Toxic firefighting foam that spilled at Brunswick airport shipped out of Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 30, 2024

After more than 1,400 gallons of toxic firefighting foam containing “forever chemicals” spilled from a fire suppression system at the Brunswick Executive Airport, there was little concern about where the foam would eventually end up as long as it was out of state. Newly released receipts from Clean Harbor, the Massachusetts-based company that cleaned up that foam, show it was shipped off to two facilities: one in Corunna, Ontario and the other in El Dorado, Arkansas. The Ontario facility received 12,000 thousand gallons of the foam and water mix to burn and the center in Arkansas got more than 11,000. The company claims online its incinerators destroy 99.9 percent of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, though the EPS says “… uncertainties remain about the effectiveness of thermal treatment.”

Another Maine beach wants your old Christmas trees

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 30, 2024

In March, volunteers and workers placed more than 460 trees along Popham Beach, using them to jump-start the beach’s natural sand dune restoration process. Sand dunes, which make up about 2 percent of Maine’s coast, act as natural barriers between the uplands and the ocean. But they can erode as wind and waves batter the coast during winter storms — including several big ones that hit the state last winter. The town of Arrowsic announced Thursday that it will be collecting discarded trees this year to do a similar project at Reid State Park. 

New federal data indicate a rising tide of aquaculture farms in Maine

MAINE PUBLIC • December 30, 2024

A new census from the U.S. Department of Agriculture finds the number of aquaculture farms in Maine is growing, but local groups caution against reading too much into the exact numbers. Sebastian Belle, executive director of the the Maine Aquaculture Association, said not all operators respond to the USDA census, leading to an undercount. "We now have, I think, roughly 700 LPAs [limited purpose aquaculture licenses] in the state," Belle said. "So they're very small, but they are perhaps an indicator of growth to come." Belle said that's in addition to about 150 licensed marine farms, and about a dozen land-based facilities.

Maine reports more than 3 million visitors at state parks in 2024

MAINE PUBLIC • December 30, 2024

Maine state parks had another near-record year for visitation, said Andy Cutko, director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands. He said that for the third time in four years, the parks welcomed over three million visitors — more than twice the population of Maine. But Cutko said its been difficult finding enough seasonal staff. The bureau also obligated $50 million from the Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan for improvements and maintenance at state parks, Cutko said. Those projects range from new equipment to accessible trails, and construction will continue in the new year. The state also continues to acquire new public lands, in line with the Maine Climate Council's goal of preserving 30% of the state by 2030.

Letter: Take the first step in Maine’s carbon neutral future

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 30, 2024

I’m an 8th grader attending King Middle School, in Portland Maine. I strongly believe that Maine should take action using solar and wind energy toward a carbon-neutral future by 2040. There is only one planet we live on, earth has no extra change of garments. If we do not do anything now, it will have a cost to future generations. Our children will be in danger due to our actions. Our future is in your hands, are you willing to take the first step into a carbon-neutral future? ~ Angelina Hidalgo, Portland

Three fishermen break through the ice at Brettuns Pond in Livermore

SUN JOURNAL • December 29, 2024

Three men broke through the ice Saturday evening while ice fishing at Brettuns Pond in Livermore, according to fire officials. Chief Don Castonguay of Livermore Fire & Rescue said Sunday the three men had been fishing all day when they went through the ice at a spot they “must have passed over about a dozen times.” Castonguay said the last man to exit the water had been treading water for about 10 minutes, but the only complaint from the men was numb fingers. “Somebody saw them and was able to pull them out with a garden hose,” Castonguay said.

The headway Maine made with forever chemicals in 2024

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 29, 2024

This year saw advances in identifying and tackling the damage from forever chemicals in Maine, with policies and research aimed at making products, food and water safer. Five highlights:
• The first national, enforceable drinking water standard will cause Maine to cut its maximum allowable level of certain “forever chemicals” in public drinking water.
• Maine was the first state to enact a law requiring manufacturers to stop selling or distributing certain products containing PFAS.
• Regulators and municipalities are testing more waterways and soils to determine whether they contain PFAS.
• UMaine scientists are making progress toward creating grease- and oil-resistant food wraps using pulp cellulose and seaweed coatings to serve the purpose, but safely.
• Farmers, legislators and researchers are trying to find ways to keep PFAS-contaminated farms going.

