Help Keep the News Coming

Thank you for reading Maine Environmental News. Each year, we post thousands of news summaries, notices, and links related to important environmental issues from across the state (and beyond). If you find this service useful, you can help us continue to provide it by making a donation. Just click on the button below and contribute whatever you can afford. Thanks again for your generous support!

Sincerely,
Jym St. Pierre
Editor, Maine Environmental News

South Portland air monitoring shows elevated toxin levels

MAINE PUBLIC • September 18, 2026

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department for Environmental Protection have released their findings from a six-year study of air quality in South Portland, which is home to more than 100 oil tanks. The findings show that while there is little short-term health risk for residents, the long-term health risks are somewhat elevated. Officials have said the overall health risk to residents is likely minimal but warrants further study. Maine DEP and CDC officials will hold a public meeting at the South Portland High School next month to present the report to the community, answer questions and explain next steps.

Midcoast town wins dispute with CMP over solar project proposal

MIDCOAST VILLAGER • September 18, 2026

After months of regulatory uncertainty that town officials said cost Northport much of a summer’s worth of solar power, the Maine Public Utilities Commission has sided with the town in its dispute with Central Maine Power over a proposed municipal solar array on Beech Hill Road. In an advisory ruling issued Sept. 15, the three-member commission unanimously determined that a provision of Maine’s recently revised net energy billing law does not prohibit Northport’s proposed 38-kilowatt solar project from participating in the state’s net energy billing program.

Environmental groups argue transmission corridor failing to meet conservation standards

MAINE MORNING STAR • September 18, 2026

Despite more than four hours of discussion on the conservation requirements for the long-embattled New England Clean Energy Connect project, the state environmental board held off on making a final ruling on the issue. Instead, the Board of Environmental Protection on Thursday directed department staff to review its proposed order and add additional analysis before it is revisited. Last year, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection approved the project’s conservation plan as part of the construction of 53 miles of new transmission line through western Maine. An appeal of the department’s decision—filed by the Appalachian Mountain Club, Maine Audubon, Natural Resources Council of Maine and Trout Unlimited—said the conservation plan “categorically fails” to meet the standards set by the board, calling it a “shell game on multiple levels.” 

Vandalism and bad behavior in Acadia spark concerns about staff shortages and funding cuts

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 18, 2026

Rocks painted neon pink, trash left behind in a wooded area and a rise in misbehavior have locals questioning the staffing levels in Acadia National Park. Last year, with more than 4 million visits recorded, Acadia had its busiest year since the park’s new visitation counting method began in 1990. August was only the second time the park has surpassed 800,000 visits in one month. Between the influx of visitors and cuts to funding and staffing implemented by President Trump, locals are noticing the strain. The recent vandalism isn’t the only instance in which park visitors have left their trace this summer. A bright pink smiley face was graffitied onto a tree, as well as on boulders and a footbridge. Friends of Acadia had to dismantle as many as 150 rock stacks on Bar Island. Locals have also reported instances of visitors disobeying park rules, such as swimming in a public water supply and speeding e-bikes on carriage roads.

As the water level drops on a coastal Maine pond residents question fish hatchery 1

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 18, 2026

Dianne O’Donnell has seen Craig Pond’s water level get unusually low before in the 77 summers she’s spent there, but this year she’s especially worried. It is a drought year, but the rest of the watershed hasn’t shown such dramatic decreases — and unlike Craig Pond, none of those lakes and ponds have recently become the sole water source for a federal fish hatchery producing the eggs of more than 5 million endangered Atlantic salmon a year. It’s another example in Maine of property owners around a body of water raising concerns about how water levels are managed as infrastructure ages and uses change. Numerous dams in the watershed that were built to supply papermaking in Bucksport are also aging as an industrial owner seeks to abandon some of them, and low water levels have also drawn concern at Graham Lake in Ellsworth, where a dam’s federal permit has expired and some are calling for its removal.

