Mills Launches Effort To See If Searsport Could Be A Hub For Offshore Wind Energy Development

MAINE PUBLIC • March 11, 2020

Gov. Janet Mills is launching an effort to test whether the midcoast town of Searsport has potential as a hub for the development of wind energy off Maine's coast. Mills is directing the state Department of Transportation and other agencies to assess the deep-water Mack Port Terminal's capabilities and needs. The facility is already a delivery point for land-based wind turbines, and now a company called Aqua Ventus is planning to build the hull for an experimental floating wind platform there.

CMP Project Backers Urge Lawmakers To Defeat Bill Barring Foreign Influence In Maine Elections

MAINE PUBLIC • March 11, 2020

Maine lawmakers are considering a bill that would bar foreign nationals and certain foreign corporations from spending to influence ballot campaigns. It is designed to close a loophole in Maine election law, but it could also have an immediate impact on Hydro-Quebec, the electricity supplier for a controversial $1 billion transmission line through western Maine. Government-owned Hydro-Quebec has called the project the biggest sales contract in its entire history, and it’s fighting to continue spending money to convince Maine voters not to scuttle it at the ballot box this November.

Column: Bird numbers declining throughout North America

MORNING SENTINEL • March 11, 2020

“Decline of the North American Avifauna,” a study published last fall, reported that since 1970, North America’s bird population has decreased by about 30%. The researchers said they began the project thinking they would discover that some bird populations have decreased while others have increased, and they expected the increases would balance out the decreases. But the gains nowhere near offset the losses. Three billion lost, overall. This study is telling us that the whole ecology of North America is suffering. ~ Dana Wilde

Letter: Trapping plan is only a short-term solution to rabies in Bath

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 11, 2020

Controlling fox and raccoon populations is critical if we want to control the spread of disease. The proposal put forward for Bath may help control rabies in the short term. The Havahart-like traps will allow animals other than foxes, skunks and raccoons to be released unharmed. It will unlikely be many animals as they are pretty adept at avoiding traps. The target animals will be tested, permitting a more scientific epidemiological study providing critical data on the next steps that the city will need to take to control the disease. ~ Richard J. Kessler, Bath

Small Earthquakes Recorded In Maine

ASSOCIATED PRESS • March 10, 2020

According to the United States Geological Survey, two small earthquakes have been recorded in Maine since Sunday morning. A 2.2-magnitude earthquake was reported Monday morning near Mount Vernon in Maine. A 2.7-magnitude earthquake hit a few hours later off the coast of Old Orchard Beach, Maine. 

Maine Ethics Panel To Investigate Whether Group Opposing CMP Transmission Line Must Reveal Donors

MAINE PUBLIC • March 10, 2020

The Maine Ethics Commission voted 2-1 Tuesday to investigate whether a group opposing a controversial transmission line through western Maine qualifies as a political action committee and should be required to reveal its donors. The group, Stop the Corridor, is a limited liability company that has been actively opposing the transmission project since August of 2018 and has sought to influence public opinion in the towns that the project will pass through, as well as the permitting process for the 145-mile, $1 billion transmission line. It has also made in-kind donations to a grassroots organization that is trying to scuttle the project via a ballot referendum this November. Stop the Corridor has repeatedly declined to disclose its donors. The PAC operated by Central Maine Power has said repeatedly that anti-corridor groups have been assisted by fossil-fuel generators.

Collins And Golden Say Farm Aid Needs To Help Small Apple Growers

ASSOCIATED PRESS • March 10, 2020

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Rep. Jared Golden are calling on agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue to provide assistance to the Maine’s small growers of apples who are suffering due to the nation's trade disputes and need help from the federal government. They say the billions of dollars in agricultural aid provided by the administration of President Donald Trump has not found its way to Maine's apple farmers.

Letter: Standing with Nordic Aquafarms

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 10, 2020

I have been an environmentalist ever since I can remember. I support the Nordic Aquafarms venture. After soul-searching and diving into the facts, I finally decided to stand with Nordic Aquafarms for the following reasons: First, we need more sustainable food sources on our planet. Second, Nordic Aquafarms will bring in jobs; I am confident that adequate training will be provided. Finally, what company would run the risk of losing up to $500 million by being shut down by the DEP? ~ Lila Nation, Belfast

Effort would upgrade Androscoggin River’s water classification

SUN JOURNAL • March 9, 2020

Local river advocates believe the water quality of the lower Androscoggin River has deserved a “B” rating for quite some time now. Yet, it remains a Class C, according to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. As the state conducts its triennial review of water quality assignments throughout the state, representatives from Grow L+A and the Androscoggin River Watershed Council are pursuing an upgrade, which they argue can result in “economic and quality of life benefits.”

