Opinion: Maine’s suing Big Oil could bring dollars – and sense

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • December 15, 2024

As a professor of both environmental law and torts, I have previously called for legal action to hold accountable the fossil fuel companies that have driven the world into a climate crisis. Their products have caused the vast majority of carbon dioxide emissions, and, worse, they carried out a coordinated, decades-long campaign of deception about it. Now I am proud and grateful that the state of Maine has officially joined the fight to make big oil companies pay for the harm their illegal behavior has caused to our residents, economy and environment. A lawsuit, this one or any other, is not going to stop climate change. But it might help us pay for it. ~ Anthony Moffa, University of Maine School of Law

Nature Connects: We must preserve Maine’s starry, starry nights

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • December 15, 2024

This year has been stellar for enjoying Maine’s skies. A total eclipse, Northern Lights, and the brightest comet visible in nearly 30 years. A dark night sky full of stars is a shared human heritage. Yet this resource is now increasingly rare. Nearly 80% of North Americans can no longer see the Milky Way due to light pollution. There is good news, however. East of the Mississippi River, Maine enjoys some of the darkest night skies. Both the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and the Appalachian Mountain Club’s forestland in Piscataquis County have been recognized by Dark Sky International for the quality of their night skies. Our organizations and partners are committed to conserving the night skies that Mainers and visitors love and that nature needs. ~ Eliza Townsend, Appalachian Mountain Club, and Francesca Gundrum, Maine Audubon

Opinion: Agriculture and solar energy are not rivals

SUN JOURNAL • December 15, 2024

For anyone concerned about the alleged competition between solar energy and American farmland, there is abundant reassurance to be found in simple facts. The DOE states that to meet climate goals for 2050, the U.S. will need 10 million acres of photovoltaics, which is only 1.2% of farmland. In the last 20 years U.S. farmland has decreased by more than 65 million acres, six times what we need for solar. We should be concerned about farmland taken out of food production for reasons other than solar. An acre of corn planted for ethanol produces enough net energy to move a typical internal combustion powered car about 2,500 miles per year. The same acre with solar panels could move a typical electric car 1 to 1.5 million miles per year. ~ Paul Stancioff, Ph.D., emeritus professor of physics, UMaine at Farmington; Cynthia Stancioff, Master of Public Administration

Letter: Proposed pesticide ordinance is unfair

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • December 15, 2024

The town of Falmouth Conservation Commission has put forward an ordinance that will ban commercial applicators of fertilizers from using nonorganic products on residential lots but not on town-owned areas. It is unfair to create a dual structure of who can and who can’t apply their preferred type of fertilizer. A poll that showed 57.5% of residents oppose this restrictive ordinance. This ordinance takes away consumers’ right to choose. It comes from ideology and is not based on science or data. ~ Matthew R. Tabenken, Falmouth

Man rescued after falling through ice in Raymond

WABI-TV5 • December 15, 2024

A man fell through the ice on Notched Pond in Raymond on Saturday afternoon but managed to pull himself out and return to shore. The incident occurred about 200 yards offshore. A bystander called 911. Rescue crews were on the scene within 10 minutes. The man was taken to a hospital, where he is being treated for hypothermia. Sgt. Kyle Hladik with the Maine Warden Service urged caution when venturing onto ice this time of year.

They’ve farmed in Maine since the 1970s. It took years to find someone to continue their legacy.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 15, 2024

Karen and Paul Volckhausen have spent more than half their lives on the Happytown Road in Orland. There, the couple built a home, grew vegetables and flowers, tapped maple trees and raised chickens, turkeys, sheep and pigs. They started as homesteaders during Maine’s 1970s back-to-the-land movement and grew their efforts into a commercial farm that’s now a local fixture. At the end of the year, Karen, 83, and Paul, 73, are retiring. But they’ll still live there, and the farm will keep growing — an employee, 32-year-old Angelica Harwood, is taking it over.

