Bill seeks plan for Northeast development

Federal legislators heard from a Bangor economic development official Wednesday as he testified in favor of a bill aimed at bringing more federal financial assistance to the Northeast.

Jonathan Daniels, president and CEO of Eastern Maine Development Corporation, told members of the House of Representatives Transportation Committee that the creation of a Northeast Regional Economic Development Commission would be a boost to economically distressed portions of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.

“Often, we conduct economic development in isolation,” Daniels said in a phone interview after testifying. “There just aren’t enough resources out there to do everything, and we end up competing against each other.”

H.R. 1695, the Northeast Regional Development Commission Act, is sponsored by U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud of Maine. The commission would have five members, one federal appointee and four appointed by the governors of each member state. It would have $40 million a year for at least the next four years to help fund economic development projects in the four states.

Daniels said the creation of such a commission would not eliminate competition between member states or smaller economic development organizations, but it would help foster a more comprehensive approach to addressing economic challenges common to the region. Funding provided through the commission could go toward improving broadband Internet access or fixing healthcare deficiencies, he said.

According to Monica Castellanos, Michaud’s press secretary, the bill has bipartisan support. Michaud’s fellow Maine Democrat, Rep. Tom Allen, is a co-sponsor as are Republican Reps. John McHugh and Sherwood Boehlert of New York and Charlie Bass of New Hampshire. Rep. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, also is a co-sponsor, she said. Supportive legislation is likely to be proposed in the U.S. Senate by Maine Republicans Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, she said.

A commission created especially for the Northeast would mimic other federally funded commissions in other parts of the country. The Appalachian Regional Commission was created in the 1960s and, since then, similar federal development entities have been formed for Alaska, northern Plains states, and the lower Mississippi River Valley.

Michaud said in a prepared statement that though northern New England and New York have abundant natural resources, trained workforces and a good geographic location in the emerging global economy, such a commission could help counteract other less desirable economic conditions in the region.

“Together, the states in our region all face declining natural resources industries, aging infrastructure and youths who are leaving to seek opportunity elsewhere,” Michaud said.

It could be many months, however, before any such commission becomes a reality.

“This is the first step but it is a significant first step,” Castellanos said of Wednesday’s hearing.