The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
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Jym St. Pierre
Editor, Maine Environmental News
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 24, 2025
A renewed effort to restore passenger rail service from Portland to Bangor was soundly rejected Thursday by the Legislature’s transportation committee, following a similar failed attempt last year. The committee voted 9-1 against LD 487, recommending that it “ought not to pass” when the bill goes before the House and Senate in the coming weeks. The bill would direct the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA), operator of the Amtrak Downeaster, to apply for at least $500,000 in federal funding to develop a proposal for passenger service between Portland and Orono, just north of Bangor. Opponents say passenger service to Bangor would be too slow, attract too few riders and cost too much to establish and operate.
MAINE PUBLIC • April 24, 2025
A legislative committee heard testimony today on a bipartisan bill to provide resources to farmers affected by federal funding cuts. The bill presented by Senator Stacy Brenner, D-Cumberland, would modify the Agricultural Marketing Loan Fund to provide funding in the event of lost federal grants or loans or to recover in the event of a disaster.
MAINE PUBLIC • April 24, 2025
The American Lung Association released their 2025 "State of the Air" report today. The report named Bangor one of best cities in the country for air quality in an otherwise bleak outlook for the country. Almost half the people in the U.S. live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to the latest findings from The American Lung Association.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 24, 2025
The City of Portland is taking steps to remove contaminated soil unearthed during renovations to Fitzpatrick Stadium, the future home of the Hearts of Pine professional soccer team. On Monday, the City Council will vote on whether to accept a federal Brownfields grant worth $205,000 to dispose of 850 cubic yards of contaminated soil currently fenced off near the field’s parking lot, according to a meeting agenda posted by the city. The soil was excavated last year as part of more than $2.5 million worth of upgrades to ready Fitzpatrick for the Hearts of Pine.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • April 24, 2025
April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, but the light rain that fell across the region last Friday and Saturday brought dirt instead. Strong wind brought the dust from New Mexico to an altitude of around 10,000 feet (3,000 meters), he said, below the level of rain clouds.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 24, 2025
A new bill before the Legislature would ban floating camps and other nonwater-dependent structures from Maine’s inland or coastal waters. It also would establish a fine system ranging from $100 to $500 for violations, and make it legal for state, municipal or other enforcement authorities to remove, sell, destroy or keep the illegal structure. Floating camps, which resemble camps you see onshore but are anchored on the lake bottom or tied to a dock, are increasing in numbers. Some have decks and other on-shore amenities. Some are offered as rentals.
MAINE PUBLIC • April 24, 2025
At least 11 right whales were born this calving season, the New England Aquarium reported this week. The number is lower than what scientists hoped, as the critically endangered species faces threats from human-caused activities. Entanglements in fishing gear and boat strikes are the leading causes of death and injury to the population. Scientists say those injuries make it more difficult for right whales to reproduce and survive.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 24, 2025
Last November, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey filed a lawsuit accusing major oil and gas companies of misleading the public about climate change. In doing so, he joined a well-funded campaign aimed at ushering out fossil fuels faster than our markets can accommodate. With Maine households relying on heating oil and propane for home heating more than any other state in the country, his action raises a troubling question: Why is Frey investing taxpayer dollars into a legal campaign with little chance of success and a high price tag for Mainers? ~ Jacob Posik, Maine Policy Institute
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 24, 2025
I love all wildlife. Well, maybe not bears on my porch. Word had come down earlier. A bear and its two yearlings were visiting houses along my quiet, rural road after dark. Neighbors were urged to take precautions. I didn’t. Maine has the largest black bear population in the lower 48 states. It’s inevitable that we’ll bump into each other now and then. When bears are active, take your feeders down at night and bring them indoors. Secure trash cans in the garage or shed. DIF&W even suggests using an electric fence around the trashcans, if indoor storage isn’t possible. Bring grills and pet food indoors. Secure and clean. The best solution is to make your neighborhood unbearable. ~ Bob Duchesne
MAINE PUBLIC • April 24, 2025
The Trump administration has suspended a $12.5 million award for University of Maine’s floating offshore wind program. The funding interruption leaves a partially constructed test array docked on the coast in limbo. In an April 11 letter, the U.S. Department of Energy alleged that Maine failed to comply with the terms of the award for a quarter-scale demonstration of offshore turbines it is developing. It did not cite any specific violation by the university. "No costs incurred during the suspension period will be allowable," the department said. The department did not respond to a request for comment.
