As part of ABC News' "50 Days in 50 States" road trip, "Nightline" spent some time traveling along the Gulf of Maine. For full-time lobstermen working in the region, jobs have been made tougher by the nation's high oil prices. Not only have refueling costs for their boats sky-rocketed, but so has the cost of bait. But is off-shore drilling the answer? Not so fast, say many residents. Drilling, they say, could have profound effects on the Gulf's delicate ecosystem.
CLICK HERE to see photos from a day on the water with two lobstermen.
Here was my assignment: Go to Maine and see what the people who make their living farming the sea think about all this talk of off-shore drilling.
The issue is a particularly intriguing one in a state where so many people are struggling under the staggering increase in fuel costs and where people will be particularly hard hit this winter by the surging price of home heating oil.
Does the possibility of oil beneath that great Gulf of Maine cause the locals to chant "drill, baby, and drill?" I headed north to find out.
It was a treat this week to go home to Maine. The fact that I have now lived outside of the state longer than I ever lived in it makes little difference: Maine was home and always will be.
As part of ABC News' "50 States in 50 Days" road trip, we at "Nightline" decided to visit states across the country not by plane, train, or bus, but by automobile. We're calling our car the Nightliner -- although the Ford Edge isn't exactly covert.
Since the Nightliner added an extra level of logistics for our producers than the typical story, it was my job to organize the trip and get the car in our first stop in the tour of states -- Maine.
On Sunday, I picked up the Nightliner -- which came complete with racing stripes and a checkered flag graphic -- in a little town outside Portland called Raymond, located in the Maine Lakes Region. My next stop was picking up co-anchor Cynthia McFadden at the airport.
"How will I find you?" she asked over Blackberry.
"Oh -- It'll be obvious," I replied.
Usually when I drive, I'm the curious person looking at the other vehicles driving by. This day was different. I kept forgetting that the car I was driving screamed, "I'm from ABC News and proud of it!" until people started waving, honking, and rubber-necking.
While Mainers are leaning towards Obama, the Pine Tree State is moderate and fiercely independent; not necessarily a sure bet for the candidate.
Maine has voted Democratic in the last four election with John Kerry winning by nine percent over George Bush. But the state- who's motto is- "I lead," has always been more open to voting for independent and third party candidates.
Maine has had two independent governors recently. Angus King, who served from 1995 to 2003 and James B. Longley who served from 1975 to 1972. And in 2002 the Green Party candidate won nine percent of the vote for the gubernatorial election, one of the party's highest turnout for a statewide office.
In the Democratic primary Obama beat Clinton 59 to 40 percent and McCain did not do well against the former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney who's fellow New Englanders turned out for him 52 percent over McCain's 22 percent.
Besides Nebraska, Maine is the only other state that divides their electoral votes, rather than letting the winner take all. However, the votes have never actually been split.
