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Atlantic Time
Posted by Raven on May 5th, 2005
I have heard rumors about this for a couple years now. And recently the rumors include NH to join this time zone…Atlantic Time….hmm. I don’t think NH needs to change anything. It is true that up in ME their daylight goes away quicker than it does in NH…kind of weird to imagine it. When we were up at Bar Harbah I saw this firsthand.
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – Maine would join its neighbors in the Canadian Maritime Provinces if a bill endorsed Wednesday to move the state to the Atlantic Time Zone becomes law.
The State and Local Government Committee voted unanimously to approve the bill to put Maine in a zone that’s an hour ahead of the Eastern Time Zone. An amendment added by the committee stipulates that if Maine were to adopt Atlantic time, there would be no more clock changing to account for daylight saving time in the state.
“It would be like staying on daylight saving time year round,” said the sponsor, Rep. Kevin Glynn. If his bill makes it through the Legislature, it would be sent to voters in 2006. Upon passage, the United States Secretary of Transportation would be asked to change Maine’s time zone.
Glynn said there are many advantages to having the extra hour of sunlight, such as fighting the winter blues, saving energy and allowing the state’s businesses to begin an hour earlier.
Residents of Glynn’s South Portland district, who said they saw less evening sun than people in other states, prompted the Republican to submit his bill.
“I found out that what my constituents were telling me was 100 percent accurate. In Maine, the sunset occurs almost an hour earlier than the balance of the country,” Glynn said.
The situation occurs because Maine is the only U.S. state that finds itself shifted into a time zone to its west, he said, adding, “Maine is squarely in the wrong time zone, it should be in the Atlantic Time zone.”
May 5th, 2005 at 7:42 am
Sure, why not? I always thought they should be in a different time zone, anyway. It would make things interesting for networks, though.
May 5th, 2005 at 6:23 pm
So if they did this the US would have 5 time zones? cool.
May 6th, 2005 at 12:20 pm
I live in Maine and the article is right we are in the wrong time zone geographilly wise i’been in news hampshire and they have a lot more day light than Maine does We have to change timezone in my opinion
May 6th, 2005 at 5:49 pm
I’ve heard back from several folks from ME and everyone of them has told me they would support this change.