Maine Environmental News

News Items

Biologists see food shortage threatening birds at Maine refuge
Bangor Daily News - Thursday, June 20, 2013
Washington Post - At the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, the tiny bodies of Arctic tern chicks have piled up. Over the past few years, biologists have counted thousands that starved to death because the herring their parents feed them have vanished. Puffins are also having trouble feeding their chicks, which weigh less than previous broods. When the parents leave the chicks to fend for themselves, the young birds are failing to find food, and hundreds are washing up dead on the Atlantic coast. What’s happening to migratory seabirds? Biologists are worried about a twofold problem: Commercial fishing is reducing their food source, and climate change is causing fish to seek colder waters.

F-15 fighter jets to conduct exercises over parts of Maine
Maine Environmental News - Thursday, June 20, 2013
If you are on a backcountry hiking or paddling trip in Maine's North Woods, be aware that F-15 fighter jets from the 104th Fighter Wing in Massachusetts are scheduled to practice scramble maneuvers over northern Maine on Thursday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. But then, if you are in the backcountry you are not reading this.

Bill to exempt areas from expedited wind power permitting delayed
Maine Environmental News - Thursday, June 20, 2013
On Wednesday, the Maine Senate voted 19 to 16 to send LD 616 back to the Energy, Utilities & Technology Committee, which means it's over for the bill in this session. The bill would allow five townships and plantations to be removed from the area of expedited permitting for wind power developments. According to Alan Michka, Chair of Friends of the Highland Mountains, "It's not clear how it would be addressed in the 2014 session, but it was clear that the Senate leadership did not want to allow this bill to be voted on this year."

LePage vetoes sweeping Maine energy bill, but House overrides him
Portland Press Herald - Thursday, June 20, 2013
As promised, Gov. Paul LePage vetoed a sweeping energy bill that had bipartisan support in the Maine Legislature late Wednesday night. LePage had to veto the bill by midnight Wednesday or let it become law without his signature. He nixed it in the last 10 minutes he had, a decision Senate Majority Leader Seth Goodall, D-Richmond, called a “shortsighted” risk to state economic development. About an hour later — after the session stretched into Thursday morning — the House of Representatives overrode him by a 121-11 margin, though the Senate must also do so for the bill to become law. That vote is expected next week.

Opinion: Report sheds light on challenges posed by decline of Gulf of Maine cod
Portland Press Herald - Thursday, June 20, 2013
As the New England Fishery Management Council meets this week in Portland to tackle the intricacies of sustaining our region's offshore fisheries, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute has released a paper that sheds light on one of the most perplexing problems confronting these managers: the dramatic decline of cod in the Gulf of Maine. The challenges over the next decade will be improving the accuracy of the scientific advice on which catch limits are set, coping with changes of fish abundance caused by ocean warming, and supporting fishermen in marketing responsibly harvested groundfish as a healthy source of protein to environmentally conscious, premium markets. In the GMRI report scientists lay out several research recommendations that would help address these challenges. ~ Jonathan Labaree and Donald W. Perkins

Letter: Earth now in cooling cycle, not global warming cycle
Portland Press Herald - Thursday, June 20, 2013
The United Kingdom Meteorological Office and the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change agree that despite increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide, the Earth's temperatures have not increased during the past 15 years. The Earth is now entering an extended global cooling cycle potentially more serious than any global warming cycle. Earth's climate follows a 230- and 120,000-year cycle. The cycles are regulated by physical forces of the scientifically proven Milankovitch Cycles of gravitational forces, solar radiation and Earth's elliptical path around the sun. Both cycles alternate between cold and warm periods. The warm 120,000-year interglacial cycle just peaked about 7,000 years ago, and it was much warmer back then, with 50 percent less ice in the Arctic than today. ~ David Dilley, Global Weather Oscillations Inc., Hiram

LePage vetoes energy bill with initiatives he proposed, House quickly overrides it
Bangor Daily News - Thursday, June 20, 2013
Gov. Paul LePage vetoed a comprehensive energy bill late Wednesday night aimed at expanding New England ’s natural gas infrastructure, boosting funding for energy efficiency, directly lowering businesses’ electricity costs and making it more affordable for residents to abandon oil heat. The House acted quickly to override the veto, voting 121-11 against the governor shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday morning. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it passed 28-7, which would meet the threshold to override LePage’s veto if all senators stick to their original votes. The Senate is expected to take up the veto next week.

