Planning on clamming or eating clams?  Read on for how to prevent red tide poisoning…….

 

AUGUSTA, Maine — Elevated levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning — also known as PSP or red tide poisoning — have caused much of the Maine coastline to be closed to commercial harvesting for some shellfish. On Tuesday, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maine Department of Marine Resources reminded Mainers and tourists of recommendations for the safe consumption of shellfish.

Steps people can take to safely enjoy Maine shellfish include:

— Buy from a certified shellfish dealer, whose operations undergo rigorous public health screening and auditing.

— If harvesting shellfish for personal use, make sure the area is not closed because of red tide conditions.

— Do not consume clams or mussels found floating in ocean waters. They are likely to have filtered much more algae-containing water than those from flats or beds, and therefore usually will have much higher concentrations of the toxin that causes paralytic poisoning.

— When eating lobster, do not eat the tomalley, the soft, green substance found in the body cavity of the lobster that functions as the liver. Tomalley serves as a natural filter for contaminants in the water. State and federal advisories against eating tomalley have been in effect for years, mostly because of the presence of PCB toxins, and more recently because of PSP. It is important to note that testing has shown lobster meat is safe to eat.

Paralytic shellfish poisoning is associated with certain types of algae blooms in coastal waters. Bivalve shellfish such as clams, mussels, oysters and quahogs filter water and eat the toxic algae from the water. High concentrations of toxin in these types of shellfish can then cause serious illness or even death if eaten by humans. There is no taste or odor associated with the toxin.

Symptoms of PSP usually include tingling of the tongue, lips and throat that usually begins within a few minutes to two hours of eating contaminated shellfish. This tingling may spread to other areas of the body such as the face, neck and arms. Symptoms also can include headache or nausea, and can progress to weakness, difficulty breathing, and choking. It is important that people with these symptoms seek medical care immediately.

Shellfish that may be unsafe are the following: clams, mussels, oysters, quahogs, snails and whelks.

Fish that are usually safe: crab (meat, not whole crabs); lobster (but not the tomalley); scallops, shrimp and finfish.

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Upcoming Census Q & A for us all…….

 

Why do we take a census?

The decennial census is a Constitutionally-mandated headcount of everyone residing in the United States. This count is taken every ten years by the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the next census will be taken on April 1, 2010.

 

Why should I fill out the form?

Most importantly, everyone is required by law to complete the census form. But there are other reasons to participate in the census.

 

Being counted in the census is an excellent way to participate in the democratic process on which the country was founded. Just like jury duty and voting, participating in the census is an important part of civic duty. Congressional districts and local legislative districts are based on the decennial population count. Each district must include as equal a number of people as possible so that everyone is represented equally. By standing up and being counted on Census Day, you’re making sure that you receive equal representation, both in Congress and in the state legislature.

 

Census data are also used to distribute nearly $300 billion of federal funds each year to states and towns. These funds are used to provide vital services that benefit your community. States and towns will miss out on funds if all of their residents aren’t counted. By participating in the census you’re helping to ensure that the state and your community don’t miss out on federal funds.

 

What happens if I don’t complete the census form?

Everyone is required by law to complete the census form. Anyone over the age of 18 who refuses or willfully neglects to answer any of the questions on the census form can be fined up to $5,000, however, fines have rarely, if ever, been imposed due to the time and cost that would be involved in enforcing this penalty.

 

Who is included in the census count?

Everyone living in the United States on April 1, 2010 is included in the census count, regardless of immigration or citizenship status.

How are the data collected?

The Census Bureau spends years planning and preparing for each decennial census, but the first visible sign that the decennial census is getting close is the address canvassing operation. Address canvassing for Census 2010 began in April 2009 and wrapped up in July 2009. During address canvassing, census workers went door-to-door updating the address list that the Census Bureau will use to mail the census forms. Workers recorded the address and location of each house on GPS-enabled handheld computers.

 

The Census Bureau uses the address list compiled during address canvassing to mail out census forms in March 2010. Nearly everyone will receive their census form in the mail, but there are some exceptions. People who receive their mail at a Post Office will not receive a form in the mail. In addition, many people living in very rural areas will not receive a form by mail. Those households that do not receive a form in the mail will be visited by a census worker who will collect the information in person.

 

After giving people time to send back their census forms, the Census Bureau will begin its non-response follow-up operation in May 2010. The Census Bureau sends workers to any household that did not mail back a form and calls anyone whose form was mailed back incomplete. The Census Bureau will follow up multiple times with non-responsive households if necessary, and if unable to collect information from a household, they may go to neighbors and ask for information about the non-responsive household. They will also visit any households that were not mailed a form. Non-response follow-up will continue through July 2010.