Maine woman harvests sea salt on remote offshore island

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 17, 2026

As a child of Matinicus, Usha Beaudoin spent a lot of time scrambling over slippery rocks. On an island only two miles long by one mile wide, she was always at the water’s edge, curious, investigating tide pools, discovering what remains on land when the ocean recedes. Time, tide, and the sun are always making salt here, drawing crystals naturally from the water all around. Beaudoin’s trajectory changed with the Covid-19 virus. She had been employed as a medical assistant in Portland. But the island wanted her home. She and her partner returned to Matinicus, the most remote year-round inhabited island in Maine. Through trial and error that she landed on the simplest, and for her the best method of manufacturing salt the way Mother Nature intended. This is wild salt in all its jagged, craggy, shape-shifting beauty.

Acadia nixes plans for electric bus fleet

MAINE PUBLIC • September 17, 2026

Electric buses won’t be coming to Acadia National Park. Instead, the state intends to replace its current bus fleet with new low-emission vehicles. The decision stems from a need to expand the bus fleet and a perception that the Trump administration wouldn’t release the funding for the electric buses. The U.S. Department of Transportation said, “hardworking taxpayer dollars will no longer fund Biden-Buttigieg’s costly DEI and climate agenda.”

Wildlife encounter calls are up in Maine, but rabies cases are not

MAINE PUBLIC • September 17, 2026

State officials say calls about human encounters with wild animals are up this year in Maine, but the number of rabies cases has not increased. The U.S. CDC issued an advisory last week about an increase in calls nationwide regarding human exposure to rabies. Officials in Maine said the increase in calls is due to more encounters with bats. State wildlife biologist Tegwin Taylor said part of the reason is that this is a time of year when bat pups leave their roosts. "The other good thing that may be contributing to why we're seeing more interactions lately is that our bat populations are actually increasing in the state," Taylor said. Bat populations were decimated by white nose syndrome several years ago.

Maine environmental board delays final decision on NECEC conservation plan

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 17, 2026

The Maine Board of Environmental Protection delayed final consideration Thursday of the validity of the conservation area associated with the controversial New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line. The board met for five hours in the Augusta Armory to consider an appeal from environmental groups, which argued the project’s conservation plan did not meet standards for habitat connectivity and mature forest conservation. The board had ordered the conservation plan in 2022 to mitigate habitat disruption caused by the NECEC transmission line, which cut a 150-foot-wide swath through 53 miles of rural, forested landscape. Members of the board said Thursday that they need more information from the Department of Environmental Protection staff to determine if the area does, in fact, mitigate the disruption of habitat.

Canaan man charged with manslaughter in boating death of Skowhegan man

CENTRAL MAINE • September 17, 2026

Charles J. Frost, 22, is charged with one Class A count of manslaughter and one Class C count of operating a watercraft under the influence causing death. Frost was driving the boat on the Kennebec River from which Jakub Prokop, 21, was ejected on July 4. Frost told game wardens he and Prokop “were doing circles and jumping waves.” Frost said he did a “sharp turn” when Prokop was ejected. He said he tried to rescue Prokop from the river but could not reach his body while it sank. Prokop was not wearing a lifejacket.

Planning board hears from public on Rumford growth plan

RUMFORD FALLS TIMES • September 17, 2026

The Rumford planning board’s draft town comprehensive plan provides a 10- to 12-year roadmap to guide future growth, land use, infrastructure investment and economic revitalization tied to the area’s natural assets. During a public hearing Sept. 9, resident Jeff Secrest pointed out that data centers are a step into the future and Rumford is in a nice position and could take advantage of this situation “and make it known to industries who wish to create a data center that they can bring their power plants and data center into our midst.”

Fact brief: Does Maine get at least 15% of its electricity from solar power?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 17, 2026

Yes. U.S. Energy Information Administration data shows solar energy accounted for nearly 18% of Maine’s electricity in 2025. Nearly half of that came from small-scale installations such as rooftop solar. EIA estimates Maine generated 1.6 million megawatt-hours from utility-scale solar — facilities of at least 1 megawatt — and 1.3 million MWh from small-scale systems, for a total of 2.9 million. Maine’s utility-scale and small-scale sources generated 16.2 million MWh in 2025. Of that, natural gas accounted for 34.4%, solar 17.9%, wind 17.7%, hydropower 16.3% and biomass 10.8%. State law calls for 80% of retail electricity sales to come from renewable sources by 2030. By 2040, the goal rises to 90% renewable electricity, with the remaining 10% coming from qualifying clean energy resources.

