|
Friday, June 25, 2010
Headlines
- Senator Collins' Efforts to Bring U.S. Energy Secretary to
Maine Result in $20 Million Commitment for Deepwater Offshore Wind
Energy Funding
- Senator Collins Votes Against Multi-Billion Dollar "Extenders" Bill
That Would Further Increase Taxes and the Federal Deficit
- Senator Collins discusses CLEAR Act on MSNBC's "Morning Joe"
- Senator Collins Questions Interior Secretary on Oversight of Offshore
Drilling
- Senator Collins Honors Hampden Soldier for Brave Service in Afghanistan
- Senator Collins Meets with Presidential Scholars from Maine
- Senator Collins' Staff To Hold Upcoming Office Hours
- Weekly column: Telehealth – Improving Patient Care & Quality
of Life
Senator Collins'
Efforts to Bring U.S. Energy Secretary to Maine Result in $20
Million Commitment for Deepwater Offshore Wind Energy Funding
Administration Agrees to Allocate $20 Million to Deepwater
Offshore Wind Energy
As a result of U.S. Energy
Secretary Steven Chu’s visit to the University of Maine earlier
this month at the request of Senator Susan Collins, the Department
of Energy has agreed to dedicate $20 million to develop and test
deepwater offshore wind technologies. The commitment marks the
first time ever that the Department has dedicated specific funding
for deepwater offshore wind energy research and development. Given
its significant work and advancements in research in this area,
the University of Maine is well positioned to receive this funding.
In a letter to Senator Collins from the Department of Energy announcing
the $20 million commitment, a department official described Secretary
Chu’s June 14 visit to UMaine as “informative and inspiring.” The
letter further stated, “We look forward to continuing our work together
to harness the power of deepwater wind and pave the way for energy
independence and job creation in Maine and across the country.”
The letter from the Department of Energy signals a specific commitment
for deepwater offshore wind energy development. The President’s earlier
budget request—sent to the Congress before Secretary Chu’s visit
to UMaine-- did not include this specific funding. As a Member
of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Collins will work
to ensure that the lion’s share of these funds go to UMaine, which
leads the nation in deepwater offshore wind energy development.
Read more: Portland Press Herald -
Feds earmark $20M for deepwater wind power research
Senator Collins Votes Against Multi-Billion Dollar "Extenders" Bill
That Would Further Increase Taxes and the Federal Deficit
Senator Collins released this statement following her vote
against a motion that would
have allowed the Senate
to proceed to a "tax
extenders" bill
that includes billions
of dollars of tax increases
on small businesses and
would add roughly $33 billion
to the federal deficit:
"Given our nation's astronomical federal deficit and the continued troubled
economy, the last thing Congress should be doing is passing bills that increase
taxes on small businesses and further stifle the economy. In addition, despite
the many measures I supported that would have paid for the federal expenditures
in this bill, the final bill would add billions of dollars to the deficit.
"I am particularly troubled by tax provisions in this bill that would increase
payroll taxes on small businesses and make retroactive some taxes on businesses,
providing strong disincentives for employers to preserve and create jobs. Retroactivity
is extraordinarily unfair tax policy.
"This continued track of spending far beyond our means threatens to extend
our economic stagnation and puts our nation on a dangerous financial path.
"I am disappointed that the leadership has also chosen not to bring up separate
measures to address matters such as unemployment benefit extensions, and I call
on them to do so before the July 4th recess."
Senator Collins discusses CLEAR Act on MSNBC's "Morning
Joe"
Senators Collins and Cantwell discuss their clean energy
legislation to create jobs and return dividends to Americans
U.S. Senator Susan Collins, along with Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" this week to discuss
their bipartisan clean energy legislation which would spur job growth
in clean energy technology and return money directly to consumers. The
Cantwell-Collins Carbon Limits and Energy for American Renewal (CLEAR)
Act would set up a mechanism for selling "carbon shares" to
fuel producers and would return most of the resulting revenue in
checks to every American. The legislation will achieve a reduction
in greenhouse gas emissions of 20 percent by 2020 and 83 percent
by 2050.
Senators Collins' and Cantwell's legislation is the only bipartisan,
comprehensive clean energy legislation to be introduced in the Senate.
Click
hear to watch the video..
Click
here to learn more about the CLEAR Act…
Senator
Collins Questions Interior Secretary on Oversight of Offshore Drilling
Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee on Interior, Environment,
and Related Agencies, participated
in a subcommittee hearing this
week at which U.S. Secretary
of the Interior Ken Salazar
testified about the reorganization
of the Minerals Management
Service. MMS,
recently renamed the Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management,
Regulation and Enforcement,
is the agency that regulates
and manages domestic oil drilling
in the Outer Continental Shelf.