What should Maine do with its toxic firefighting foam?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 29, 2024

Like many states, Maine is struggling to determine how to dispose of its stockpile of toxic aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, stored in its fire stations, airports, military bases, oil terminals and paper mills. The chemicals used to make the foam are essentially liquid forever chemicals. The most common disposal methods — incineration, landfilling and deep underground storage — all have drawbacks. Until scientists find safer solutions, states like Maine must wrestle with the ethics of sending dangerous waste like AFFF away to be burned, buried or banked, often in poor communities of color. Newly released records show more than 22,000 gallons of PFAS-laden foam and rinse water recovered after the recent Brunswick spill were trucked to waste incinerators in low-income communities far from Maine's borders.

Wood panel mill moving forward in Jay

SUN JOURNAL • December 29, 2024

The mill that has been proposed for the former Androscoggin Mill site in Jay is moving closer to reality, with the hopes of going online in late 2026 or possibly early 2027 if the equipment arrives in a timely fashion. Pixelle Specialty Solutions stopped making paper products at the mill as of March 9, 2023. Godfrey Forest Products of Marblehead, Massachusetts, plans to produce the wood panel product known as oriented strand board on 14.2 of 67 acres at the former paper mill site. Godfrey plans to hire 135 employees to work at the facility. That does not count any trucking, logging, security or supply personnel who will be contracted out or delivering wood to the mill.

Editorial: Maine must confront old challenges in the new year

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 29, 2024

Maine now has a state commission focused on storm communication and preparedness; this is the body tasked with leading work on many of the elements called for above. Its first report focused on short-term rebuilding priorities and storm preparation. A second report will outline a long-term plan for climate disaster, and it’s about time. Long-term planning requires the confrontation of hard truths about where we live and what we’re about to be living through. Homeowners, businesses and municipalities, instead of asking themselves when they can rebuild, need to ask themselves whether they should be rebuilding at all. That’s an uncomfortable conversation to have. Until we start having these conversations, however, nothing much will change.

Conservation lands, hiking trails abound in Northern Penobscot Bay Region

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 28, 2024

From Belfast to Bucksport to Brooksville and beyond, conservation lands abound in the northern reaches of Penobscot Bay. They offer a variety of hiking trails worthy of a few hours of exploration afoot with pack and picnic lunch. Here’s a short list of scenic gems to consider for your next visit to this special area:
• Wallamatogus Mountain in the town of Penobscot
• Mount Waldo, the Maine Coast Heritage Trust owns 160 acres in Frankfort
• Condon Hill on the northern margin of the 5,100-acre Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust Wildlands
• Mount Tuck in Stockton Springs in a 100-acre Coastal Mountains Land Trust preserve surrounded by Meadow Farm Wildlife Sanctuary and Sandy Point Game Management Area
• John B. Mountain in Brooksville within 38 undeveloped acres owned by the Blue Hill Heritage Trust
• Backwood Mountain in Holbrook Island Sanctuary State Park

Former Maine warden recalls dicey rescue of Boy Scouts off Blackcap Mountain

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 28, 2024

Around 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 22, 2014, my phone rang and I was called in to help rescue three Boy Scouts and two of their leaders who had become lost, then stranded on a rock face, during a hike on Blackcap Mountain in Eddington. With temperatures far below freezing, deep snow, and darkness, the situation was about as bad as it could be. Once everyone was safely off the mountain, we four wardens carefully made our way down. Lucky to escape their ordeal, the scouts and scout leaders had no serious injuries and were all treated and released by medical personnel. The bond shared by wardens past and present is special. ~ Chris Sargent

$9.3 million grant could mean fewer wildlife collisions in northern Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December x, 2024

A $9.3 million federal grant secured by the state of Maine could be key to reducing collisions along a specific stretch of road in Caribou long known to be the site of crashes and near-misses between cars and animals. In a 2003-2023 study of the area, a 2-mile stretch surrounding the culverts saw at least 127 collisions, with the majority taking place on Route 1. But such crashes are believed to be underreported. State officials hope the grant will not only reduce collisions but also help conserve a threatened species of trout that lives in Prestile Brook. “When you build a structure that’s big enough for a moose to go through it, there’s a lot of other species that benefit,” Justin Schlawin, program coordinator of the wildlife department’s Beginning with Habitat program, said.

