Maine, CMP revise lease at heart of corridor proposal, but legal questions remain

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 30, 2020

The administration of Gov. Janet Mills revised a lease at the center of Central Maine Power’s corridor proposal on the same day a lawsuit was filed raising questions about the state’s ability to unilaterally allow changes to public lands. CMP will now have to pay $65,000 a year to use a 300-foot wide, one-mile stretch of land that the power line will pass through. A lawsuit filed on the same day by opponents of the project over the earlier lease is one of several affecting the $1 billion project as it faces a referendum in November that could serve as a rebuke of the powerline. The corridor looks to be widely unpopular but is backed by politicians — including Mills and LePage — who have defended it from legislative challenges.

Judge won’t remove referendum on CMP corridor from November ballot

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 29, 2020

A judge declined Monday to remove a referendum on a $1 billion hydropower transmission project from the November ballot, ruling that constitutional questions can be addressed later if the referendum is enacted. Superior Court Justice Thomas Warren said in his ruling that the lawsuit raises important questions about the separation of powers under the Maine Constitution but said the “substantive challenges to the validity of the proposed initiative may not be reviewed at this time.”

As Legal Battle Over Transmission Line Geared Up, CMP And State Agency Quietly Amended The Lease

MAINE PUBLIC • June 30, 2020

The state’s Bureau of Parks and Lands has signed a revised deal with Central Maine Power to lease a public parcel for the utility’s controversial power line through western Maine. It makes some key changes, but opponents say under the state constitution, the lease still needs to be approved by a two-thirds majority of the Legislature. The lease is for a 300-foot-wide, mile-long parcel that CMP wants for its proposed transmission corridor. The original 2014 lease was challenged on constitutional and other grounds in the Legislature this year and in a lawsuit filed by opponents last week.

MaineHealth commits to solar power for half of its energy needs

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 30, 2020

MaineHealth has reached agreements to purchase power from three solar electric developers in a plan that’s expected to cut the health care system’s annual electric bill by at least $1 million while encouraging the growth of clean-energy generation in Maine. The 20-year agreements will help support 10 proposed solar farms located from Benton to Saco that would generate enough electricity to equal half the power used by MaineHealth properties. The projects are planned to come online within the next two years.

Jay Planning Board votes against recusing members over opposition to CMP corridor

SUN JOURNAL • June 30, 2020

Jay Planning Board members Tuesday voted against a request by Central Maine Power to have three members recuse themselves from voting a shoreland zoning application for alleged conflict of interest and bias. The request was made by an attorney and related to CMP’s proposed 145-mile New England Clean Energy Connect corridor. CMP attorney Matthew Manahan of Pierce Atwood firm in Portland asked the members to recuse themselves from discussion and voting on the permit application because of their known opposition to the project.

The Pandemic's Impact on Maine Farmers & How They Have Adapted

MAINE PUBLIC • June 30, 2020

A panel discusses how the pandemic has affected Maine’s agriculture industry, and what is being done to help farms across the state get through the crisis. Guests: Amanda Beal, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry; Sarah Alexander, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association; Hannah Carter, dean of University of Maine Cooperative Extension; Colleen Hanlon-Smith, co-owner of Daybreak Grower’s Alliance in Waldo County; Jenni Tilton-Flood, dairy farmer, Flood Brothers Farm in Clinton.

Tourists who tested positive raise COVID-19 fears in Castine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 29, 2020

Local officials in Castine are urging residents to follow recommended precautions, and a local church has canceled in-person services this coming Sunday, after learning that out-of-state visitors may have been infected with COVID-19 when they were in town this month. Despite the concerns, officials said they have been looking into the matter but have not found any evidence that the disease spread to local residents before the visitors left. The visitors did not test positive for the disease until after they left Maine, officials said.

Camping no minimum night stay to begin July 1

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 30, 2020

Beginning July 1, customers can make a reservation at the 12 State Park Campgrounds without any minimum night stay limits. This is an added customer service allowing campers to book a single Friday or Saturday night for reservations between July 1 and the end of the camping season.

A beginner’s guide to camping in a tent in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 30, 2020

Camping in a tent is an activity that many people look forward to each summer. It’s an opportunity to embrace the outdoors, unwind, relax and live simply. But certain aspects of tenting can be challenging. Just one mistake can result in a very uncomfortable night under the stars. These tips and tricks for camping in a tent will help beginners try it without fear — and might just teach seasoned campers a thing or two as well.

