MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • February 15, 2026
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, railroad companies marketed Maine to the wealthy of Boston, New York and Philadelphia. By 1936, Maine adopted the nickname Vacationland. Mainers received value in this exchange — employment, tax revenues and support for small businesses. But Mainers have lost access to the majority of the state’s natural beauty, privatized to the benefit of those to our south. For the most part, land privatizations have represented a small percentage of Maine’s actual land, and have not done much to change Maine’s physical landscape. This is about to change, as the other New England states look to Maine to decarbonize their economies. The vast majority of the wind and solar projects will be sited in Maine. New England must become “Nuclearland” or Maine must become “Generationland.” Maine’s renewable resources should be used first by Maine to meet its long-term decarbonization commitments. ~ Richard Silkman, Ph.D., former CEO of Competitive Energy consulting firm in Portland