PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 14, 2023
Black list Maine lobster at your peril, Whole Foods. Republican lawmakers unveiled a suite of bills Tuesday to protect Maine’s $1.7 billion lobster industry and punish those who would threaten it. The bills, some of which only have titles, would expand state control of coastal waters, fund the industry’s legal battle to overturn federal fishing restrictions and punish the upscale grocery chain that stopped selling Maine lobster three months ago after the fishery lost two critical eco-friendly certifications. The centerpiece of the GOP campaign was a bill that would render a business like Whole Foods ineligible to participate in the state business equipment tax waiver program.