 

The Census Bureau will hire around a million temporary workers beginning later this fall. Applicants must complete a written skills test and pass a background check. All workers are temporary employees of the U.S. Census Bureau and must swear an oath promising to keep census data confidential.

 

Are my responses to the census confidential?

All individual responses to the census are confidential and protected by law, as are addresses and phone numbers. All census employees take an oath for life to protect this confidential information, and disclosure of any confidential information can result in a five-year prison sentence, a $250,000 fine, or both. Individual responses cannot be shared with anyone, even other federal agencies or the president himself, for 72 years after the census is taken.

 

Will someone come to my door asking questions?

There are a few circumstances where you might have a census worker at your door. The most common is for households who received a form through the mail and neglected to complete it and mail it back. In this case, a census worker will come to your door to collect the information. Census workers are identifiable by an official Census Bureau badge. When in doubt, you can verify the identity of a census worker by calling the Boston Regional Office at 1-800-562-5721.

 

There are also some people who will not receive a form in the mail. Census workers will visit households who receive their mail at a Post Office. These households will not receive a census form in the mail because the Census Bureau needs to be able to connect physical addresses with completed forms. Also, some people live in areas so remote that they are difficult to reach. For these people, the Census Bureau will send out workers to both collect information and update addresses at the same time. 

 

What questions are asked on the census form?

The form that everyone will receive for Census 2010 is ten questions long and should take an average household less than ten minutes to complete. In addition to the number of people in the household and whether the home is rented or owned, the form asks for each person’s name, relationship to the head of household, sex, age and date of birth, Hispanic origin, race, and whether they sometimes live or stay somewhere else. The form also asks for a phone number in case follow-up is required. The form does not ask for social security numbers, citizenship status, income, or employment status. All questions on the final census form have been approved by Congress.

 

Who can I contact for more information?

The best resource for information on the decennial census is the U.S. Census Bureau’s website: http://2010.census.gov. The Census Bureau’s Boston Regional Office coordinates census activities for the region and can be contacted at 1-800-562-5721. You can also contact Amanda Rector, Maine State Planning Office, at Amanda.K.Rector@Maine.gov or 287-6077.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions about the new tax reform bill that was recently signed into law by Governor Baldacci?  Here is a website created to help explain how it works, and how it can benefit Mainers:  www.MaineTaxReform.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is an update on Stimulus Funding in Maine, and the status of several areas of funding, from Finance Commissioner Ryan Low. Commissioner Low’s report is below and more materials can be found on the state website: www.maine.gov/recovery : 

 

GENERAL

 

• On June 22^nd the White House Office of Management and Budget released additional implementation guidance for Recovery Act funds, with particular focus on the reporting and transparency requirements.  OMB will host web cast and training sessions throughout the month of July which DAFS and OIT personnel will participate in. 

 

• As of July 8^th, more than $242 million in Recovery Act funding has been distributed through state government.  The majority of this funding was in Medicaid payments, enhanced unemployment and additional federal compensation, and highway/bridge funding.

 

EDUCATION

 

• During the weeks of June 22^nd and 29^th, the Maine Department of Education issued almost $24 million of federal Recovery Act funds to school systems – representing the first of three waves of State Fiscal Stabilization Funds included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that will be sent to school districts.  The funds replenish the curtailment in State funds that went into effect in January as a result of the global recession and a significant drop in State revenues.   Stabilization funds are the most flexible of the Recovery Act funds for education and can be used for a broad array of educational purposes, including adult and family literacy, vocational education and modernization. Federal guidance urges that funds be used for one-time purposes such as energy or security improvements, as well as to purchase laptops for high school students and one-time professional development or educational planning grants. Districts will receive another $43 million in federal Stabilization funds for 2009-2010, and $59 million for the 2010-2011 school year. The funds were intended to fill gaps created by loss of state revenue.

 

TRANSPORTATION

 

• Maine DOT was recognized as the first state in the nation to meet the Recovery Act “use it or lose it” requirement of having 50% of a state’s allocation obligated within 120 days of passage of the Act.  6 days ahead of the deadline, MDOT had 100% of their funds obligated.

 

• Maine DOT advertised 75 projects to be funded through ARRA resources – all have been advertised with only 18 awaiting award.  34 projects are currently underway, 2 are completed, and 21 are awarded but have yet to begin.  In total, as of July 9^th Maine DOT had spent $20.4 million.

 

• Maine DOT continues to explore discretionary grant opportunities – of most note are two pots of funding:

 

• $8 billion in High-speed Rail Corridors and Intercity Passenger Rail funding administered by USDOT and Federal Rail Administration.
• $1.5 billion TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Grants Administered by the Secretary of Transportation

           

A memo detailing these and other opportunities and the departments approach is attached. 

