MAINE MONITOR • February 5, 2023
The trade group E2Tech hosted a legislative preview Thursday in Augusta. “Forever chemicals” were a priority for the legislature last year and will be again this year. Lawmakers are seeking to ease the impact of PFAS contamination on farmers, weed out sources of the chemicals in the economy, and offset rising testing and treatment costs. Lithium is part of the accelerating “critical minerals race” to fuel renewable technology — and Maine may have one of the world’s largest treasure troves of lithium in Newry. But Maine also has one of the strictest mining statutes in the country. What this means for the Newry deposit and others like it could be on legislators’ plates this session — considering moratoria, or other regulatory approaches to mining. One bill would have the state of Maine procure a huge amount of offshore wind energy, and a similar bill is in the offing for solar procurement. Also sure to be in the spotlight this session are the major wind and transmission projects in the works in Northern Maine.