In a year she has called busy yet gratifying, former Boothbay Harbor Selectman Patricia Aho said she has had time for several surprises during her year as the Maine Department of Environmental Protection's commissioner.

“I think what has surprised me the most is when we go to these wonderful small towns and beautiful areas and people seem surprised that the commissioner is there,” she said. “It's so important for me to interact with folks and hear their concerns.”

Aho, who graduated from Boothbay Region High School in 1975, has been at the helm of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection since February 2011. In September of the same year, she was appointed by Gov. Paul LePage to helm the DEP as executive director.

The Newcastle resident said the problems she faces as commissioner are vast yet manageable with most centering on technology.

But the environment should never leave the forefront, Aho said.

“All along I've said that I truly believe the environment will support the economy in Maine,” she said. “At the same time, we need to make sure that every decision we make is thoroughly thought out.”

Taking time to think problems through can be difficult on a short schedule, but it's something Aho said she looks forward to.

“With email, people expect a response instantaneous,” she said. “It's all about time management.”

The problems facing Maine are the same that numerous businesses face – how to remain current in an ever-changing environment, Aho said.

“We're trying to just keep up with technology,” she said. “It's very difficult across the public agencies to make modern enough to keep up with private enterprise.

“Technology improves so much and so quickly that it can be a challenge to keep up with it. One of the biggest issues we face is making sure Maine is on the cutting edge of that.”

With the proposed Statoil wind farm pilot project, Aho said Maine has the chance to leap to the forefront of environmental technology and leapfrog to the forefront of the green energy environment.

“This is an exciting prospect for Maine,” she said. “We are going to be following this very closely, and watching for the details.”

Ben Bulkeley can be reached at 207-633-4620 or bbulkeley@boothbayregister.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BBRegisterBen.