These laws will affect your outdoor experience in Maine in 2025

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 28, 2024

Money for trail systems, airboat noise limits and a push to fight aquatic invasive species are among the Maine Legislature’s 2024 decisions that will affect your outdoor experience in 2025. Maine’s $3.4 billion outdoor recreation economy represents 3.7 percent of the state’s economic base, according to the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation’s latest figures released in 2023. That was a 9.1 percent increase over 2022 and the outdoor economy is expected to grow, making the laws that regulate such activities even more important. Here are the new laws affecting boating, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, and ATVing.

Column: Here are some of the best ways to see new birds in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 27, 2024

In 2025, I resolve to see more new birds. Feel free to make that your resolution, too. Everybody can see new birds, even experts. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look. The best part is that inexperienced birders can see a lot more new birds than experts can. Almost any bird beyond your backyard bird feeder might be new. Intermediate birders can add a new life list bird today, although it might require driving somewhere. That’s the secret to Maine. Our state has so many different habitats, a new bird can be found in any direction. It’s possible to find at least 300 birds in Maine during the year. ~ Bob Duchesne

Maine grower is changing the state’s fruit tree landscape

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 27, 2024

By the 1970s, many Maine apple trees were near the ends of their lifespans. Their fields were overgrown, the farmers who planted them forgotten. When Palermo resident John Bunker started rediscovering them, they were mostly “mysterious, anonymous gifts from the past.” Over the next 40 years, Bunker’s hobby grew into a business that has changed the state’s fruit tree landscape on homesteads and small farms, saving and spreading these varieties that could have been lost otherwise, along with other unique fruits, trees and ornamentals. By 1994, his hobby had grown into a full-time job. Jen Ries started working with him 22 years ago and took the lead at the tree division around 2020. Forty years in, Bunker comes across apple trees he sold that have grown large enough for grandchildren to climb on. “It’s very personal for people to plant a tree,” Ries said.

Opinion: The oil and auto industries’ inconvenient truth

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 26, 2024

Maine residents should strongly support the Maine attorney general’s decision to take action against oil and gas companies and their trade association for allegedly downplaying the dangers of climate change. The suit alleges that they bear responsibility for decades-long deceptions enabling them to make enormous sums of money with minor interference from government regulators. Donald Trump has said that on day one of his term it’s going to be “Drill Baby Drill,” America should increase its energy production and human-caused climate change is “a hoax.” Trump told a group of oil executives he will immediately reverse dozens of President Biden’s environmental rules and policies and stop new ones from being enacted. We bear responsibility for creating a livable climate. The fossil fuel and automotive industries must be part of the solution. ~ Patrick Walsh, Belfast

Unusual winter drought persists across Maine

MAINE PUBLIC • December 26, 2024

Maine's drought conditions have improved in recent weeks but the state is still experiencing an unusually dry period as winter sets in. An update to the U.S. Drought Monitor on Wednesday showed that more than 60% of Maine is in moderate drought. Nearly the entire state is at least abnormally dry. To address drought pressure on farmers, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry is setting up a grant program to help pay for drilling new wells and building ponds and other water storage.

Navy has ‘moral obligation’ to remove foam, Brunswick airport authority says

TIMES RECORD • December 26, 2024

“The federal government left us with that stuff, and the federal government has a moral obligation to get rid of it,” said Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority Interim Executive Director Steve Levesque. Levesque’s statements echoed a September letter from Maine federal lawmakers and an October letter from the Environmental Protection Agencycalling on the US Navy to help in the wake of Brunswick’s disastrous Aug. 19 toxic foam spill that spewed 1,450 gallons of PFAS-laden aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) into Brunswick airport’s Hangar 4 and surrounding waterways.

Letter: State should cut losses and look to Mack Point for offshore wind facility

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 26, 2024

We recently learned that the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) failed to receive a $16 million grant for an offshore wind manufacturing facility on Sears Island. This marks the fourth MDOT grant application failure since 2023 for the Sears Island development. It’s past time for the Mills Administration to cut our taxpayer losses and focus on more modest improvements to Mack Point in furtherance of the floating offshore wind research array. ~ Stephen Miller, Islesboro Islands Trust