Letter: Kudos to the pioneers of sustainable living

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 6, 2024

I knew a man who used to take his saw into the Maine woods to cut down the dead and dying trees and haul them home to be his wood pile. He minimized the damage to nature, helped the woods thrive and stayed fit. More than 20 years ago, he was one of the first to build a home “off the grid” that was electrified by solar panels. Solar is dependable and the least expensive energy on the planet. Opposition to it has all but disappeared. Kudos to the pioneers of sustainable living, who have given us the confidence to make solar energy doable and climate solutions attainable. ~ Jan Kubiac, Hyannis, Mass.

Column: We might see more raptors and fewer finches in Bangor area birding trip in February

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 6, 2024

On the plus side, Maine has produced a bumper crop of barred owls this year. Unfortunately, some of them are running into bumpers. I’ve heard about a multitude of owl collisions with vehicles this season. I’m guessing it was a big rodent year, and that plentiful food supply allowed owls to raise more young successfully. Actually, I’m not guessing about the rodents. I’m battling a horde of mice invading my garage, looking to set up a winter home. Meanwhile, I’ve never had so many squirrels in my yard as I do this year. The oaks produced massive quantities of acorns again this fall. Evidence suggests more snowy owls will visit Maine this winter. My predictions: more raptors, fewer finches and waxwings. ~ Bob Duchesne

Bangor man rescued from Maine woods brought to Massachusetts hospital with frostbite

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 5, 2024

One of the two men found on a wilderness trail after going missing from Bangor was treated for frostbite in Massachusetts. Constance Hoyt told the Portland Press Herald on Thursday that her husband Sidney Hoyt, 77, was brought to a Boston for frostbite treatment and might need to have toes or part of his foot amputated. Sidney Hoyt and 75-year-old Gary Foster had been last seen Tuesday morning when they left the Maine Veterans’ Homes facility in Bangor for a ride on the Stud Mill Road. On Wednesday evening the owners of a blueberry farm in Township 32 heard shouting and called 911. A game warden who was nearby searching found the men’s vehicle with Foster inside. The warden found Hoyt about a half-mile up a path. Both men were hypothermic.

Maine adopts rules to make companies pay for packaging waste

MAINE PUBLIC • December 5, 2024

After years of deliberations, Maine regulators have authorized a new program intended to make companies pay to get rid of packaging waste. The regulations approved by the Board of Environmental Protection require producers to reimburse towns and cities for the cost of getting rid of paper, cardboard and other materials. Environmental groups said the extended producer responsibility program will reduce local government costs and encourage companies to make less wasteful packaging. Maine was the first state in the U.S. to pass such a producer responsibility law in 2021. That was prompted by a flood of packaging that has overwhelmed municipal solid waste programs, according to Vanessa Berry, Sustainable Maine Program Manager at the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

Maine environmental board advances program to improve package material recycling

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 5, 2024

The Board of Environmental Protection adopted rules for a program intended to decrease waste from excessive packaging and promote recycling, despite continued concerns from the business community. Maine is wrestling with what to do with the amount of waste discarded each year. While Vanessa Berry of the Natural Resources Council of Maine called it a practical solution to increase recycling and shift costs away from taxpayers, some of the corporations who will pick up that tab support its environmental benefits but worry about just how big of a line item it will become for them. The Stewardship Program for Packaging requires producers to pay into a fund based on how much packaging materials they are generating. That fund will be used to reimburse municipalities for recycling and waste costs. 

Column: Delaying climate action will come back to haunt us

CENTRAL MAINE • December 5, 2024

I see little evidence our population has any idea how pressing and dangerous global warming is or how urgent our efforts to arrest and hopefully reverse climate change must be. We must — all of us must — wake up and take personal and societal actions as humans have never done before. World climate is on the brink of rapid and destructive change. Failure to take every possible climate action will force billions living in mid-latitudes to starve, die of heat, or move. We humans have put our world at the brink of disaster in a mere four generations. We have less than one generation to save ourselves. That saving will come with massive employment opportunities and a cleaner world for future generations. ~ Phillip Davis, West Gardiner

