PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 28, 2026
Maine’s children carry some of the highest cancer rates in the country. South Portland has schools where young ones breathe fumes from the tank farms. Three federal emissions lawsuits confirm these facilities don’t always operate within even Maine’s permissive standards. More than 600 tons of volatile organic compounds are vented into South Portland’s air every year. The cancer-causing fumes’ dangers are compounded by projected sea level rise. A plan that peers only 12 years ahead is not looking nearly far enough. South Portland’s choices today will determine what kind of city stands at the waterline at 2100 and beyond. A new group has proposed a Shipyard Open Space Monument. The sea is rising. The air is compromised. The community has offered a solution rooted in history, health and hard-won wisdom. The only question left is whether the City Council has the courage to choose it. ~ David Field, South Portland