Woman appeals koi case to Maine's highest court
Portland Press Herald - Thursday, June 20, 2013
A Harpswell woman is heading to court to seek an opinion that will allow her to keep koi — brightly colored fish used in ornamental ponds and aquariums — without restrictions. Ultimately, she wants to legalize koi as an aquarium trade fish. Last month, Georgette D. Curran lost her bid to ease restrictions on a permit issued by the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife that allows her to have no more than 40 koi in an indoor aquarium. Justice Donald Marden upheld the department's decision and commended it for its tact. The case will now go to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.

Letter: Wind, energy and consumers
Bangor Daily News - Thursday, June 20, 2013
I recently had the opportunity and privilege to attend a meeting at the Airline Community School in Aurora for an industrial-scale wind project in Hancock County. The majority of individuals in attendance lent their support to the developer, First Wind. One by one, they stood up and explained how this project would benefit their business and create jobs. Unfortunately, some basic laws of economics were ignored. The expansion of taxpayer-funded industrial wind projects in the state will lead to higher energy cost for consumers and a net job loss. ~ Darren Lord, Winterport

LePage on plastic foam ban: Don't be 'nanny'
Portland Press Herald - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Gov. Paul LePage and a national conservative group have come out against a proposed ban on plastic-foam products in Maine's largest city. The proposal would prohibit the use of polystyrene containers by food vendors and food retailers, and at city-sponsored and city-contracted events starting July 1, 2015. Supporters of the ban say the petroleum-based material creates environmental problems, but LePage and other opponents of the ban sent a letter to the City Council this week saying "Nanny-state European-style bans are not the best course of action given the financial impact and lack of scientific evidence used by environmentalists with a political agenda."

Jeb Bush to headline LePage re-election event
Portland Press Herald - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Former Florida Gov. John Ellis "Jeb" Bush will appear at a fundraiser in Kennebunkport for Republican Gov. Paul LePage's 2014 re-election campaign. Bush will headline the event, scheduled July 2 at the Nonantum Resort in the coastal town where the Bush family has long had a summer home. The fundraiser offers a private session and photo opportunity with Bush and LePage. That will cost $2,000 per person or $3,000 per couple. General admission, an hour after the private session begins, will cost $150 per person. LePage's likely opponents in the 2014 race, Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud and independent Eliot Cutler, have also begun fundraising.

Lawmakers planning to delay decisions on bond package until next year
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
The debate over hundreds of millions of dollars worth of state borrowing proposals, an issue which often dominates the end of legislative sessions, will likely wait until lawmakers return to the State House next January. Sen. Dawn Hill, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, said Wednesday that she and others on the budget-writing panel don’t want to rush such monumental decisions amid the bustle of the end of the legislative session. Meanwhile, the LePage administration is working on the sale of some $104 million in bonds previously approved by the Legislature and then by voters in 2010 and 2012. LePage has held up the issuance of those bonds for various reasons.

Column: Poor weather doesn’t slow birdathon effort
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
The alarm went off at 2 a.m. The power went out at 2:05 a.m. If those events had happened in reverse order, I would have slept right through my favorite day of the year. As it was, we dressed in the dark and my birdathon team hustled out the door to begin 20 straight hours of birding. A birdathon is an attempt to find as many different bird species as possible in one day, often in competition with other teams. ~ Bob Duchesne

Lobbyist report leads LePage to halt talking with three papers
Amy Fried Pollways Blog - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Showing what has been happening behind closed doors often bothers chief executives. They want privacy for their administrations. But that goes against our democracy’s commitment to transparency whenever possible. LePage himself pledged during his campaign to have the most transparent administration in Maine’s history. Investigative reporter Woodard, using interviews and internal documents, cracked the door open. Granted, the governor has a different view of what happened when no one was watching government, but he isn’t willing to answer questions about it in public.

Incentive enables switch from oil to wood pellet boilers
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
A new program is offering homeowners in Farmington and Wilton, Maine, the opportunity to save 40-50 percent on home heating costs by switching from oil heat to high efficiency wood pellet boilers. Municipalities and non-profits are also eligible to participate. The Model Neighborhood Project’s goal is to help the Northern Forest region move away from dependence on imported oil toward a local energy source that will create jobs and strengthen the forest economy.

