Opinion: MainePERS continues to bet on fossil fuels

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 15, 2025

Oil and gas companies spent over a trillion dollars on new wells, pipelines, refineries and ports in 2023 alone. To pay off these investments, these facilities must operate for 30 years. CO2 emissions reached a record high of 37.4 billion tons in 2023. If the status quo continues, life as we know it could be over before this century ends. At a recent board meeting a Maine Public Employees Retirement System analyst declared, “We don’t make bets.” But continued investment in fossil fuels is betting that 66,000 peer-reviewed studies are wrong that carbon emissions are causing serious damage. Nor was there mention of risks, not just risks to human health and life on the planet. Also, the risk to fossil fuel companies caused by the growing number of lawsuits against them — now at 86 and counting. A law requires that MainePERS divest from fossil fuels by 2026. No one expected it to pull the plug all at once. But with no plan in place, that may end up being its only option. ~ Sue Inches, MainePERS member, North Yarmouth

Letter: Drawing inspiration from nature

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 15, 2025

A friend sent me an Edward Abbey poem that speaks to deep longings I think we all feel. It triggered my wide-awake allegiance to the Earth, a jolt of recognizing my deep belonging to it.
“The love of wilderness is more than a hunger
for what is always beyond reach;
it is also an expression of loyalty
to the earth –
the only home we shall every know,
the only paradise we ever need –
if only we had eyes to see.”
from Edward Abbey’s “Desert Solitaire”
~ Rosalie Paul, Brunswick

2 men survive when snowmobile goes through ice in Dexter

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 14, 2025

No one heard them yelling for help, but two men survived Tuesday when their snowmobile broke through the ice on Wassookeag Lake in Dexter. The father, who was in his mid-50s, and his son, who was in his early 20s, entered the lake at the boat ramp and were heading across the middle to go ice fishing when their snowmobile suddenly went through the ice around 11:30 a.m. The son managed to give his father a boost to help him get onto the ice. The father grabbed their pack basket and rolled back toward the hole, offering his son the basket. His son grabbed it and the two men were able to get him out of the water too. The son had no boots or coat on by the time he got out of the water. Eventually, EMTs from the local ambulance service checked them out.

State-funded University of Maine System research and development generates record rate of return

DAILY BULLDOG • January 14, 2025

State-funded University of Maine System (UMS) research is delivering its highest-ever rate of return. Led by the University of Maine, the state’s public research university, UMS directly generated $6.45 for every $1 the State invested through the Maine Economic Improvement Fund in Fiscal Year 2024. In FY24, the $21.85 million appropriated by the State for MEIF generated $141 million in external R&D grants and contracts just in the seven sectors and mostly at UMaine to support laboratories and researchers, including students, who collaborate with Maine companies. In total, Maine’s public universities secured more than $260 million in R&D grants and contracts in FY24. Maine invests just 1.1% of its GDP in R&D, far below the national average of 3.6% and 5.7% by other New England states.

Maine’s Great Fire raged in 1825 and destroyed almost a million acres

SUN JOURNAL • January 14, 2025

(First posted June 14, 2020) In 1825, disconnected fires burned through some 3 million acres in Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, fed by a hot, dry summer that left the Atlantic Maritime region vulnerable. The Great Fire, as some in Maine called it, was the biggest and most destructive forest fire ever seen east of the Mississippi River. At least 832,000 acres burned in Maine, destroying large swaths of forest. An 1894 report to Maine’s forest commissioner said the fire likely began in the Piscataquis River valley before spreading north and east for many miles until it reached, and crossed, the Penobscot River. Miles and miles of timberland burned.

Common Ground Fair poster has a message about horses

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 14, 2025

This year’s Common Ground Country Fair poster features a pair of Belgian draft horses that send a subtle message. The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association revealed on Tuesday that Katherine Noble Churchill’s oil-on-linen painting of two working horses had won its annual poster design contest. It will decorate T-shirts and advertisements for the annual fair, which the association announced will run Sept. 19-21 this year. The two brown horses in the painting stand with their ears halfway back, meaning they are listening to their surroundings, according to Churchill.