Senator Collins reiterated her concerns that in light of the Deepwater
Horizon spill that the federal government and industry partners must
take action to help prevent such a spill from occurring ever again.
Watch
video of Senator Collins from the hearing…
Senator Collins Honors Hampden Soldier for Brave Service
in Afghanistan
 Senator
Susan Collins met this week with Private First Class Andrew Chic
of Hampden and expressed her deep appreciation for his heroic service
in Afghanistan as a member of Bravo Company, Third Battalion of the
172 Infantry Division, Maine National Guard. PFC Chic suffered
serious shrapnel wounds when his unit’s convoy was attacked by enemy
insurgents on May 22. PFC Chic has been recovering at Walter
Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, where Senator Collins spent
time visiting with him this week.
On May 22, members of Bravo Company were conducting convoy operations
with PFC Chic in the gunner position in the lead vehicle of a convoy
– a Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicle. The crew
also included Sergeant Eric Christie of Richmond, the convoy leader;
and Specialist Ryan Curley of Bangor, who drove the MRAP. The
vehicle sustained two direct hits from rocket-propelled grenades
(RPGs) and other small arms fire. PFC Chic was knocked down
when the first RPG hit, but resumed his gunner position and returned
fire against insurgents despite continuing RPG and small arms fire
against his vehicle and the convoy. The vehicle was also carrying
satchels of mail and care packages from family members in Maine,
which absorbed some of the shrapnel and mitigated the injuries to
the three soldiers.
Senator Collins Meets with Presidential Scholars from Maine
U.S. Senator Susan Collins met this week with two high school
seniors from Maine who have been named 2010 U.S. Presidential Scholars. Reed
Wommack, of Yarmouth, and Dakota Snyder, of York, were in Washington
to receive Presidential Scholar medallions at an awards ceremony
at the White House.
Reed Wommack, who is the valedictorian of his graduating class at
Yarmouth High School, is a member of the ski team and a champion
slalom skier, participates in student government, and has logged
more than 100 hours of service on various community projects. He
is fluent in Chinese and spent last summer in China participating
in a study abroad program focused on government.
Dakota Snyder, a senior at York High School, started a mentoring
and reading group for young girls called "Mainely a Girl's Point
of View," and also serves as editor of the school yearbook. She
is also active in her schools' AIDS education team, National Honor
Society, and has raised funds for community fuel assistance.
Senator Collins'
Staff To Hold Upcoming Office Hours
Senator Collins staff representatives will hold office hours
to provide assistance with federal issues and agencies, such as Social
Security, Veterans Affairs, and Citizenship and Immigration. Office
hours will be held on the following dates:
Monday,
June 28
West Bath Town Hall
219 Fosters Point Road
West Bath
9:00 – 10:00 am
Woolwich Town Hall
13 Naquesset Road
Woolwich
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Harpswell Town Office
263 Mountain Road
Harpswell
3:00 – 4:00 pm
Tuesday,
June 29
Berwick Town Hall
11 Sullivan Square
Berwick
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Tuesday,
July 6
Ogunquit Town Hall
23 School Street
Ogunquit
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Telehealth
– Improving Patient Care & Quality of Life
Weekly column by Senator Susan Collins
Health information technology - a powerful combination of
medical expertise, computers and high-speed internet called telehealth
- has the potential to transform health care, simultaneously enabling
better patient outcomes and lower costs. Several recent developments
are helping to turn this potential into reality.
As a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, I am particularly
interested in the improvements telehealth can bring to health care
for our seniors. In April, our Committee conducted a hearing
on the Federal Communications Commission's proposed National Broadband
Plan and on ways to bring the power of telehealth into the home.
The FCC found that the increased use of electronic health records
and remote patient monitoring could reduce health care costs by more
than $700 billion over the next 15 to 25 years. In addition
to significant cost savings, these technologies can improve seniors'
quality of life dramatically by allowing them to "age in place" in
the comfort and security of their homes.
A recent study of remote patient monitoring by the Veterans Administration
found a 19 percent reduction in hospital admissions, a 25 percent
reduction in days of bed care, and an 86 percent patient satisfaction
rate. Moreover, the average cost of providing home monitoring
per patient was $1,600 per year, as compared to more than $77,000
for nursing home care.
Read more…
Stay up to date
with Senator Collins at Collins.Senate.gov and with the Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs Committee at HSGAC.Senate.gov
|