Column: Mt. Blue State Park by Snowshoe

DAILY BULLDOG • December 14, 2024

When the first storm of the season drops a good 10 inches of snow across the foothills of Western Maine, I head for the snowshoe trails of Mt. Blue State Park in Weld. I usually get out my snowshoeing gear by mid-November, to have it at the ready when snow arrives. My email inbox brings a notice from the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands that the Park trails are open for use. I am out the door – snowshoes, trekking poles with snow baskets, a daypack with hot soup, plenty of water, a back-up layer of clothing, and other essentials. ~ Doug Dunlap

Bucksport salmon farm still on ice

MAINE MONITOR • December 14, 2024

When Whole Oceans announced plans to build a land-based Atlantic salmon farm on the site of a former paper mill in Bucksport in 2018, the town embraced the project. This diverged from the reception of a similar proposal in nearby Belfast, which was announced just a month earlier. Both projects were pitched as better for the environment than fish farms that use net pens in the ocean, which abound in Washington County but have been banned in all states on the West Coast due to their environmental impacts. Yet six years later there is nothing to see at the Bucksport site, and its local permits have expired. A land-based fish farm proposed for Jonesport has been hung up by legal challenges, as has the Nordic Aquaculture proposal in Belfast. 

Column: Backpacking gear isn’t cheap. Here’s how to take care of it.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 14, 2024

Now that winter is here, it's important to store your gear properly. Check buckles and straps, and repair or replace tears and other damage. Check your tent walls, mesh and rainfly for tears and holes; repair as needed with tape or mesh patches. Wash your sleeping bag in a front-loading machine on the gentle cycle using a down cleaner product. Dry the bag on low and throw in three or four tennis balls to break up the down clumps. Your air mattress should be gently wiped down with a damp sponge or cloth and a dab of liquid dish soap. Let it dry and then stow loosely rolled up. Gently scrub your boots using warm water and dish soap. Air dry of the sun. Remove the insoles, rinse and dry. Treat boots with a waterproofing wax for leather. Clean and dry your cook kit. Disinfect your hydration bladder and drinking tube. Sort through the rest of your gear and organize it all. ~ Carey Kish

Column: Trapping animals in the wild takes time and dedication

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 14, 2024

Trapping is a fascinating part of the conservation tools that we have in Maine. The benefits of trapping are also often misunderstood. It has played a significant role in our country’s history. The fur industry led to the creation of some early economies, and the creation of some of the most well-known trading hubs in all the colonies. Hunters and trappers have been at the forefront of conservation efforts from the start. ~ Erin Merrill

Letter: Climate leadership is alive and well in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 14, 2024

This week marks the ninth anniversary of the Paris Agreement – a global commitment to fight climate change. The climate champions within the America Is All In coalition remain “all in” on our commitment to combat climate change regardless of who is in office. Now more than ever, local leaders have the tools and resources they need for climate action through the investment of the Inflation Reduction Act. And we want to keep it that way. Maine signatories of the America Is All In pledge stand united in our commitment to the Paris Agreement and to a socially just and livable future. ~ Peyton Siler Jones, South Portland

Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative to use $14.6 million to improve reliability

MAINE PUBLIC • December 13, 2024

The USDA has awarded a loan of more than $14 million to Eastern Maine Electric Cooperative to build or improve more than 70 miles of power lines. The cooperative said it will use the loan to connect 600 consumers. The funds will also go toward a four year plan to improve the reliability of the electric system that serves roughly 13,000 customers along Maine's eastern border with Canada.

Former head of Brunswick Landing authority returns as interim director

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 13, 2024

Steve Levesque, who led the Brunswick Landing redevelopment group from its inception in 2006 until 2021, is helping the organization hire a permanent executive director to replace Kristine Logan, who resigned in October following a toxic foam spill at the Brunswick Executive Airport. The authority had come under fire from community members and officials after the airport it oversees released 50,000 gallons of water mixed with 1,450 gallons of PFAS-laden firefighting foam into the surrounding environment in August. Initially, the authority hired Levesque as a part-time consultant in October after Logan’s resignation. However, board members realized Levesque was serving more as an executive director and granted him that role in the interim last week.

Some in fishing industry see Trump as a friend, but tariffs could make for pricier fish

ASSOCIATED PRESS • December 13, 2024

The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump is likely to bring big changes for one of the oldest sectors of the U.S. economy – seafood – and some in the industry believe the returning president will be more responsive to its needs. Economic analysts paint a more complicated picture, as they fear Trump’s pending trade hostilities with major trading partners Canada and China could make an already pricy kind of protein more expensive to consumers. Conservationists also fear Trump’s emphasis on government deregulation could jeopardize fish stocks that are already in peril.

