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Maine adopts $600K mental health safety net for people affected by PFAS

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 30, 2026

Maine has approved a $600,000 program to offer free clinical therapy, peer support and community health services to farmers and residents dealing with the repercussions of forever chemical contamination. The money comes from the state’s $65 million PFAS relief fund. “In addition to being a financial and health issue, PFAS is an emotional issue that affects the whole family,” said Beth Valentine, executive director of the fund. “We hope to offer people the support needed to navigate through their crisis.”

Land trust finalizes purchase of Belgrade scout camp

CENTRAL MAINE • October 30, 2026

The 7 Lakes Alliance, a land trust and conservation organization, has finalized its purchase of the nearly 300-acre Camp Bomazeen property. The 7 Lakes Alliance raised the $3 million required for the purchase of the former camp on Great Pond in about a month, thanks to community support. Now, the alliance is assessing the property’s needs and making a plan for maintenance and conservation, Carol Sabia, vice chair of the organization’s board, said. The land was previously owned by the Pine Tree Council of Scouting America, which announced in a news release that scouts will continue to camp on the land in the coming years, and that the money from the sale will remain dedicated to supporting scouting in central Maine.

Tour company sues over fees for international visitors to national parks, including Acadia

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 30, 2026

An Arizona tour company has sued the federal government over increased fees for international visitors to national parks, including Acadia. The National Park Service implemented the new pricing structure at the start of 2026. The American the Beautiful annual digital park jumped to $250 for nonresidents. International visitors aged 16 and older without the annual pass now pay $100 per person on top of the standard entrance fee at Acadia and 10 of the other busiest parks. Phoenix-based Across Arizona Tours filed the lawsuit in September, arguing that the Trump administration did not have the authority to change the fees.

CMP says Portland area needs $547M upgrade amid pushbacks

MAINE PUBLIC • October 29, 2026

Central Maine Power is pushing the need for a proposed half-billion dollar transmission upgrade around Portland amid growing opposition to the construction plan from some local residents. CMP's Senior Director of Integrated Systems Planning Chris Morin said the proposal is aimed at upgrading power lines and substations in northern Portland suburbs. Some of that equipment is at least 70 years old, Morin said in a briefing to reporters this week. A recent equipment failure at a Yarmouth substation led to an outage for 28,000 customers, Morin said. There are further reliability concerns in equipment across the region, he added. "There are several single points of failure in this area that could result in big impacts to many communities and customers," Morin said.

Fact brief: Do wildlife crossings save money and reduce car-vs.-animal crashes?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 29, 2026

Yes. Research shows wildlife overpasses and underpasses, typically paired with fencing, can sharply reduce crashes and save money over time. Parks Canada reports that at Canada’s Banff National Park, highway fencing and 44 crossings have reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions by more than 80%, including more than 96% for deer and elk. Nationwide, federal transportation officials estimate wildlife collisions cause about 200 human deaths and 26,000 injuries annually, costing more than $10 billion. Maine is building a wildlife crossing beneath Route 1 in Caribou.

John Meader gives Dark Sky talk at the Farmington Public Library on 11/5

DAILY BULLDOG • October 29, 2026

Can you see the Milky Way from your house on a clear night? If not, you have a problem with “light pollution”. Light Pollution not only affects you and your enjoyment of the night sky, but it affects birds as they migrate; insects as they signal each other at night; wildlife habitat in general; and, importantly, your health. Want to know more? Come to hear John Meader, Maine’s expert on the night sky. He is scheduled to inform us about these issues in a talk on 11/5, from 6-7 PM in the Holman Room of the Farmington Public Library.

See which Maine towns have the most toxic firefighting foam

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 29, 2026

Fire stations across Maine are sitting on thousands of gallons of toxic firefighting foam, creating environmental hazards in dozens of communities. Survey results from the State Fire Marshal show at least 9,100 gallons of aqueous film-forming foam owned by 120 fire and emergency management departments. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are called forever chemicals because they don’t break down in nature and build up in the body. Long-term exposure is linked to high cholesterol, liver damage, developmental delays and cancer. The DEP estimates cleanup of all known municipal stockpiles would cost under $500,000. That’s much lower than the $5 million originally estimated. State Rep. Dan Ankeles, D-Brunswick, is drafting a bill that would earmark state PFAS settlement money for collection and disposal.

Letter: Why not tariff relief for all Mainers?

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 29, 2026

Last week, Sen. Susan Collins announced and took credit for securing Canadian tariff (tax) relief on several products used by Maine’s agricultural industry, such as blueberry, potato and apple growers and some wood products companies. The timing of the relief by the Trump Administration was to boost Susan Collins re-election. We need a senator that will advocate on behalf of the working people of Maine all the time, not just at election time. ~ Jonathan Stolley, Ellsworth

Letter: Democrats can deliver clean energy

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 29, 2026

Wind farms can deliver energy at half the cost of fossil fuels. Almost 50 years ago, Exxon research scientists accurately predicted that fossil fuel emissions would lead to global warming. People need low cost clean energy. When you vote in November, think about this future within our reach and those who I believe will make it possible. ~ Elizabeth Hill, Brooksville

Who’s right about access and the nuances of hunting etiquette

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 29, 2026

When a landowner allows public access for hunting, there is still just one person who owns the land and has final say on who uses it and who doesn’t. Maine law allows public access to private land if the landowner does not post the property. But hunters who care that public access to private land is shrinking make extra efforts to keep landowners happy. One unwritten rule among ethical hunters is to find out who the owner is, knock on the person’s door and ask for permission to hunt on the land. When a hunter who hasn’t done any homework makes inaccurate assumptions about ownership and his own rights, and also is belligerent and confrontational, it can ruin your day.