Maine's outdoor skaters revel in a bonanza of wild ice on lakes, ponds, and rivers

MAINE PUBLIC • January 14, 2025

Maine hasn't seen a lot of snow yet this year, a disappointment for skiers and snowmobilers. But a stretch of sunny, frigid days earlier this month created an abundance of clear, smooth ice on lakes, ponds, and even some rivers, a rare treat for outdoor skating enthusiasts. Black ice means a safe, smooth, mirror-like surface unblemished by snow, rain or thaw. For wild ice chasers, it's the undisputed holy grail. Frank Whittier said, "We're truly cherishing this moment, but our lakes are not freezing as much in the winter." That means when the ice is in, there's no time to waste.

Forever chemicals in sludge fertilizer pose cancer risk, EPA says

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 14, 2025

Forever chemicals in sewage-based fertilizer spread on pastures can increase cancer risks for people who consume milk, beef, eggs and other products from those farms, with some risks potentially far exceeding acceptable levels, federal officials said Tuesday. The risks will vary from farm to farm, depending on fertilizer makeup and use, but a draft report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the risk of consuming milk, beef or eggs from cows or hens raised on sludge-fertilized pastures can exceed safe thresholds by “several orders of magnitude.”

Environmental Priorities Coalition, Lawmakers Announce Priorities for 2025

MAINE CONSERVATION ALLIANCE • January 14, 2025

Today, Maine’s Environmental Priorities Coalition (EPC), a partnership of 39 environmental, conservation, climate action, and public health organizations, joined legislative leaders to announce their collective priorities for the 2025 legislative session. Each year, the EPC identifies a unified policy agenda to advance climate action, further environmental justice, protect biodiversity and the environment, and cultivate healthy Maine communities. The 2025 EPC Legislative Priorities:
•  Making polluters pay for climate damages
•  Preventing future toxic spills of PFAS foam
•  Protecting Mainers from skyrocketing utility costs
•  Reaching 100% clean electricity by 2040
•  Funding the Land for Maine’s Future program
•  Addressing stormwater pollution
•  Improving transportation planning
•  Modernizing the comprehensive planning process
•  Recognizing Wabanaki self-determination

Visiting Maine, Canadian officials warn against trade war as Trump threatens tariffs

MAINE PUBLIC • January 14, 2025

As President-elect Donald Trump pushes for a 25% tariff on Canadian imports, a delegation from the eastern province of Prince Edward Island is pleading the case for continued free trade while touring New England this week. Dennis King is P.E.I.'s premier, said his province plays a key role in cross-border trade, exporting over $1 billion worth of goods to the U.S. in 2023, much of it in the form of potato and seafood products. “If it costs our goods and services 25% more to come across the border, they're going to be costing Americans 25% more to consume them.”

Inventory update shows decrease in toxic foam at Brunswick airport

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 14, 2025

The Town of Brunswick had asked the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority to provide an inventory of all aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) at the airport following a disastrous foam spill in August — Maine’s worst in 30 years. The authority provided an inventory in October, stating that it had 6,300 gallons of the concentrate left in its hangars. In a corrected inventory submitted to the town, the authority is now reporting there are only 5,700 gallons.

Coastal wetlands funding benefits Biddeford, Kennebunkport

COURIER/POST • January 14, 2025

Over $1.2 million in funding from the Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program (MNRCP) was awarded for three projects that will restore and enhance freshwater and coastal wetlands in Biddeford and Kennebunkport. Enhancing the wetlands will improve climate resiliency, enhance wildlife habitat, and reduce flooding impacts. In Biddeford, the funding will be used for a salt marsh enhancement program that will rectify past agricultural impacts to the marsh and improve habitat for saltmarsh sparrows. In Kennebunkport, the funding will be used to restore nine acres of former agricultural field within the 1,200 acre Edwin Smith Preserve to the forested and scrub-shrub wetland.

