Maine Environmental News

News Items

LePage can’t lower energy prices by himself, but that won’t stop him from trying
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Freshly minted Gov. Paul LePage gave his renamed Governor’s Energy Office a clear goal in 2011: lower power costs. A new Republican majority helped embed the mantra in other areas of state law, too. LePage signed bills adding it to job descriptions for Maine’s utilities regulators and the state’s advocate for utility customers. In his first State of the State address, he decried high power costs as a major drag on Maine’s economy. Six years later, Maine's energy prices have climbed and are still — alongside the rest of New England — among the nation’s highest.

Major energy legislation of Gov. Paul LePage’s tenure
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, September 6, 2017
The Omnibus Energy Bill of 2013 was the most sweeping single piece of energy legislation so far in Gov. Paul LePage’s tenure, but lawmakers have passed a range of other bills to change the course of Maine’s energy policy in that time. Here is a summary of some major pieces of energy legislation, from the 125th to 128th legislatures, that became public laws.

DEP gives preliminary approval to relocation of Maine Turnpike’s York toll plaza
Portland Press Herald - Wednesday, September 6, 2017
A state environmental agency has issued preliminary approval for a permit to relocate the Maine Turnpike’s York toll plaza in what could be the final step in a long and contentious process. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection approval would allow cash collection lanes at the new toll plaza, which several York residents and town officials have said they oppose for safety and environmental reasons.

Route 1 closed after truck jackknifes in West Bath
Portland Press Herald - Wednesday, September 6, 2017
A tractor-trailer hauling furniture jackknifed on Route 1 in West Bath at about 1:12 p.m. Wednesday, closing the busy highway to traffic and threatening New Meadows Lake with leaked diesel fuel.

Where to find weird apples in Maine
Portland Press Herald - Wednesday, September 6, 2017
This map shows several Maine orchards that feature more unusual, heritage apple varieties.

Bowdoin receives $10 million donation for Coastal Studies Center
Portland Press Herald - Wednesday, September 6, 2017
An Apple executive and his wife have donated $10 million to Bowdoin College to expand the private school’s Coastal Studies Center in Harpswell. The gift is from Philip Schiller and Kim Gassett-Schiller of Half Moon Bay, California, whose son graduated from Bowdoin last year, college officials said Wednesday. Philip Schiller is senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple Inc. The money will be used for a new lab, a conference center, housing and dining facilities at the center, which is located on 118 acres on Orr’s Island. The Schillers said they hope their gift will further research on climate change.

Years of high lobster landings spark resurgence in Maine’s boat building industry
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Analysts say Maine’s boat-building industry has made a remarkable recovery since it bottomed out during the Great Recession when many of the state’s boat builders, including Young Brothers Boats of Corea, decided to get out of the business. The resurgence of lobster boat building has been propelled by back-to-back banner years that have seen lobster landings exceed 120 million pounds annually. Prices at the dock have also risen and increased the annual value of the lobster catch to more than $500 million in 2015 and 2016.

Letter: Bangor council endorses carbon tax
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Last week, our city council passed a resolution urging Congress to enact a carbon fee and dividend, an action that has bipartisan supporters and is recommended by leading economists as the best policy to control climate change. We follow in Portland’s footsteps and in the footsteps of many other municipalities, businesses, civic organizations and individuals across the country with this resolution. Hopefully, we will help lead the way for many more to come in a grassroots demonstration of the will of the people. With this statement, our government will need to act. Bravo to Bangor for speaking up! ~ Nancy Jacobson, Bangor

Letter: Mitigate climate change
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Let’s bring Harvey home for a minute. What if it hit here in Maine where I’m enjoying my second summer here? Increased frequency and intensity of climate related disasters worldwide are well documented. Yet, nothing has been done to add resiliency to Houston. How horrible will the cost be now, to life, property and, decidedly, the nation. By voicing our concerns to elected representatives, we can do our part for unity in action. I joined Citizens Climate Lobby and learned to empower my efforts. I highly recommend them. ~ Jeffrey Dorian, Crestview, Florida

Letter: Climate predictions
Bangor Daily News - Wednesday, September 6, 2017
“Science predicted the eclipse, so why do so many doubt climate change?” is the title of an Aug. 24 BDN editorial. The implication of that title is presumptuous, namely, that climate science is equally competent to astronomy. That is simply not so. This is not to say that the worst predictions of the climate change proponents are not wrong but merely that the case remains to be demonstrated. ~ Hans Schmidt, Lamoine

While Trump Keeps Monument Plan Secret, Proponents Tout Their Economic Benefits
Other - Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Daily Yonder - The argument that National Monuments impede economic growth doesn’t hold water, say an economist and conservationists. With 98% of public comments in favor of leaving monuments just the way they are, many think the Trump administration is going to make changes to allow more energy and timber development.

Opinion: Saccarappa Agreement a bad deal for fish and ecosystems
Other - Tuesday, September 5, 2017
The impacts of a private agreement between SAPPI, the City of Westbrook, Maine Department of Marine Resources, Maine Inland Fish and Wildlife, United States Fish and Wildlife and two organizations with lower Presumpscot River interests, if approved, will destroy the opportunity to resurrect one of Maine’s historical finest sea run fisheries on the Presumpscot River and Sebago Lake. The agreement is an unfortunate spoiler of a great potential economic resource for the region. The Town of Gorham would be denied these valuable fish and the ecosystems they create. ~ Roger Wheeler, Friends of Sebago Lake, Standish

Attorney General Says Maine Will Sue If EPA Rolls Back Auto Emissions Standards
Maine Public - Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Maine Attorney General Janet Mills told a national conference call that if the Environmental Protection Agency rolls back standards on greenhouse gas emissions from cars, several states, including Maine, are ready to sue. The current rules were adopted in January, and Mills said they strike the right balance between achieving cleaner air and being cost effective. “The standards set by the secretary, just in January of this year, are reasonable, they are cost effective, they comply with fuel savings and auto safety,” she said.

