chance to look at economic development in a whole new way: as a challenge that we can tackle together as a region. Together we all face declining natural resource industries, aging infrastructure, and youth who are leaving to seek opportunity elsewhere. But together, we also still possess abundant resources, a good geographic location with opportunities to ship our products to the world, and a trained workforce that is ready to take on new challenges.

The Commission created in my bill would utilize the successful ARC approach where local development districts and other non-profit organizations bring project ideas and priorities to the Commission from the local level.

First introduced in 2004, my bill enjoys the cosponsorship and tri-partisan support of five other members of Congress from the Northeast region — Tom Allen (D) of Maine, Charlie Bass (R) of New Hampshire, Sherwood Boehlert (R) of New York, John McHugh (R) of New York, and Bernie Sanders (I) of Vermont.

Whether the need is new irrigation systems for agriculture, land and forestry conservation to maintain productive traditional uses, investment in our fishing infrastructure, new roads, or health care facilities, a federal commission can play a key role in investing in our economy. Maine needs this kind of investment.

Already, the interest that this proposal has generated among many diverse groups has been a step in the right direction, as it has helped to bring people together from many different sectors to think creatively, constructively, and cooperatively about our future.

We are off to a good start, but there is more work to be done.

6/27/2005 1:35:15 PM