Letter: Nuclear fusion can help combat climate change

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 14, 2025

Nuclear energy and, in particular, nuclear fusion are essential for a sustainable future while maintaining our current lifestyle. It offers a virtually limitless source of clean energy, unlike fossil fuels, which emit greenhouse gases and drive climate change. Fusion produces energy by fusing light nuclei, such as hydrogen isotopes, and generates minimal radioactive waste. Moreover, the fuel for fusion comes primarily from seawater and lithium, providing abundant resources to meet humanity’s energy needs for millions of years. The safety advantages of nuclear fusion are significant, as the risk of catastrophic failures or meltdowns is virtually nonexistent. Think about it. ~ Joseph Roberts, Portland

Letter: Trump misleads on California wildfires

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 14, 2025

Our soon-to-be president lies daily. Here was one huge lie: Trump responded to the current wildfires in Los Angeles by blaming California Governor Gavin Newsom’s environmental policies, rather than simply offering support for Californians and their firefighters. As someone who fought wildland fires out west for three seasons as a young man, I know the fires are worse because of global warming, mixed with Santa Ana winds, which are also worsened by climate change. Donald Trump, who works hard to deny global warming and sets in place policies that will worsen climate change, bears more responsibility than Newsom. ~ Scott Schiff-Slater, Hallowell

Connecticut is buying Maine solar power for less than we pay

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 14, 2025

Connecticut is purchasing solar power from Maine for its residents to use at a lower price than what Mainers pay for the renewable energy. Connecticut has previously purchased Maine-generated solar for below 10 cents per kilowatt-hour. Ratepayers in the Pine Tree State pay at least 20 cents per kilowatt-hour. While Maine’s ratepayer advocate contends Connecticut ratepayers are getting a great deal, renewable experts said Maine’s heavily scrutinized solar subsidies are not causing the disparity. Connecticut utilities are using large-scale agreements to buy solar power from Maine, which is separate from our subsidy program for small-scale projects.

Invasive plants may be helping ticks spread across Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 13, 2025

It’s possible that disease-carrying tick populations are spreading quickly across Maine with the help of invasive plants. A new five-year research project aims to find out if removing those plants reduces tick population, and if so, what landowners can do. The University of Maine announced the $1.8 million grant-funded project Monday. Ticks and the diseases they carry, including Lyme, anaplasmosis and babesiosis, are becoming an increasing problem for Mainers and the state’s wildlife.

EPA completes review at Saco Tannery Superfund site

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 13, 2025

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has completed a required comprehensive site cleanup review, known as a “five-year review,” for the Saco Tannery Superfund site. The review concluded that the remedy at the Saco Tannery Waste Pits continues to effectively protect peoples’ health and the environment and made recommendations for follow up actions where needed, according to the EPA. The 212-acre Saco Tannery Waste Pits, located on Flag Pond Road, was owned by the Saco Tannery Corporation and operated from 1959 until 1981, when the company filed for bankruptcy and stopped operations. The Waste Pits site, located about four miles north of the tannery, was used as a disposal area for process wastes such as chromium sludges, acid wastes, methylene chloride and caustic substances, according to the EPA. It is estimated that more than 23 million gallons of wastes were deposited in two lagoons and 53 disposal pits.

Behind the scenes of company that makes PFAS testing kits used in Brunswick

TIMES RECORD • January 13, 2025

PFAS are a growing concern in Maine, particularly in Brunswick after 1,450 gallons of firefighting-foam concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons of water spilled at the airport last August. That spill caused widespread concern about water safety and efforts to mitigate and monitor the fallout. Certified lab tests can cost hundreds of dollars for just one sample, and state-run testing in the wake of the spill is only provided a handful of times a year to pre-selected residents. As a result, many residents have turned to another source for vital water quality monitoring: Cyclopure, an Illinois-based company that sells water test kits at $79 apiece — a more cost-effective but lesser-known alternative that scientists and local organizations have pointed to for more frequent monitoring.

Maine island electric utility gets nearly $9 million for renewable energy expansion

MAINE PUBLIC • January 13, 2025

A nonprofit electric utility serving Vinalhaven and North Haven islands has received a multimillion dollar award to upgrade and expand renewable energy. It’s one of the latest pots of money coming Maine’s way from President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. Fox Islands Electric Cooperative was awarded $8.7 million from the federal agriculture department’s Empowering Rural America program. The money, mostly low-interest loans, is intended to help repower and upgrade a 4.5 megawatt wind farm. It will also go to finance a new solar power array on a capped landfill. The two island communities located 11 miles off the Maine coast.

Column: Deer season never really ends

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 13, 2025

While the statutory season is over, serious deer hunters know the pursuit of whitetails is a a year-round endeavor. In addition to filling the void between seasons, offseason scouting offers valuable clues to the game we pursue. The information can be useful to the individual hunter, but participating in citizen science programs can also aid in management efforts. ~ Bob Humphrey