Maine Wilderness Bill Awaiting Congressional Action
Maine Environmental News - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
On June 18, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced three bills for wilderness protection in Colorado, Oregon, and Nevada for a vote by the full Senate. They join five measures already approved by the committee that would permanently protect public land in Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington. Among other proposals still awaiting committee action is the Maine Coastal Islands Wilderness Act (HR 1808). The bill would protect 13 islands of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge by designating 3,125 acres of wilderness, protecting pristine habitat for migratory seabirds and waterfowl and elevating the profile of the area to boost tourism for the area’s economy.

Maine Legislature adopts resolution on East-West Corridor
Maine Environmental News - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
The Maine Legislature has passed a resolution that says the proposed East-West Highway/Corridor warrants full legislative and regulatory oversight. While it has no binding legal significance, the resolution is an important expression of legislative concern if the proposed East-West Highway/Corridor goes ahead. The vote in the Maine Senate was 20-15. There was no roll call vote in the Maine House.

Augusta Realtor to turn East Millinocket school into apartment complex
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
A former state worker who lives in Augusta can buy the former Opal Myrick School from the town for $1 to turn it into a 15-apartment vacationers complex, officials said Wednesday. The Board of Selectmen voted 4-1 during a special meeting on Tuesday to authorize town officials to make a deal with Debbie Dawson. Dawson proposes she would live in it and operate a laundry wash-and-fold business at the school while catering to clients who would pay $34,999 for a lifetime lease of an apartment in which they could stay for as many as 185 days a year.

Opinion: From Aroostook to York, how small businesses are driving the rural economy
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
At USDA Rural Development, we have the expertise and financing to help small businesses to thrive. Our assistance has a significant impact on rural communities. In 2012, we helped 263 Maine businesses through our business programs, impacting 798 local jobs. As we kick off Small Business Week, join us at USDA Rural Development in supporting the local small businesses that will build new opportunity across America’s small towns and rural communities. ~ Virginia Manuel, Rural Development, USDA

Maine Governor Blacklists Newspapers After They Expose Administration’s Anti-Environment Commissioner
Other - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Think Progress - Following a critical series of articles in three Maine newspapers this week, Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s (R) office has cut off those papers’ access to administration officials. The same week the Portland Press Herald, the Kennebec Journal, and the Morning Sentinel published an in-depth analysis of the administration’s work to undermine environmental protections, a spokeswoman told them they would no longer respond to requests, even for public documents, because the newspaper’s parent company “made it clear that it opposed this administration.”

Maine’s champion moose caller learned straight from the moose’s mouth
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Greenville guide Chris Young became known as the state’s top moose caller at the annual Moose Lottery Festival on Saturday, June 15, when he competed against seasoned hunters and guides throughout the state to win the 2013 Maine Moose Calling Championship. Young learned his skills directly from the moose of the Moosehead region. “Moose calling is just part of what we do every day,” said Young.

Municipalities eye funds for trails
Times Record - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Local matching money is needed now, even though state funds to extend the bike and walking path along the Androscoggin River from Brunswick through Bath won’t be available until 2016. Brunswick, West Bath and Bath need to come up with $40,000 — for preliminary engineering and architecture work — to demonstrate readiness to the Maine Department of Transportation. The 7.2-mile bike path extension is one of three proposed projects. A second is a plan to install four pedestrian-activated, flashing crosswalk warning systems as part of the Safe Routes to School program. A third project would extend a walking trail loops between the Brunswick and Topsham, as well as create a “pocket park,” stairway and overlook area.

Column: Sportsmen need public's backing for hunting, fishing to thrive
Kennebec Journal - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Sportsmen have been completely unsuccessful in winning public funding for this agency, which struggles to perform its mission of protecting and enhancing our wildlife and fisheries and the habitat they depend upon — a mission that certainly serves all of the people of this state. Until the public speaks up forcefully to demand that its legislators and governor provide some of their tax money to this department, it won't happen. ~ George Smith

Rolling billboards must yield to Maine's ban
Portland Press Herald - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Billboards, including those on wheels, have been banned in Maine for 30 years. The last one was knocked down in 1984. But don't expect a state trooper to pull over the next rolling billboard you see and write out a ticket.

Letter: City should treasure Congress Square
Portland Press Herald - Wednesday, June 19, 2013
In her 1961 book, "The Death and Life of Great American Cities," Jane Jacobs states that cities are best when allowed to develop organically, built to meet the needs of their people for air, space and diversity, not to gratify greed. Improvements to Congress Square Park with the intent to enhance its appeal and increase the park as a place for everyone to enjoy would be preferable, ultimately attracting more people to businesses here and to invest in a city that draws people with its personal flavor. ~ Suzanne Laberg, Portland

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