Maine Environmental News

Windfall
Other - Saturday, August 28, 2010
Audubon magazine - If ever there was a time to get off of oil and plug into offshore wind power, it is now.

River restoration projects completed on Bear, Sunday rivers
Lewiston Sun Journal - Saturday, August 28, 2010
Two river projects totaling $221,000 were completed this week to protect a town road and cemetery from washing out. The projects on Bear and Sunday rivers will also reduce hundreds of tons of riverbank erosion that annually muddied the waters, and improve trout habitat.

Weather spurs early foilage show
Portland Press Herald - Saturday, August 28, 2010
Some tree species are turning yellow and shedding their foliage earlier than normal because of the dry summer. But Maine forestry experts do not expect conditions to affect the prime leaf-peeping season.

Letter: Pursuit of riches prevents changing our energy use
Portland Press Herald - Saturday, August 28, 2010
When George W. Bush and Dick Cheney came into office, they held a secret meeting with persons from the energy industries. After the meeting, there appeared to be two courses of action: 1. The U.S. would get its oil from less vulnerable areas of the world; 2. The United States would use warfare to stabilize the situation in the Middle East. The first part has been successful. The second part failed. We remained mired in the production of fossil fuels. We could switch to hydrogen. We don't because "them that's got the gold make the rules."

Opinion: Climate change caused by humans? That's a highly disputable claim
Portland Press Herald - Saturday, August 28, 2010
In the year 2050, people will shake their heads in amazement when they read in history books that, back in 2010, some people thought mankind could "save the planet" by carbon-restricting legislation. A generation from now, people will all see how we today were misled by scientists and journalists who pursued an agenda. It ended up by starving prosperous countries of needed energy supplies. A whole generation suffered unnecessarily from a sort of mass hysteria.

Calico lobster gets new lease on life
Portland Press Herald - Saturday, August 28, 2010
Larry and Crystal Dunne of Saco caught a rare calico lobster off the coast of Cape Elizabeth a few days ago. A blue lobster is one in a million and a yellow or orange is one in 30 million. Calicos are even rarer.

Blind eye turned to egg czar's spotty past
Other - Saturday, August 28, 2010
Long before Austin "Jack" DeCoster became a central figure in one of the largest egg recalls in history, he had paid more than $10 million in fines and suit settlements, his eggs were banned in one state and quarantined in another and he was almost single-handedly responsible for new restrictions on child labor in his native Maine.

Letter: Aid with energy audits
Bangor Daily News - Saturday, August 28, 2010
According to a recent newspaper report, Maine will be receiving an additional $7 million to assist low-income Mainers in weatherizing their homes. But how many people will not be able to take advantage of this or other energy efficiency programs because they are mandated to get an expensive energy audit first?

Coast Guard installs wind turbine to power homes
Bangor Daily News - Saturday, August 28, 2010
A new wind turbine is part of a renewable energy push for the Coast Guard in Southwest Harbor. In October, the base will begin renovations to the 10 duplex units in base housing to upgrade systems and improve insulation. In addition, the Coast Guard has installed a pellet boiler that provides heat and domestic hot water. Solar panels provide electricity and also charge an array of batteries for backup power, and solar thermal tubes provide up to 80 additional gallons of hot water for those homes.

State parks explore corporate sponsorship
Associated Press - Saturday, August 28, 2010
Faced with widening budget gaps, numerous states are reaching out to private companies to sponsor state parks or programs. In New Hampshire, Eastern Mountain Sports may promote state parks in its stores in exchange for having state parks promote the company's products. In Maine, the Bureau of Parks and Lands launched its Maine State Parks Passport program in the spring. Companies such as L.L. Bean, Hannaford, Oakhurst, Delorme, Kittery Trading Post and Wicked Joe's Coffee are among the sponsors.

Plenty of sun but rain needed in northern Maine
Bangor Daily News - Saturday, August 28, 2010
After last year’s soggy summer, Mainers around the state have enjoyed seemingly endless sun and warm temperatures this year perfect for lakeside vacations and outdoor recreation. But fun and games aside, all that sun could be having a detrimental effect on northern Maine’s 2010 potato crop.