LePage picks oil industry veteran for energy czar
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Steven McGrath of Cape Elizabeth, a former executive in Maine’s oil industry, has been chosen by Gov. Paul LePage to head the Governor’s Energy Office. McGrath is the past chief financial officer of Downeast Energy Corp., where he was also responsible for oil and propane supply and hedging. For the past four years, he served as the CEO of Greystone Advisors, a financial and management advisory company.

Challenged by changes in retail world, L.L. Bean renews focus on outdoor fun
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, September 5, 2017
L.L. Bean has done some soul-searching. The century-old brand known for Yankee durability is putting a renewed focus on the fun of being outside as it tries to invigorate sales in a fast-changing marketplace. “Be an Outsider,” the chain is urging, in a quirky ad campaign starting this month that embraces its hunting and fishing traditions but emphasizes the outdoors as an accessible place to enjoy with friends and family. It’s a contrast to how some competitors position themselves, with the outdoors a landscape to be conquered.

Alan Hutchinson was a conservation hero
George Smith BDN Outdoor News Blog - Tuesday, September 5, 2017
From his 24 years of work as a wildlife biologist for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, to his 20 years of leadership of the Forest Society of Maine, Alan Hutchinson was a conservation champion.

Unlike in Portland, solar project proceeding smoothly in South Portland
Portland Press Herald - Tuesday, September 5, 2017
The 2,944-panel array is expected to be operating in October and has not run into the same landfill maintenance problems as a similar installation by its neighbor.

UMaine professor researching ways to slow browntail moth
Portland Press Herald - Monday, September 4, 2017
A University of Maine professor is researching how the natural enemies of an invasive moth can be used to stop the pest’s growth in Maine. The browntail moth is loathed around Maine for its ability to infest trees and hurt people. The moth’s caterpillars have toxic hairs that can cause respiratory diseases and rashes that resemble poison ivy. UMaine entomology professor Eleanor Groden is looking into how things like fungi and viruses that target the caterpillars can help slow them down. The caterpillars’ range is growing, making it a bigger pain. Its hairs can become airborne as it molts, and they can then settle on everything from patio furniture to hang-drying laundry.

Portland cruise ship season gets into full swing with some big boats
Portland Press Herald - Monday, September 4, 2017
Visitors to Portland’s Old Port got an eyeful over the Labor Day weekend, with back-to-back megacruisers in port as Portland kicked off the busiest part of the cruise ship season. On Monday, the Carnival Sunshine was at Ocean Gateway with its 3,000 passengers. On Sunday it was the Anthem of the Seas at berth, one of the largest ships in the cruise industry with almost 5,000 passengers aboard. Portland’s cruise ship season is in full swing with leaf-peeper season around the corner, and there will be nearly daily cruise ships in port over the next two months.

River herring, hurt by dams and climate change, might be endangered
Associated Press - Monday, September 4, 2017
The federal government is reviewing the status of two river herring species to see if the little fish should be listed under the Endangered Species Act because of factors including dams and climate change. The National Marine Fisheries Service is looking at the health of the alewife and blueback herring populations. The fish live in rivers from Maine to Florida, and conservationists have long made the case that their declining populations pose a major problem for the health of ecosystems along the East Coast. The herring species are estimated to be at about 3 percent of their historical abundance.

UMaine professor researching ways to slow browntail moth
Associated Press - Monday, September 4, 2017
A University of Maine professor is researching how the natural enemies of an invasive moth can be used to stop the pest’s growth in Maine. The browntail moth is loathed around Maine for its ability to infest trees and hurt people. The moth’s caterpillars have toxic hairs that can cause respiratory diseases and rashes that resemble poison ivy. UMaine entomology professor Eleanor Groden is looking into how things like fungi and viruses that target the caterpillars can help slow them down. The caterpillars’ range is growing, making it a bigger pain. Its hairs can become airborne as it molts, and they can then settle on everything from patio furniture to hang-drying laundry.

With a 25-pound pack, Joe McConaughy breaks Appalachian Trail speed record
Washington Post - Monday, September 4, 2017
On Thursday, Joe McConaughy beat the speed record for the Appalachian Trail by 10:41, finishing in 45 days 12 hours 15 minutes. Unlike the prior record holder, Karl Meltzer, he did it self-supported, with no crew following him and no arranged support. He ended up at the top of Katahdin, the Appalachian Trail finish line, at 6:38 p.m. Aug. 31. It was raining, hailing and the winds were 70 mph, but he had done it, and set a speed record in the process.

Filmmaker dives to sunken steamboats in Moosehead Lake
Bangor Daily News - Monday, September 4, 2017
Scuba divers Ryan Robbins and Matt Kane swam along the railings of the the wreck of Twilight II on Aug. 12, descending slowly to the stern of the vessel, more than 40 feet below the surface. The two divers were capturing footage for a historical documentary “ Sunken Steamboats of Moosehead Lake.” This summer, the Moosehead Marine Museum received two separate $10,000 grants from the Libra Foundation and the Fisher Charitable Foundation to support production of the film, which will include underwater footage and other imagery, combined with stories told by local residents.

Download your new hunting law book now
George Smith BDN Outdoor News Blog - Monday, September 4, 2017
Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife is determined to significantly reduce the number of printed hunting law books it makes available to us, over the next few years, so you might as well get used to downloading that information now.

Tides: The Science & Spirit of the Ocean
Maine Public - Monday, September 4, 2017
Writer, sailor and surfer Jonathan White takes readers across the globe to discover the science and spirit of ocean tides.

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