Lobstermen, Potato Blossoms, and Rural Investment: Golden Packs Busy Weekend in Second District
WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) packed his schedule with events and meetings from Stonington to Fort Fairfield this weekend, continuing to prioritize time spent talking with and listening to his constituents.
On Friday, Golden joined the Small Business Administration (SBA) and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) for a meeting to discuss resources federal agencies can offer to towns and small businesses in East Millinocket. Golden heard from the agencies and towns present at the meeting and gave an update on his work as Chairman of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure. The meeting was attended by multiple federal agencies, as well as eight towns in the greater Katahdin Region.
After the SBA meeting, Congressman Golden visited Curtis Harrison's family farm in New Limerick. Harrison — Maine Potato Board 2019 Young Farmer of the Year — and Golden met in Washington, DC near the start of his term. Golden took the opportunity to learn more about the award-winning farmer's operation.
Later in the day, Golden and Collins went on a joint tour of the Lousiana-Pacific Corporation Mill in New Limerick. During their tour, the members of Congress had the opportunity to meet some of the 150 workers at the mill and view the results of LP's substantial investments in the region.
Congressman Golden continued his Aroostook County visits later Friday at the Border Patrol stations in Houlton and Fort Fairfield. He was given a tour of the stations and used the opportunity to learn how he can support the work of Maine's Border Patrol officers who secure the more than 600 miles of border between Maine and Canada.
The Maine Potato Blossom Festival drew thousands of Mainers to Fort Fairfield on Friday and Saturday, including Golden. He began Saturday running the Potato Blossom 5-Miler before joining the parade and talked with potato blossom fans from across the state alongside Maine State Representative Dave McCrea.
Traveling down to Stonington Sunday, Congressman Golden continued his months-long effort to stand up for lobstermen against new, misguided regulations coming down from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He joined marine scientists, state representatives and officials, Governor Janet Mills, Senator Collins, Representative Chellie Pingree (ME-01), the Maine Lobstermen's Association, and the Lobster 207 union for a meeting on the available data on right whale distribution and migration trends.
After the meeting, Congressman Golden joined hundreds of Maine lobstermen from up and down Maine's coast for a rally in Stonington to protest the impact of NOAA's proposed rules on the lobster fishery and to call for a more data-driven process. After hearing from the lobstermen, local and state leaders, and other members of the delegation, Golden took the mic to commend Maine's lobstering community for their advocacy, noting that they had managed to bring together a remarkable coalition from across the political spectrum.