130 acres on Lake Wesserunsett in Madison eyed for conservation

MORNING SENTINEL • December 13, 2024

An area long used for recreation and crucial for water quality in Lake Wesserunsett could soon be conserved through a partnership between two local groups. Somerset Woods Trustees, a land trust that owns several preserves in Somerset County, is under contract to buy 130 acres in the Black Point area of the East Madison lake. The land trust is working with the Lake Wesserunsett Association to raise $300,000, for the purchase. The two groups are aiming to raise $350,000 to cover other costs like surveys and appraisals and to start a stewardship fund for future care of the property.

Arsenic detected at Pittston’s RiverWalk poses low risk, officials say

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • December 13, 2024

Arsenic was found in the soil and groundwater at Pittston’s RiverWalk, including in high levels in one area, but there is no reason to worry, officials say. “(The DEP) did find arsenic in the southwest area of the RiverWalk. It could be naturally occurring, but the level isn’t worth worrying about,” said Jean Ambrose, a former member of the Pittston Select Board. As the co-chair of the town’s RiverWalk Committee, Ambrose shared the report’s results with elected officials Dec. 4.

Renewable energy has a growing positive impact on Maine’s economy and environment

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 13, 2024

Recent concerns about rising utility bills overlook and misconstrue the proven benefits solar policies deliver to Maine’s economy and environment. Multiple independent studies of Maine’s solar net metering policy have found that the benefits of solar to ratepayers significantly outweigh the costs, while increasing the state’s energy independence and resilience. Maine’s renewable energy industry contributed more than $2.3 billion of Maine’s total gross state product in 2022. With more than 15,000 workers statewide, our clean energy industry is a significant job creator, and we have the fastest-growing clean energy economy. ~ Phil Coupe, co-founder, ReVision Energy

Opinion: Maine Legislature needs to strengthen mining regulations

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 13, 2024

Callahan in Brooksville and Kerramerican in Blue Hill are industrial scale metallic mineral mines operated for a few years and closed half a century ago. Hundreds of smaller failed metal mines in Maine closed in the 19th century. Maine’s Legislature continues to repeatedly respond with ineffective mining regulations. The state is responsible for 10%of the partial remediation costs at the Callahan EPA Superfund site, and is paying those taxpayer-funded costs at the rate of $740,000 per year. The Kerramerican tailings pond leachate is contaminating Carlton Stream to a level of toxic heavy metals 30 times greater than the maximum allowable. Who, other than the public, will pay to remediate this site? Maine’s legislature has not embraced the need for a harm-prevention regulatory structure and has instead relied on the ever-changing, industry-driven, ineffective harm-punishment regulatory structure. Maine’s DEP has no scientific experts in mining on staff and limited funds to hire any as consultants. ~ Ralph Chapman, applied physics research scientist, educator and former state legislator, Bucksport

Column: 10 common bird-feeding mistakes to avoid

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 13, 2024

Here it comes again: my top 10 bird-feeding mistakes, slightly updated.
10. Placing feeders too far from bushes and trees
9. Placing feeders an improper distance from windows
8. Placing feeders near shrubs and dense plantings where cats can lurk
7. Cleaning feeders too infrequently
6. Storing seed improperly
5. Offering too little food variety
4. Offering too much food variety
3. Making life too easy for ants and bees
2. Making life too easy for bears
1. Making life too easy for squirrels

A midcoast town is still trying to clean up its giant toxic carpet pile

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 13, 2024

The town of Warren has applied again for federal funding to clean up a large pile of toxic carpet waste on the side of Route 90, after it was denied an earlier request for $2 million to pay for the work. This time, the town is seeking double that amount. The 300,000 cubic yards of carpet have littered a local property since the late 1990s, when Chester Randall Dunican and his wife, Kathleen, began dumping the material there after claiming it could serve as berms for a proposed rifle range. Much of the highly flammable carpet remains there, steadily leaking PFAS into the topsoil. It would be enough material to fill 90 Olympic-sized swimming pools.