Don’t eat fish downstream from Keddy Mill on Presumpscot River in Windham, EPA warns

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 28, 2026

Officials are warning the public not to eat fish caught on a stretch of the Presumpscot River in Windham downstream from a former mill site that is undergoing cleanup. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is advising residents not to eat fish caught between the Little Falls Dam and Mallison Falls Dam in South Windham, downstream from the former Keddy Mill site. The former mill, which has been dormant since the 1990s, was determined to be a source of contamination of soil, sediment, groundwater and fish in the area.

Climate comedian aims to break through eco-anxiety, start conversations

MAINE PUBLIC • October 28, 2026

On a recent evening in Waldoboro, comedian Forrest Shaw is doing a stand-up routine. The classic advice for a budding comedian is "write what you know." For Shaw, that would be science. While he's been in the comedy biz for 15 years now, he's only recently tapped into his climate background for material. “I was a marine biologist for almost a decade and a half, and I saw firsthand how difficult it was to get people to be emotionally connected to habitat destruction or climate change or plastic pollution," he said. He felt the planet was doomed. He was surprised to find that writing and performing this show has changed his mind. “It's crazy to think that in making this show that I thought would be depressing, I would have more hope," he said. "I'm excited to tell people that."

South Portland gets some long-awaited answers on air quality

MAINE PUBLIC • October 28, 2026

Representatives from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Maine CDC met with South Portland residents Tuesday night to discuss findings from a six-year air monitoring study prompted by concerns about dozens of oil tanks. The DEP study follows years of complaints from residents over strong smells, nose and throat irritation and other health concerns for those living near the oil tank facilities. The results show slightly elevated levels of benzene, a known human carcinogen, near at least two of the monitoring sites in the city. Other sites showed levels below the state-recommended thresholds. The World Health Organization states there is no safe level of benzene exposure.

Maine backs off eliminating emerald ash borer quarantine

MAINE PUBLIC • October 28, 2026

A ban on freely transporting wood from areas of Maine infested by emerald ash borer will remain in effect after tribal governments and conservation groups protested a state plan to ease restrictions. State Horticulturist Gary Fish said a proposal to end a quarantine aimed at slowing spread of the invasive insect attracted more than 80 public comments. Nearly all urged the state to keep the quarantine. Emerald ash borer was first discovered in Maine in 2018. The insect tunnels into native ash trees, cuts off water and nutrients and can kill a host within five years.

USDA grants $8M to Portland Water District to sustain water quality in Sebago Lake

MAINE PUBLIC • October 28, 2026

The federal government is granting $8 million to the Portland Water District in the second phase of an effort to sustain water quality and improve aquatic habitat in the Sebago Lake watershed. The USDA funding will combine conservation easements on 2,000 acres and manage 4,000 acres of forests that filter water before it reaches the watershed. According to Sebago Clean Waters, a coalition of organizations dedicated to the health of the watershed, half of the award will be used for reconnecting streams and rivers for organism and fish passage. The remainder will fund forest management and conserve acreage.

Citgo plans to reduce emissions at South Portland tanks

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 28, 2026

Citgo Petroleum Corporation on Wednesday announced a plan to reduce emissions for its South Portland Terminal and fund expanded air monitoring. The move came a day after many South Portland residents urged the city to take action to protect public health at a packed City Council meeting, and more than a month after a report from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that residents living near the more than 100 petroleum tanks in the city could be at higher risk of cancer and other chronic health issues as a result of long-term exposure to carcinogenic emissions.

Law Court To Begin Hearing Appeal in Nordic Title Case

MIDCOAST VILLAGER • October 28, 2026

Oral arguments are set to begin Thursday, Nov. 5, in the damages appeal by Jeffrey Mabee, Judith Grace and the Friends of Harriet L. Hartley Conservation Area in their long-running slander of title lawsuit against Nordic Aquafarms. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court has scheduled oral arguments to begin in the Cumberland County Courthouse. Mabee, Grace and the Friends are appealing a lower court ruling that rejected their claim for damages, reimbursement of litigation expenses and attorney fees. In its effort to develop a $500 million land-based salmon farm in Belfast, Nordic claimed an ownership interest in a strip of intertidal mudflats the Norwegian company needed to lay its industrial intake and effluent pipes to Penobscot Bay. Nordic, which left town in January 2025, used release deeds it secured from third parties to support its ownership claims.

Skowhegan Outdoors settles in at new location on Island Avenue

CENTRAL MAINE • October 28, 2026

The Skowhegan Outdoors Basecamp Gear Library plans to hold a grand opening Thursday, Nov. 19, at its new location at the former fire department on Island Avenue. The library offers free gear lending of bikes, kayaks, tubes, skis, camping gear and other items. The organization is working to add a reception area, a consignment department, retail shop and gear repair shop.

Trump says he’s ending restrictions on climate-warming methane from oil drilling

ASSOCIATED PRESS • October 27, 2026

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is “terminating” a Biden-era rule that aimed to cut planet-warming emissions of methane from oil and gas drilling. Trump said during a campaign rally in Texas that the change would save companies and consumers billions of dollars and unlock 210 million barrels of oil. That’s equivalent to about 10 days of U.S. petroleum consumption. The move aims to encourage more domestic drilling as Trump faces criticism over high fuel pricesamid the war in Iran. Methane is responsible for about a third of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, scientists estimate.