The Chevy Volt: A quiet luxury
Bangor Daily News - Saturday, August 28, 2010
The greatest phobia non-electric owners have is out-driving the extension cord. Have no fear. You can charge it with household current. But your battery won’t run out, because as it depletes the internal combustion generator kicks in to keep the electrons flowing. Over the course of a year the cost of keeping your vehicle charged will be around 2 cents per mile, versus 12 cents for fuel costs of a comparable-sized internal combustion vehicle.

Governor John Baldacci talks about Maine’s energy future working with regional partners
Maine Insights - Friday, August 27, 2010
“Maine certainly can be a leader with our offshore and onshore wind technologies, our expertise, and other renewable energy resources. We can also lead by establishing interconnections to the Eastern Canadian provinces, collecting their electrical energy with ours to feed to the Northeastern markets."

Generation of tidal power, in Maine, a success
Maine Insights - Friday, August 27, 2010
Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) has successfully generated grid-compatible power from tidal currents at its Cobscook Bay site in Eastport. Maine already provides 95 percent of New England’s wind energy. ORPC sees tidal power over the next ten years becoming a big part of Maine’s renewable energy portfolio.

Editorial: Energy independence from fossil fuels—no longer a pipe dream
Maine Insights - Friday, August 27, 2010
Maine uses fossil fuels for over 80 percent of its energy needs. But that doesn’t have to be the future. Wind energy, on land and offshore, is the state’s big ticket to a growing economy based on clean energy.

Rangeley area community celebrates
Maine Insights - Friday, August 27, 2010
A Rangeley Lakes National Scenic Byway at the Height of Land got underway with an official groundbreaking on August 14th. When Lady Bird Johnson visited the area 40 years ago, she saw the need to protect the view for future generations. The Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust is making it happen.

GM previews electric car in Bangor
Bangor Daily News - Friday, August 27, 2010
General Motors Inc. showed off the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, its new entry to the world of electric cars, on Thursday at Eastern Maine Community College.

Vote on mountain ordinance Monday
Lewiston Sun Journal - Friday, August 27, 2010
Residents will vote on whether to adopt a Mountain District Ordinance at a special town meeting set for Aug. 30. At a well-attended public hearing last week, those who spoke opposed it because they believe it is too restrictive for continued mining and logging activities. The intent of the ordinance is to regulate wind project development.

Letter: Articles were unfair
Times Record - Friday, August 27, 2010
I write to express my disappointment regarding a series of articles authored by Naomi Schalit that did not fairly or accurately represent the efforts of the Governor’s Wind Power Task Force. The negative, suspicious tone of these stories is not justified by the facts.

Opinion: Windpower series sows seeds of confusion
Times Record - Friday, August 27, 2010
Unfortunately there are well organized groups opposing wind development on the basis of view, noise and claims of adverse health effects. Turbines do change the view, and make noise, but there is at this time no medical support regarding negative health issues, despite contrary anecdotal claims.

Wal-Mart eyes Thomaston property
Herald Gazette - Friday, August 27, 2010
Representatives for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. met with the Maine DEP Aug. 18 to discuss plans for a large development on Route 1 in Thomaston. The developers are proposing a retail complex on Route 1 next to Dorman's Dairy Dream.

Lincolnville joins paper trade battle
Herald Gazette - Friday, August 27, 2010
On Monday, Lincolnville selectmen voted to sign a petition urging the federal government to hold Chinese and Indonesian governments "accountable for unfair trade practices that distort markets, devastate production and employment in the United States, and affect the livelihood of the town of Lincolnville, and communities throughout the United States." The two mills in Maine that are affected by the production of coated printed paper in China and Indonesia are the NewPage Corporation and Sappi Fine Paper.

Opinion: Organic gardening: It’s for the birds
Capital Weekly - Friday, August 27, 2010
In addition to providing a landscape that’s free of toxic synthetic chemicals and that flourishes with bird food and cover, gardeners can attract birds by providing a source of water — a small pond, fountain or birdbath, for instance.

Letter: Don't outlaw plastic bags
Lewiston Sun Journal - Friday, August 27, 2010
I hope Maine doesn't propose to ban plastic grocery bags. A better solution would be to insist the manufacturers make biodegradable bags.

Letter: Protecting resources took step forward with Pingree
Portland Press Herald - Friday, August 27, 2010
On behalf of The Nature Conservancy's 9,000 Maine members, I'd like to applaud U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree for her support in passing the Consolidated Land, Energy and Aquatic Resources (CLEAR) Act and providing enduring protection for America's important lands and waters.

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