Letter: Former conservation commissioner backs Skold in District 38

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 30, 2020

I am a lifelong Maine environmental activist, presently living in Portland’s West End, and I support Charles Skold for the Democratic nomination for District 38 state representative. Charles has a strong commitment to maintaining a clean environment in our state, and I’m sure he will maintain that strong commitment when he is a member of the Legislature. ~ Richard “Dick” Anderson, commissioner, Maine Department of Conservation, 1981-1987

Letter: Fight climate change to prevent disease

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 30, 2020

As many resume day to day lives after the shutdown, a return to another pandemic-driven closed economy is still a strong possibility. To prevent this, we should be creating policy that focuses on the health and well being of people by encouraging a healthier interaction with our planet. ~ Adam Turner, Augusta

Trump air quality, permitting rollbacks could hit Maine harder than most

MAINE BEACON (Maine People's Alliance) • June 29, 2020

Moves by the Trump administration this month to weaken environmental regulations could have disproportionate impacts on Maine, a state downwind of high-pollution areas. The White House has directed federal agencies to expedite the environmental review of infrastructure projects required under the Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act and other federal laws, and the EPA said it would tweak the cost-benefit analysis it uses to determine emissions limits under the Clean Air Act. Maine depends more than other states on federal standards for air pollution because prevailing west-to-east winds push pollutants from the rest of the East Coast and Midwest into the state. Even if Maine is able to control emissions within its borders, pollution from as far away as Chicago still affects the state’s air quality and leads to more instances of asthma and other health conditions.

Judge rules anti-corridor question can go to Maine voters despite legal challenge

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 29, 2020

A Maine judge dismissed a court challenge to a pending ballot question opposing Central Maine Power’s controversial hydropower corridor proposal on Monday, saying any ruling prior to the question being voted on in November would be preemptive. Superior Court judge Thomas Warren said while CMP’s parent company, Avangrid, raised legitimate questions about whether the citizens initiative looking to overturn the Maine Public Utilities Commission’s approval of the New England Clean Energy Connect would violate the Maine Constitution, such a ruling is not necessary before the issue is put to a vote. The question of constitutionality “must be reserved for future litigation if the proposed initiative is enacted,” he wrote.

New research warns against overharvesting fiddleheads

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 29, 2020

Foraging fiddleheads is a longtime tradition for Mainers. The tender croziers are a New England delicacy, with their unique, bright flavor and asparagus-like consistency. But could they become endangered with overharvesting? Results of a four-year study conducted by a University of Maine Cooperative Extension expert shows that overzealous foraging of fiddleheads can cause significant decline or even destruction of their populations over time

Judge: Anti-CMP Ballot Initiative Should Go To Voters

MAINE PUBLIC • June 29, 2020

A Cumberland County Superior Court judge ruled on Monday that a citizens initiative aimed at killing Central Maine Power’s power line project can stay on the November ballot. CMP had argued that the item would violate the constitutional separation of powers by undoing a permit issued by executive-branch regulators. Justice Thomas Warren says that argument is a significant issue that may have merit — but that the courts should not weigh in until after voters have had their say.

Mills Says Tourists Are Responsible For Knowing The Rules For Traveling To Maine During Pandemic

MAINE PUBLIC • June 29, 2020

As we approach the Fourth of July weekend, the state is already seeing an influx of visitors, and Gov. Janet Mills says she wants them all to know the guidelines they must follow in order to limit the spread of COVID-19. Mills said visitors from states other than Vermont and New Hampshire have a responsibility to either be tested before or shortly after they get here, or quarantine for two weeks upon arrival — and she says if a surge in cases occurs this summer, the state could choose to reimpose restrictions on certain activities.

Worldwide slowdown in fishing unlikely to save rare species

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 29, 2020

Commercial fishing taking place worldwide has dipped since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but scientists and conservation experts say it’s unclear if the slowdown will help endangered species of marine life recover. Hours logged by fishermen at sea fell by nearly 10 percent around the world after the March 11 declaration of a pandemic, and in some hard-hit countries such as China, fishing completely stopped. The fishing decline has spurred questions about food security, ocean management and global trade.

Property to be explored as an enhancement opportunity

MOUNT DESERT ISLANDER • June 29, 2020

A half-acre parcel of property at 392 Main Street that neighbors Chris’s Pond has come before the town as an investment option before it goes up for sale on the open market. Selectmen voted to pursue options, presented to Maine Coast Heritage Trust by its owners, for the property to be a possible enhancement to the Chris’s Pond property. A conservation easement is held by MCHT for the Chris’s Pond property, which is on the other side of a right of way from the half-acre parcel up for consideration.  In addition to enhancing the Chris’s Pond property, members of the board talked about it being an option for workforce housing. 

Auburn awarded grant to attack Emerald Ash Borer

TURNER PUBLISHING • June x, 2020

Auburn has been approved for a 2020 Project Canopy Assistance grant that will allow it to educate homeowners with ash trees about the Emerald Ash Borer and to begin to replace trees as needed. The $8,000 grant is through the USDA Forest Service Project Canopy program. The Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive insect native to Asia. It was introduced to the United States near Detroit during the 1990s and first identified there in 2002. It spread rapidly and has killed hundreds of millions of trees in North America, since it has no natural enemies here. It was first identified in Maine in May 2018 and has been found in Aroostook, York, and Cumberland counties.

Parsons Beach opened, but dogs are temporarily banned

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 29, 2020

Parsons Beach in Kennebunk opened Friday afternoon, June 26. Given that piping plovers are nesting on the sandy beach, hatching tiny eggs, and with infant plovers running about, the select board on Tuesday, June 22, voted unanimously to keep dogs off the beach, through the end of July, when the birds move on.