Letter: A positive step on quarry concerns

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 5, 2024

The Brickyard Quarry is located remarkably close to downtown Gorham and affects hundreds of residents. Shaw Brothers’ willingness to listen and adjust plans based on neighbors’ concerns about health and safety is a good start. On Oct. 8, the quarry owners sent a letter to the town that laid out two options for the town to consider: Option 1 – a quarry expansion of 26 acres, and Option 2 – a quarry expansion of only 6.33 acres. The remainder would be dedicated to 200 or so manufactured housing units. Gorham and the state should review all quarry regulations before any quarry expansion is approved. What is more important than the health and safety of our citizens? ~ Charles Hamblen, Gorham

Jump in EV sales drains Maine incentives fund

MAINE PUBLIC • November 5, 2024

A surge of electric vehicle purchases has nearly emptied a state fund set aside to encourage drivers to buy zero-emission cars and trucks. Efficiency Maine Trust will suspend its rebate program for most EV purchases on Nov. 16. Qualified low-income buyers can still access state incentives. Under the program drivers could get up to $2,000 back for qualified battery-electric vehicles and $1,000 for hybrid models. Battery-electric rebates were steady for years, with 70 to 90 a month. Starting in August, however, rebates more than doubled. In October, the quasi-state agency processed more than 190 rebates.

Opinion: Maine’s energy future demands a clear path for community solar

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 5, 2024

Maine’s GOP and their fossil fuel allies have been using misleading tactics to attack community solar. As chair of the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee, I’ve witnessed the benefits of community solar firsthand and need to set the record straight: community solar is not the problem; it’s part of the solution. Some opponents claim the net energy billing (NEB) program is out of control and driving up costs. This is simply not true. We have reformed NEB three times in the last four years to ensure it remains fair, efficient and cost-effective for everyone. By participating in community solar, we are investing in our state’s future while saving money today. Don’t let misleading campaigns cloud the truth. ~ Rep. S. Paige Zeigler, Montville

Column: Wardens are ready for ‘lost hunter’ season

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 5, 2024

Maine Wardens receive on the average of 500 missing person calls a year. When a hunter or a dementia patient is reported missing, the search and rescue team swings into action. Concerned relatives or friends of a missing person should not hesitate to make that call. If in doubt, call. With today’s cellphones more outdoor people, especially hikers, are given a false sense of confidence and assume that if they get in trouble, help is a click away. New Hampshire, particularly, has experienced hikers who have had to be rescued in the White Mountains after getting into trouble. New Hampshire, as well as Maine, has a law that allows the state to send a bill to an irresponsible hiker for the cost of search efforts rendered. New Hampshire in a few instances has invoked the law. Maine, to date, has not. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Auburn council to consider more Lake Auburn watershed protections

SUN JOURNAL • October 4, 2024

The City Council is set to vote on the new ordinance amendments later this month, which city staff described as an attempt to further protect water quality for Lake Auburn while still allowing landowners in the area to engage in agricultural or forestry uses.

Yard South developer withdraws controversial plan in South Portland

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 4, 2024

The developer of Yard South, a controversial mixed-use proposal to redevelop the city’s former World War II shipyard property, has withdrawn its rezoning request amid organized opposition from residents. PK Realty had submitted a rezoning request in July for a proposal that would have added about 1,000 residential units, including 100 subsidized, a waterfront park and other community amenities within 15 to 20 years. “It’s just become really apparent that the city doesn’t have a process in place to manage a project of this scope and scale,” Packard said Monday.

New England grid reports greenhouse gas reductions

MAINE PUBLIC • November 4, 2024

Greenhouse gas pollution from electricity generation slid 4% in 2023, according to a new analysis from regional electric grid operator ISO-New England. Last year's drop in climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions is linked to mild winter and summer temperatures that limited periods of high electricity demand. Falling natural gas prices in 2023 also made that fuel more economical than coal or oil for electricity generation, the grid operator added. But the growth of solar and wind power played a role in curbing greenhouse gas pollution too.

Groundbreaking eelgrass pilot restoration takes root in Casco Bay

TIMES RECORD • November 4, 2024

Eelgrass, or Zostera marina, is found along the Atlantic coast from Chesapeake Bay to Maine, but its population has declined drastically in recent years. According to the state Department of Environmental Protection, more than 50% of native eelgrass has receded. Many factors have contributed, from stormwater pollution to invasive green crabs munching on the grass beds. Hidden out of sight, the aquatic plant plays a key role in coastal environments and has captured the attention of scientists. Ecologically, it provides a habitat for dozens of juvenile species, from striped bass and blue crabs to lobsters, mussels and bay scallops. Local scientists are embarking on an underwater climate solution — a pilot-scale restoration of eelgrass to capture carbon emissions and mitigate effects.

Portland to consider temporary moratorium on new hotel projects

MAINE PUBLIC • November 4, 2024

The Portland City Council on Monday night will consider a six-month moratorium on new hotel projects and expansions. Supporters say it would give city officials time to review inclusionary zoning rules passed in 2019. Those rules require that developers provide one unit of low-income rental housing for every 28 hotel rooms that are built in Portland, or they must pay a fee. Moratorium backers argue that no affordable housing units have been built by hotel developers in the five years since the rules were approved and that the fees aren't enough to cover the true costs of new housing construction. The proposed moratorium would not apply to projects that have already submitted applications.