Letter: Sen. King, Maine’s nonprofits need your support

CENTRAL MAINE • December 5, 2024

The House of Representatives recently passed a bill (H.R. 9495), also known as the “Kill Nonprofits Bill,” that would give the Trump administration the power to shut down nonprofits unilaterally and without due process. I am disappointed that Sen. Angus King is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill (S. 4136). It is already illegal for nonprofits to support terrorist groups. The mere accusation of support for terrorism would be enough to cripple most charitable organizations that rely on public support. In Maine nonprofits employ one out of every six workers and pay $350 million dollars in income taxes each year while providing essential services. Sen. King should listen to nonprofit professionals in Maine and withdraw his support. ~ Dave Moss, Oakland

Letter: Trump’s reelection raises fears the GOP must now quell

CENTRAL MAINE • December 5, 2024

The reelection of Donald Trump as president raises numerous fears, including that Maine’s two Chinese-owned paper mills will close. And that violent storms like last winter’s that severely damaged the Maine coast and caused inland flooding will become annual disasters thanks to Trumps taxpayer funded subsidies of the oil industry. My challenge to Trump and the Republican controlled Congress is to demonstrate that my fears are unfounded. ~ George Seel, Belgrade

Column: Don’t want green energy jobs? We’ll take them

SUN JOURNAL • December 5, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump has called climate change a “hoax.” And drilling remains his answer for every energy question. Never mind whether Trump or anyone else thinks climate change is real. One thing that is very real is the jobs the IRA is creating. It happens that 60% of these new jobs are in red states. If their Republican representatives don’t want them, no problem. There are plenty of other takers. Trump says he wants to open the environmentally fragile Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling. We’ll see. Biden’s various legislative accomplishments have unlocked an estimated $1 trillion for green energy technologies. America is going ahead with the transition. Trump can’t stop it. And to those who want to pass on its economic benefits, go ahead. Others will happily take your place. ~ Froma Harrop

York sheriff’s deputies rescue injured owl from side of road

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 4, 2024

A pair of York County sheriff’s deputies rescued an injured owl from along the side of a Waterboro road Tuesday night. Deputy Levi Johnson used his police jacket “to corral the owl” before transporting it to a game warden’s house. The owl was ultimately transferred to Avian Haven’s office in Freedom.

Officials suggest ways to prevent shootings after pet dog killed by hunter

MAINE PUBLIC • December 4, 2024

Officials from the towns of Cumberland, North Yarmouth and the two land trusts that manage the Knights Pond Preserve are suggesting ways to keep the public safe after a family dog was shot and killed by a hunter there last Friday. Penny Asherman, Executive Director for the Chebeague and Cumberland Land Trust, said it's important for visitors to know about the hunting season which changes year to year. Asherman said there are also plans to keep blaze orange vests and dog collars at kiosks near parks for public use when walking in the preserve. She said trail users who are anxious about being in the same area as hunters can visit on Sundays, when hunting is prohibited, or find properties that do not allow hunting.

Tanker truck crash spills thousands of gallons of landfill waste water on I-295

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 4, 2024

Police closed the northbound lanes of Interstate 295 in Gardiner on Wednesday afternoon after a tanker trailer went off the road. The crash happened at mile 49 near the Gardiner exit at around 1:47 p.m., according to Maine State Police. It blocked all lanes. The truck driven by Allen Hewett, 61, of Sidney, was northbound on I-295, when he crashed into a traffic director trailer. Hewett failed to yield to the maintenance truck that hauled the traffic director. The crash caused the spill of around 8,000 gallons of liquid waste water from a landfill.