Less than 10% of Acadia Gateway Center visitors rode buses this summer onto MDI

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 17, 2026

Between June 1 and August 31, Island Explorer buses at the Acadia Gateway Center in Trenton have been boarded 6,409 times. The news came after a slight year-to-date visitation decrease this year and 2025’s busiest year in Acadia National Park. The center in Trenton hosts 300 parking spots, is a stop for the fare-free Island Explorer bus, and is meant to be a step toward reducing both pedestrian congestion in the park’s Hulls Cove visitor center as well as vehicular congestion on Mount Desert Island.

Column: Aroostook wind project should spur new public power authority

CENTRAL MAINE • September 17, 2026

If all goes well, Maine will host a gigantic wind farm in southeastern Aroostook County by sometime in the 2030s, producing electricity for the New England grid and advancing the shift to renewable energy the world desperately needs to stave off the worst effects of global warming. Last month, the Maine Public Utilities Commission announced the selection of Clearway Energy to build a 800-megawatt wind farm. That follows a failed 2023 effort by LS Power for a similar contract. This would be among Maine’s largest-ever infrastructure projects, doubling its wind energy capacity. The major alternative, ocean-based wind, was shut down by the Trump administration. Why shouldn’t Maine get more of the rewards? Other states siting large new generation facilities have created public power authorities — to plan, operate and in some cases own these assets. The advantages could be compelling. ~ Douglas Rooks

As concerns mount over Canadian trade war, Maine officials look to maintain neighborly ties

MAINE MORNING STAR • September 17, 2026

As Maine industries face an uncertain future amid the Trump administration’s trade war with Canada, state officials aim to coordinate with their Canadian counterparts to de-escalate the situation. Members of the Maine-Canadian Legislative Advisory Commission met Wednesday to discuss the latest developments in the trade war, and what they can do to support Maine businesses. 

Letter: Maine deserves greater detail on tick-borne disease

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 17, 2026

I read the July 31 report “Model finds high tick risk across Franklin County” with interest and some concern. I’m a Ph.D. researcher in vector ecology. I am glad people are paying attention to tick-borne disease risk; it matters greatly for our state and too often flies under the radar. My worry isn’t with any particular website, but with the uneven or missing scientific foundations that they rest on. When a tool hands the public a “risk score,” that number is only as trustworthy as the method behind it. If the calculation isn’t published, then we are unable to interpret (or even know how accurate) such a number or assertion is. ~ Merline Feero, Waterville

What you need to know about Biddeford’s newest development

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 17, 2026

A new five-building development is coming to downtown Biddeford over the next few years. Billed as a vibrant new neighborhood along the Saco River, Pearl Point will be a mixed-use development with housing, shops and restaurants. It is intended to be an extension of the downtown area. “We’re trying to create some urban design-forward residences that have everything you need within walking distance to everything Biddeford has to offer,” Fathom Companies President and Director Jim Brady said. Pearl Point will be located on the former Maine Energy Recovery Company parcel, which was acquired by the city more than a decade ago. The city’s intention was to tear down the old facility and create a project that would benefit Biddeford and add to its economic growth.

Edward Little greenhouse to provide produce and learning for Auburn students: ‘Getting your hands dirty’

SUN JOURNAL • September 17, 2026

This fall, Auburn public schools will open a greenhouse on the Edward Little High School campus. It’s part of the school department’s effort to provide healthy, local lunches to students — and a hands-on learning experience for students of all ages across district programs. But really, the possibilities are endless, said Amanda Courture, the department’s business manager. “We see this as the beginning of a culture,” she said. “We want our students to have that experience whether it’s just eating the good, local foods or helping learn how to grow them.”

Penobscot Nation secures 11,000 acres near Katahdin

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 17, 2026

The Penobscot Nation completed on Wednesday the acquisition of 11,300 acres near Mount Katahdin. The transfer is the first phase of a vast land return known as Wáhsehtəkʷ — a term for the east branch of the Penobscot River — that will ultimately bring 30,000 acres back under tribal control. It could also lead to a new southern access route into Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.