Today, Attorney General Steve Rowe urged the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to take immediate action to investigate allegations that Sparks and Sparks Plus alcoholic energy drinks contain unsafe levels of caffeine. The letter also requests TTB to determine if the alcohol content in Sparks alcoholic energy drink is higher than the 6.0% alcohol by volume disclosed on the label. Attorney General Rowe is joined by 15 attorneys general in calling for this action.

Today the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling in Rowe vs. NH Motor Transport. The ruling strikes down provisions of a 2003 Maine law that required internet tobacco retailers to utilize carriers who take specific actions to ensure that packages containing tobacco products are not delivered to minors.

Attorney General Steve Rowe issued the following statement:

?Today the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struck down Bush Administration regulations that exempted coal and oil fired power plants, including some of this country?s worst polluters, from their obligation to sharply decrease their mercury pollution. This ruling represents a significant victory for both the health of Maine people and our natural environment.

Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe today announced that Maine?s Medicaid program will receive approximately $2.2 million as part of two separate global settlements with Merck & Co., Inc.. The settlements involve 49 states, the District of Columbia and the federal government, totaling $649 million.

?This is a significant recovery for Maine?s Medicaid program,? Attorney General Rowe said.

Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe has been asked to represent America?s consumers as part of a national group advising the federal government how to require drug companies to report the results of clinical drug trials on a publicly accessible website.

Maine is the only state with a representative on the federal advisory group. The federal Working Group on Clinical Trials was created by the National Library of Medicine to help it implement a new federal law requiring the public reporting of clinical drug trials. The new law was enacted in September 2007.

NEWS RELEASEMaine Attorney General Steve Rowe announced that on Friday, January 28th, the State of Maine filed an Unfair Trade Practices Complaint against Nicholas Curro, d/b/a/ Price Rite Oil, d/b/a/ Veilleux Oil & Service, d/b/a/ Perron Oil

The complaint alleges that Mr. Curro (a) induced customers to enter into pre-paid contracts for heating oil by misrepresenting when and how the oil would be delivered; (b) failed to deliver oil according to the contract terms; and (c) failed to honor customers? request for refunds.

NEWS RELEASE

Today, Attorney General Steve Rowe announced that Five Star Auto Sales, a used car dealership in Biddeford, Maine, has entered into a Superior Court Consent Decree which resolves the state?s Unfair Trade Practice Act Complaint. The State?s complaint charged that Five Star Auto Sales used improper sale tactics to unfairly increase the advertised price of its vehicles.

?The issue here is simple. If you advertise the price of a product, then you need to sell the product for that price.? Rowe commented.

NEWS RELEASE

Today, Attorney General Steve Rowe announced that Maine Mortgage Group of Scarborough, ME, a licensed mortgage loan broker, has entered into a Superior Court Consent Decree which resolves the State?s Unfair Trade Practice Act Complaint. The State charged that Maine Mortgage Group helped falsify a homeowner's mortgage application in order to persuade the lender that the homeowner was a good loan risk.

Today, Attorney General Steve Rowe announced that the Maine Superior Court has issued an Order under the Maine Civil Rights Act against Roland Cloutier of Topsham, Maine, arising from his repeated vandalism of the sign in front of the offices of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England at the Bowdoin Mill Complex in Topsham.

In a victory for Maine?s children, Attorney General Rowe and 49 other attorneys general today announced that MySpace has agreed to significant steps to better protect children on its web site, including creation of a broad-based task force to explore and develop age and identity verification technology.