FROM THE CROWE'S NEST

Grandfather’s Advice

My grandfather always advised me that the only thing worse than a snake-oil salesman was two of them. Well, that’s just what the residents of Pleasant Point, Eastport and Perry have had to deal with over the last several months, in an attempt to be sold a proposal for an LNG site at Pleasant Point. In dealing with several other companies’ proposals for LNG sites elsewhere in Maine over the last several years the business proponents (Quoddy Bay, LLC) have been by far the slipperiest yet.

They have let it be known that they have degrees from Harvard, but they never mention the fact that they both have doctorates in Bureau-Speak. Bureau-Speak is the science of answering direct questions without giving direct answers. Over the last several months, they have not answered direct questions on extra costs of security, fire, police, housing, road maintenance, design of the project, loss of fishing habitat, who their partners will be (even though they have guaranteed that their partners would be willing to be responsible for the extra costs incurred in their project), or the environmental effects of having a pristine area turned into an industrial wasteland. Oh, the joys of Bureau-Speak.

Even though they were educated at Harvard, one thing that they did not learn was manners. Right from the outset, they were insulting, condescending and downright rude. They were so ignorant and inconsiderate of the real character of Maine people that it almost made one feel sorry for them.

Their lame attempts to assure the Passamaquoddys and the surrounding towns that they were a small company and that they had only the residents of Washington County to thank, for allowing them to be their saviors was degrading.
   
In point of fact, they were nothing but a couple of inexperienced hack energy brokers trying to middle a potentially dangerous deal with no backers. (Excuse me, whether and who the backers were depended on what day they were asked that question.)
    
When in one breath the snake-oil salesman tells you that his product will be your salvation and in the next breath he says, “I wouldn’t want the damned thing in my back yard…” you might want to see if your wallet is still in your pants.

When the mayor of Everett, MA, which has an existing LNG plant, offers this advice, “I don’t care what they’re offering, get rid of them. It’s not worth the risk.” I would take that advice into consideration.

When you are told that if they lost the vote, they would honor it, then lose and go back on their word the day after, as they have done, makes my grandfather’s advice ring true.