 

ENERGY/WEATHERIZATION

 

• The Public Utilities Commission has submitted applications for both the State Energy Program (SEP) funds and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) to the United States Department of Energy.  The SEP funds include $9.2 million in residential weatherization funding, $1.8 million in workforce development for the green/energy economy, and $10.9 million in large consumer/commercial all fuels programs.  There has been significant interest in these programs and we are waiting on US DOE approval of the application.  The EECBG application was due at the end of June and will be reviewed by US DOE over the summer.

 

• Maine Housing applied for nearly $42 million in low-income weatherization funding under the Recovery Act.  The application has been submitted and is pending US DOE approval.

 

 

• The Department of Energy recently released a number of grant opportunities that may provide direct assistance to the states in the areas of smart grid analysis, planning as it relates to stimulus-funded energy programs, and transmission planning.  The three opportunities include:

-       Enhancing State Government Energy Assurance Capabilities and Planning for Smart Grid Resiliency

-       Resource Assessment and Interconnection-Level Transmission Analysis and Planning

-       State Electricity Regulators Assistance

 

The PUC and Office of Energy Independence and Security are reviewing these opportunities and will prepare applications if appropriate. 

 

 

CONSERVATION/MARINE RESOURCES

 

• In late June, Conservation was notified by the USDA Forest Service that it will receive $11.4 million in Recovery Funding to convert public building to wood heat.  Conservation is awaiting more guidance, though it is anticipated that the funding will be made available for grants to Maine towns & communities for the conversion / supplementation of heating systems from oil to wood.   This program would be modeled after DOC’s Urban & Community Forestry Program.  DOC will work to form partnerships with communities in the eligible counties to promote wood to energy conversions and supplementation.  All public building conversion projects will be eligible, including schools, hospitals, municipal buildings, and state facilities within the eligible counties.

 

• The Department of Marine Resources will receive 2 grants totaling $7.7 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Recovery Act funding.  Maine will receive $6.1 million for the demolition of Great Works Dam on the Penobscot River and $1.6 million to replace problematic culverts, particularly Downeast, as part of Project SHARE, a collaboration between industry, the State and federal government on Atlantic salmon restoration. Maine received roughly 20 percent of the funds it requested from NOAA as part of the Recovery Act, which is the highest funding ratio of any state in the country. According to NOAA, Congress approved $167 million for habitat restoration, which will fund 50 projects nationally. The habitat restoration funding in Maine is expected to create at least 60 jobs over two years.

 

LABOR

 

• As of July 3^rd, MDOL has paid out $24,133,628 in Recovery Act Unemployment Compensation Benefits.

 

• MDOL is reviewing several competitive discretionary opportunities recently released by USDOL.  Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced five grant competitions, totaling $500 million, to fund projects that prepare workers for green jobs in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.  Four of the competitions announced are designed to serve workers in need of training through various national, state and community outlets: Energy Training Partnership Grants; Pathways Out of Poverty Grants; State Energy Sector Partnership and Training Grants; and Green Capacity Building Grants. The fifth competition, for State Labor Market Information Improvement Grants, will fund state workforce agencies that will collect, analyze and disseminate labor market information and develop labor exchange infrastructure to direct individuals to careers in green industries.  Maine’s Workforce Cabinet chaired by Commissioner Fortman has been planning for these announcements and is developing a plan to coordinate our grant application efforts across the state.

 

OTHER

 

• The Maine Arts Commission has allocated $255,100 of Recovery Act funding to be redistributed through the Maine Arts Recovery Grant Program.  Applications were due on May 29^th.   On June 26^th, members of the Maine Arts Commission’s Executive Committee, and one public member who had been involved with the National Endowment for the Arts review of applications, adjudicated 31 Maine Arts Recovery applications received from Maine nonprofit arts organizations statewide.  Fourteen awards were recommended that totaled $135,000.  A second round of applications will be accepted. 

 

• On July 1^st, both Notice of Funding Availabilities National Telecommunications and Information/Rural Utilities Service (NTIA/RUS) Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) and the NTIA Mapping) were issued July 1^st.  Connect ME Authority staff is currently reviewing the opportunities and will be meeting with the Broadband Strategy Council on July 24^th.

 

• The comment period closed on the Community Development Block Grant-Recovery (CDBG-R) Substantial Amendment and was delivered to the HUD Regional Office in Manchester, NH on June 29^th  meeting the CDBG mandatory due date.  The Department of Economic and Community Development will now wait for HUD approval, beginning the projects once received.