Letter: Shame on Bath for fox plan

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 9, 2020

The decision to kill foxes for fear of rabies is predictable, but deserves condemnation. There are about two deaths a year, nationwide. We manage rabies well in this country, and there are alternatives to slaughtering animals. I am far more concerned about tick-related diseases. But there is a far bigger reason to find alternatives to slaughter. Our relationship with the non-human world is complex and essential, and we are killing ourselves when we disdain these creatures. Shame on Bath. You could have been a model for living well and respectfully. ~ Linda Littlefield Grenfell, Maine Guide, Maine Master Naturalist, Environmental Educator at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm

Letter: Make natural the ‘new perfect’ for lawn care

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 9, 2020

As we turn toward spring, I invite you to consider “natural is the new perfect” for your landscape. By natural I mean no ‘cides – pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. A flawless lawn is precisely un-natural, and our race to keep up with the Joneses is killing us and poisoning birds, bees, fish and aquatic life. ~ Jennifer Comeau, Kennebunkport

Nominations are open: 2020 Source Maine Sustainability Awards

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 8, 2020

Nominations are open for Source Maine Sustainability Awards, presented by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. The Source Awards are an annual recognition of Maine people who contribute to the state’s environmental well-being through consistent sustainable practices. Deadline: April 10.

Letter: Coronavirus much less of a threat to us than climate change

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 8, 2020

Coronavirus is the current headline and scare. Yet fewer than 4,000 have died worldwide. 52,000 Europeans died by heatstroke in 2003. Climate change is causing an increased frequency of heat waves. Together with wildfires, floods and increased storm intensity, they are climate-related, death-causing problems that we are coming to see as the new normal. All are related to CO2 emissions from burning fossil fuels. The U.S. should take the lead, with the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. Climate change is a threat larger and longer-lasting than coronavirus. ~ Peter Garrett, Winslow

Letter: Hydro-Quebec spreads misinformation

MORNING SENTINEL • March 8, 2020

Hydro-Quebec’s double-page ad in the Feb. 28 newspaper about the proposed Central Maine Power corridor infuriated me. How dare they use an image of Baxter State Park? This ad is yet another example of how Hydro-Quebec is partnering with CMP to spend millions to spread misinformation using an expensive advertising campaign. Maine people have made it abundantly clear that we do not support this project. ~ Linda Woods, Waterville

Letter: Sens. King, Collins join climate caucus

MORNING SENTINEL • March 8, 2020

The U.S. Senate Climate Solutions Caucus has a rule such that a senator can only join by bringing in a colleague from the other party. Sen. Angus King joined early on, and Sen. Susan Collins recently. We are optimistic that both King and Collins are working to launch a “home run” climate change bill. That could be a Senate version of the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, already introduced in the House (H.R. 763). It would effectively reduce emissions, improve health and unleash innovation to build a new clean energy economy. ~ Lindsey Tweed, Vassalboro, and Peter Garrett, Winslow

Acadia National Park Museum Closed For Season For Repairs

ASSOCIATED PRESS • March 7, 2020

The Islesford Historical Museum in Acadia National Park has been in the midst of rehab since November 2019. The National Park Service said the work will "allow for the protection and longevity of a historic building and for the safe exhibition of historical objects." The museum is on the National Register of Historic Places and opened in the summer of 1928. 

Column: America’s sacred bird honored in life and in death

SUN JOURNAL • March 7, 2020

A 36-year old Maine bald eagle had to be euthanized by wildlife officials because of osteoarthritis. The eagle has been sent to the National Eagle Repository located in Colorado. It is only legal for Native Americans to possess eagle feathers or body parts. Annually, the eagle repository receives about 3,500 eagle carcasses and fulfills about 4,500 orders. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Maine's Lobster Harvest Drops, But Strong Prices Boost Overall Value

MAINE PUBLIC • March 6, 2020

By weight, Maine’s lobster harvest dropped by 17 percent from the previous year. That continued a recent downward trend that’s emerged since the record hauls of the mid-2010s. But the lobster fleet still brought in more than 100 million pounds, and prices at the dock last year were strong enough to pay lobstermen more than $485 million.

'It's All Going To Suck' - Lobstermen Criticize Pending Fed. Regulations At Maine Fishermen's Forum

MAINE PUBLIC • March 6, 2020

The executive director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association, Patrice McCarron, had a blunt message for members at its annual meeting Friday: "It's all going to suck." McCarron has spent more than a year trying to fend off threats of pending federal action to protect endangered North Atlantic right whales from entanglement with the lobster fleet's trap and buoy ropes. She told hundreds of fishermen that the MLA continues to oppose the gear restrictions being floated by state and federal regulators. And she pushed back against calls by some to walk away from the process altogether.

Letter: A close look at fish farm proposal

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 6, 2020

The full-page ad by Nordic Aquafarms in a recent edition of the BDN was very pretty and very promising. Let’s look at it more carefully. Now try to imagine the mature forest, wildlife habitat, and important ecosystem that will be forever destroyed. Then consider the five-plus years of noise, dust and traffic engendered by the excavation and construction required. Then learn about the amount of fresh water needed from local aquifers. Then, understand how the daily discharge of 7.7 million gallons of effluent into Belfast Bay could form a persistent plume of 100 million gallons of warm nitrogen-rich wastewater. The picture is not so pretty and the promises are not so convincing. ~ Martha M. Block, Northport