Maine experiencing ‘abnormally dry’ fall, heightened wildfire concerns

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 3, 2024

The state of Maine has seen a dry fall so far with parts of the state expected to remain in moderate drought conditions into November. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recorded 3.61 inches of precipitation in the Portland area from September through October this year, 5.41 inches below normal. Dry conditions are expected to continue into November.

Letter: Vote yes on Question 4 to support Maine’s outdoor economy

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 1, 2024

Outdoor recreation is a critical component of Maine’s economy. Many towns in Maine rely primarily on outdoor recreation for economic stability. However, Maine does not have a history of investing in this industry. If we pass the Maine trails bond, which is Question 4 on the Nov. 5 ballot, we will invest 30 million into designing, maintaining, and creating trails all over Maine. This bond can help Maine to capitalize on its crucial, yet fragile, outdoor recreation industry. ~ Kyle Arthenayake, Waterville

It’s all about the grid: the past, present and future of energy in Maine

MAINE MONITOR • November 3, 2024

Maine Monitor editor Kate Cough, in a Mitchell Center talk, explored the past and future of energy in Maine. The talk focuses on the changes that have shaped Maine’s energy landscape since the late 1990s, when the Legislature effectively banned grid owners from owning and operating generation plants, and how those changes have influenced today’s landscape as the state looks to incorporate more renewable energy sources and meet its climate goals.

Opinion: Maine delegation should take a page from the history books on climate action

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • November 3, 2024

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered a mostly forgotten address to Congress in which he detailed how “a steady increase in carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels” would affect future generations. It took nearly 60 years to heed his advice. The rich history of past bipartisan cooperation on climate change should be used as inspiration for the Maine delegation to protect and/or build on Biden’s recent successes, the approach depending on whether a climate action supporter or denier wins the White House. ~ Chelsea Henderson, author of “Glacial: The Inside Story of Climate Politics”

Clearing of trees on Sears Island concerns area residents

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 2, 2024

Workers have recently cleared some trees on the midcoast island that Maine is trying to develop as a staging facility for its proposed offshore wind industry. While state transportation officials say that clearing was meant to prepare the site for geotechnical work by a subcontractor, a representative of the group that oversees a conservation easement on the state-owned island argued that it was not given proper notice of the work. It was the latest case of area residents who are trying to protect Sears Island objecting to how the state is pursuing its goal of starting an offshore wind industry in the Gulf of Maine, after the project was recently dealt a setback when the federal government denied Maine’s request for a $456 million grant to help pay for it.

On opening day of deer season, some hunters largely unfazed by PFAS advisory

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 2, 2024

Hunters who got off to a quick, successful start to the season Saturday morning in areas around two new “Do Not Eat” advisory areas said they avoided the affected areas and were not concerned about contamination in nearby places.

From Maine to Miami: The ‘Ghost Forests’ Haunting Coastlines

WOOD CENTRAL • November 1, 2024

“Ghost Forests” appear from Maine to Miami and bend back around the Gulf of Mexico, leaving gaunt tree skeletons” stripped of leaves and bark. Gradually, forests and bogs give way to more salt-tolerant thickets. As the globe warms, sea levels rise, and more saltwater encroaches land, “invading seawater advances and overtakes the freshwater that trees rely upon for sustenance,” according to NOAA. “The salty water slowly poisons trees, leaving a haunted ghost forest of dead and dying timber.”

University of Maine System won’t allow hunting on its lands

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 1, 2024

The University of Maine System will not allow hunting on most of its nearly 15,000 acres across the state. Site supervisors on some of the system’s farms and forest lands had allowed hunting against university policy, according to Samantha Warren, system spokesperson. About a dozen people were told they could hunt on university research farms this year. She did not specify which properties were involved and did not say whether the permission to hunt would be rescinded. “UMaine’s weapons policy is consistent with those of all other public universities within the University of Maine System and we are not aware that hunting has been authorized on any other public university property,” Warren said.

Congress urges President to designate Frances Perkins Homestead as national monument

MAINE PUBLIC • November 1, 2024

Members of Congress are urging President Joe Biden to designate the Frances Perkins Homestead in Newcastle as a national monument. Forty-two members wrote to the president, citing Perkins' accomplishments as the first female cabinet member and longest-serving Labor Secretary, one of the architects of the New Deal, and champion of programs such as unemployment insurance and Social Security. The Homestead is currently a National Historical Landmark, but a national monument designation, they argue, would further the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of empowering the National Park Service to recognize contributions women have made to our country.

Maine BEP wrestles with fees for solar, wind impacts

MAINE MONITOR • November 1, 2024

Northern and downeast Maine should be excluded from aspects of rules intended to protect large undeveloped tracts of land from the development of solar, wind and high-impact transmission lines, members of the Board of Environmental Protection recommended at a meeting earlier this month. The rules are part of new fee programs being developed by the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry that would require certain large-scale energy projects to pay for impacts to high-value habitat or large swaths of undeveloped land in an effort to direct development away from those areas. In directing DEP staff to remove northern and downeast Maine from part of the proposal, board members also reasoned that the state already has mechanisms in place to compensate for impacts.

Winslow considers demolishing former junior high, but $450,000 environmental cleanup must come first

MORNING SENTINEL • November 1, 2024

As town officials move to demolish the abandoned junior high building, officials say hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of environmental remediation must be done before any work can begin. The nearly 100-year-old former school at 6 Danielson St. has sat largely unused for four years since being replaced by the new junior high school down the street.