Physician: Deemphasizing intensive animal agriculture will aid public health and the environment

NC NEWSLINE • December 4, 2024

I support public health officials who are trying to increase testing for H5N1 and applaud my fellow health care professionals treating patients with bird flu. In addition to keeping this crisis at bay, now is the time to take a hard look at the food production system that puts farm workers in close contact with sick cows and birds, the Standard American Diet that demands it, and the health ramifications of both. From a doctor’s perspective, shifting food production away from intensive animal agriculture can benefit public health. ~ Joseph Barrocas, MD

How Bucksport has remained resilient

MAINE PUBLIC • December 4, 2024

The Town of Bucksport is highlighted in the most recent "Measures of Growth" economic report for rebounding from the closure of its major employer a decade ago. When Verso Paper shut down its operations Bucksport's industrial park had 8 vacant lots and there were 11 vacant store fronts on its Main Street. But the town also had an $8 million rainy day fund, a great location on the Penobscot River and, eventually, an aquaculture company, Whole Oceans, that has plans to build a $250 million fish farm on the former Verso property. There are signs of rebirth in Bucksport.

Opinion: Offshore wind turbines are a bad idea for the Gulf of Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 4, 2024

Installing wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine is a serious environmental and investment error. Maine can access Quebec Hydro for its immediate power needs with no damage to the environment – and enjoy the benefits of their low electrical rates. In the longer term, we can build new nuclear plants that will provide dependable power with carbon-free energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I was saddened to learn that Maine Audubon is condoning and promoting offshore wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine (“Opinion: Offshore wind in Gulf of Maine an opportunity we can’t ignore,” Sept. 29). These wind turbines represent an existential threat to seabirds and migrating songbirds. ~ Marshall Jarvis, York Harbor

Trailblazing Park Facility Straddles a Remote Ridge in Northern Maine

ARCHITECTURAL RECORD • December 3, 2024

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument was established by presidential proclamation in 2016. Elliotsville Foundation kicked off development of trail and camping infrastructure for the National Park Service while also setting its sights on something more ambitious—a visitor contact station. From its perched placement, this contact station offers quite the vantage point—Tekαkαpimək, after all, is Penobscot for as far as one can see. But the orientation is not just spatial. It’s also cultural.

Opinion: Offshore energy is an untapped goldmine

TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY • December 3, 2024

With the Gulf of Mexico as an energy powerhouse, America can boost jobs, government revenue and environmental impact — all without choosing sides between fossil fuels and renewables. By tapping America’s offshore resources, the new administration can deliver a future where economic growth, environmental responsibility and energy innovation come together — securing America’s place as a global energy leader and transforming the energy landscape for good. ~ Erik Milito, National Ocean Industries Association

Another deadline passes for fixing fire code violations at Brunswick airport hangars

TIMES RECORD • December 2, 2024

Two months after revelations about deficiencies in fire suppression systems at Brunswick airport hangars, bringing them up to code has taken more time than expected. The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, which manages property and the redevelopment at Brunswick Landing (formerly Brunswick Naval Air Station), originally had a deadline of Oct. 30 to correct issues cited in the violation. That deadline was missed and consequently extended until the end of November. “We continue to work closely with the town Fire Department and our contractor on resolving these issues,” said interim MRRA Executive Director Steve Levesque, who came aboard after former director Kristine Logan resigned in October.

State offering second round of grants for businesses impacted by last winter's severe storms

MAINE PUBLIC • December 3, 2024

The Mills administration announced Tuesday an additional $2 million for businesses impacted by storms that caused widespread damage one year ago. The grants will help pay for repairs and infrastructure improvements related to the series of storms that battered Maine last December and January, causing extensive flooding and other damage in coastal and riverfront communities. State lawmakers allocated $60 million for storm recovery earlier this year, including $10 million for the Business Recovery and Resiliency Fund. More than 100 small businesses and nonprofits received $8 million during the first round of the program.

Death traps await endangered sea turtles in warming Gulf of Maine

ASSOCIATED PRESS • December 3, 2024

Global warming is filling the plankton-rich waters of New England with death traps for sea turtles and the number of stranded reptiles has multiplied over the last 20 years, turning some animal hospitals into specialized wards for endangered species with maladies ranging from pneumonia to sepsis. More than 200 cold-stunned young turtles, unable to navigate the chilly winter waters, were being treated Tuesday partly because the warming of the Gulf of Maine has turned it into a natural snare for sea turtles, said Adam Kennedy, the director of rescue and rehabilitation at the New England Aquarium.