MAINE PUBLIC • April 23, 2025
Maine workers and labor organizers are urging Congress to preserve clean energy tax credits they say create local jobs. The Investment Tax Credit and Production Tax Credit return up to 30% of costs for large-scale renewable and clean energy projects. The credits are being reconsidered as federal lawmakers debate an extension of 2017 tax cuts. Chad Ward, an ironworker from Thorndike said the incentives let him to keep working in Maine and hopefully help his son join the ranks of skilled workers in the state. The Investment Tax Credit and Production Tax Credit were expanded through the Inflation Reduction Act passed during the Biden administration. Solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, battery storage, hydropower and carbon capture developments can qualify for the credits.
MAINE PUBLIC • April 23, 2025
Solar developers will need to obtain permits and pay fees to build on high value agricultural land according to new rules enacted by state regulators. Under the rules, developers of solar projects up to 20 acres have access to expedited permitting. But larger projects will have to pay compensation for displacing valuable agricultural soils and receive more stringent review. That compensation could include fees or mitigation such as conservation easements on similar land elsewhere. The regulations were required under a state law intended to balance Maine's goals of expanding clean energy and boosting local food production.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 22, 2025
A public hearing on a bill that would require hunters to have a permit to hunt coyote over bait in the fall will be held Wednesday. There already is open season on coyotes in Maine, and baiting is allowed with certain restrictions.LD 937, An Act to Establish a Permit to Hunt Coyote Over Bait, presented by Rep. Richard Mason, R-Lisbon, targets certain wildlife management districts and establishes penalties for violations. The idea is to support deer wintering areas in targeted districts.
MAINE PUBLIC • April 22, 2025
According to a study in The Lancet, around 70% of people ages 16-25 are extremely worried or very worried about the climate. In Maine, that commitment to acting on climate change was on display at two events this month. In Augusta, at least 100 high school students from across the state spilled out on a plaza behind the statehouse for a rally last week. The students waved signs and chanted slogans like "no more coal, no more oil, leave our carbon in the soil." The Day of Action organized by Maine Youth for Climate Justice was a chance to mobilize some of the state's youngest activists. And bring their priorities to the lawmakers that represent them. There was an even bigger turnout in early April when 300 high schoolers joined their teachers, students from the University of Maine and members of the Maine Climate Council for a day of speakers and workshops.
MAINE PUBLIC • April 22, 2025
A new law directs tens of millions of dollars to help Maine communities prepare for future storms made more extreme by climate change. Governor Janet Mills signed the bipartisan bill into law Tuesday after it received overwhelming support from lawmakers. The measure "will allow Maine communities, homeowners, businesses, emergency response leaders and others to prepare for the extreme weather events of the future and make Maine a safer place to live in the process," the Governor said. Under the law, homeowners will have access to a $15 million grant fund for improvements to protect against severe weather damage and to lower insurance costs. The law also directs $10 million for the state's required match to federal disaster relief funds.
MAINE PUBLIC • April 22, 2025
A conservation group in Belfast is purchasing a 54-acre parcel of land at the center of a years-long dispute over a proposed salmon farm. Nordic Aquafarms dropped its bid to build the on-shore aquaculture facility in January, after multiple rounds of legal challenges. Upstream Watch, a local group that pushed back on the project for years, is now under contract to purchase the property. Interim executive director Pete Nichols said the goal is to preserve the site.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 22, 2025
North Atlantic right whales gave birth to 11 babies this season. That’s lower than scientists had hoped for given the endangered species has endured a high number of deaths in recent years. As of Tuesday, there were about 370 of the whales left. Three of the mothers bear scars from boat strikes.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 21, 2025
HP 987, “An Act to Create a Green Crab Only Wholesale Dealer License” would give Mainers a low-barrier, affordable shot at wholesaling invasive green crabs. This would fill a crucial gap in the small but growing market for green crabs in Maine. A green crab only wholesale license would help create jobs, stop damage to our coastal environment clamming fishery and promote a low-cost, nutritious, wild-caught seafood, for Maine and beyond. ~ John Painter, Lewiston
THE HILL • April 21, 2025
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Thursday gave sweeping authority to an official with ties to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In a secretarial order, Burgum granted Tyler Hassen the authority to make “appropriate funding decisions” and oversee the “transfer of funds, programs, records, and property, as well as taking required personnel actions.” The Interior Department includes national parks, public lands, energy production and tribal affairs. “It looks like Burgum plans to sit by the fire eating warm cookies while Elon Musk’s lackeys dismantle our national parks and public lands,” said Jennifer Rokala, the group’s executive director, in a statement. “DOGE’s unelected bureaucrats in Washington have no idea how to staff a park, a wildlife refuge, or a campground. They have no idea how to manage a forest or prepare for fires in the wildland-urban interface. But Doug Burgum just gave DOGE free rein over all of that,” she said.
