http://www.bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=156675&zoneid=500LINCOLN - Record diesel prices that reached $3.65 per gallon Saturday are pushing logging truckers into a state of emergency that could imperil Maine’s entire forestry products industry.
State officials expressed fear Saturday that runaway fuel prices could force independent truckers — the forest product industry’s connective tissue, as they haul fiber to mills from the woods — to abruptly shut down, sparking a larger crisis within the industry and the state.
Gov. John Baldacci and other officials are investigating ways to help truckers stay on the roads over the winter, including temporary suspension of gas taxes and some hauling regulations and bulk fuel buying, said John M. Kerry, director of the state’s Office of Energy Independence and Security.
"The governor wants to take immediate action within his resources and his authority," Kerry said after a meeting of government and industry representatives Saturday. "He’s very concerned about people being able to meet their weekly budget and ongoing costs. Some people have stretched their credit, budget and cash reserves to the limit.
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...and I think of all the railroad lines torn up and abandoned in Maine over the last 30 years - that used to bring the wood to the mills...