Letter: Ask Sen. Collins to co-sponsor Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 31, 2020

As a middle schooler, I appealed to Maine’s congressional delegation to curb fossil fuels. Sen. Susan Collins wrote me a two-page response in which she claimed to be a champion for climate change. I have since received my Ph.D. and am still waiting for her action on climate. Sen. Chris Coons needs a Republican senator to co-sponsor the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. Unlike other environmental legislation, this one caters to more conservative requests, making it ideal for Collins to support. Please encourage Sen. Collins to co-sponsor this bill. She has the opportunity to live her moderate values while making a magnificent impact on the future of the state and the entire world. ~ Susana Hancock, Freeport

Column: Electric vs. internal combustion cars

FRANKLIN JOURNAL • July 31, 2020

A 34 mpg gas-powered car in Maine produces almost 6 times the CO2 of the electric car, and even in coal country the EV is 40% better in terms of CO2. With the energy source mix shifting rapidly to solar and wind, this advantage is steadily increasing. ~ Paul Stancioff, PhD., professor of Physics at UMaine Farmington, and Cynthia Stancioff, MA, Public Administration, naturalist

Letter: Consider impact on neighbors, vote ‘yes’ to stop CMP plan

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 31, 2020

Southern Maine voters, as you head to the polls this November, please consider the fact that the people most impacted by Central Maine Power’s for-profit corridor do not want it. Nearly every town along the route has voted to oppose the corridor with overwhelming margins with several towns going as far as enacting power line moratoriums to delay the construction of this project. Please, help us avoid the environmental repercussions of this destructive project, which would allow CMP and their foreign stakeholders to make millions off our backs. Vote “yes” on the referendum to stop the CMP corridor. ~ Troy Hull, Starks

Hydro-Quebec denies influencing Maine elections after spending to oppose anti-corridor vote

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 31, 2020

Hydro-Quebec, which has spent millions fighting a November referendum aimed at defeating its proposed $1 billion hydropower project with Central Maine Power, told Maine lawmakers Thursday that it is not trying to influence the results of elections. A Maine political committee controlled by the Canadian utility and almost solely funded by a U.S. subsidiary has spent $6.2 million on the race through June. In July, it inked a $329,000 contract with a Washington, D.C., public affairs firm. “Hydro-Quebec’s campaign efforts are not aimed at influencing upcoming elections,” Serge Abergel, director of external relations for the utility, wrote. “Rather, we aim to provide facts.”

Finding more sharks off Maine’s coast could change our relationship with the ocean

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 30, 2020

Three days after a great white killed a swimmer off Bailey Island in Harpswell, scientists and researchers hope to learn more information about the species. Shark expert James Sulikowski said, “White sharks have been in the waters off Maine for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, and this is the first fatal attack. We’re not on their menu — that’s the main takeaway. The ocean is the shark’s home, and seals are shark food. We have to take that into account and respect that.” Risk reduction will be the name of the game for the foreseeable future. The Department of Marine Resources is urging people along the coast to avoid seals and schooling fish, which attract seals.

Editorial: Caution and compassion, not fear, after Maine’s first fatal shark attack

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 30, 2020

The instinct to think twice about jumping in the water, or letting a loved one do so, is understandable — especially in that area right now. Caution should rule the day as the Maine Marine Patrol continues to be on the lookout for sharks and is encouraging anyone who sees a shark to report it. These sharks have been here, according to researchers and sightings, and more are appearing in pursuit of seals. That’s something to be aware of and be cautious about, but it’s not something that should keep everyone out of the water indefinitely. 

One dam, four towns, little agreement

ADVERTISER DEMOCRAT • July 30, 2020

The Thompson Lake Dam Advisory Committee — nine members representing four towns: Oxford, Otisfield, Casco and Poland — will meet again in the fall in hopes of reaching a consensus on a plan to repair the dam and who will pay for it. When the committee met this month at the Oxford Municipal Center there was clear disagreement on those issues.

More beach restrictions added after new shark reports

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 30, 2020

State officials placed new swimming restrictions at four state beaches in response to reported shark sightings Wednesday at Popham Beach State Park. The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands is now restricting Popham Beach State Park to ankle-deep water access and Reid State Park to knee-deep water. Water access at Ferry Beach State Park and Crescent Beach State Park is limited to waist-deep water.

Popham Beach RV park ruling delayed a third time

TIMES RECORD • July 30, 2020

Whether a recreational vehicle park will be allowed at Popham Beach in Phippsburg may depend on a second opinion from a sound engineer. David and Tracy Percy, prior owners of Percy’s General Store in Phippsburg, want to create a nine-unit RV park on the former site of the store, which was demolished last year. The Phippsburg Planning Board tabled its decision of whether to approve the proposed park for a third time Tuesday evening.

Maine Blueberry Farmers Face Outbreaks And Other Challenges From Pandemic

MAINE PUBLIC • July 30, 2020

The Maine Center for Disease Control is investigating a second outbreak of COVID-19 within Maine's wild blueberry industry. Public health officials say three cases have been detected at Merrill Farms in Ellsworth. This after eight cases were reported earlier in the week at Hancock Foods, a blueberry processor in Washington Junction. Eric Venturini executive director of the Maine Blueberry Commission, says growers and processors who rely on migrant workers are following protocols developed this spring. 

UMaine Receives Patent For Tech To Create Environmentally Friendly Construction Materials

MAINE PUBLIC • July 30, 2020

The University of Maine has received a patent for a process to create more environmentally friendly construction materials using a slurry of tiny cellulose fibers derived from wood. “In a way it's like wood gluing wood together,” says UMaine Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Professor Doug Bousfield. Bousfield is the co-inventor of the process, and he says that, when dried, this combination of wood chips and cellulose nanofibers becomes a hard material that can be shaped into boards without the use of formaldehyde.

Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation Elects Seven New Board Members

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • July 30, 2020

The Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation has elected seven new board members. Bob McIntosh, AWWF Board President, noted that the members “bring specialized skills, local knowledge, and a range of experiences with the Waterway that will significantly benefit the Foundation in the years to come.” The seven new members joining the existing AWWF board are:
• Kaitlyn Bernard, Gray, Maine, The Nature Conservancy
• Thomas Gerard Madawaska, Maine, Madawaska Middle High School
• Chace Joe Jackson, Allagash, Maine, American Heart Association in Maine
• Jana L. Kenney, Westbrook, Maine, Richardson, Whitman, Large & Badger
• Leslie Marquis, Fort Kent, Maine, Fort Kent Middle High School
• Jason Perkins, North Yarmouth, Maine, Allagash Brewing Company
• Jenny Ward, Greenville Junction, Maine, Appalachian Mountain Club in Maine

Manchester officials look to end swimming at Outlet Bridge

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 30, 2020

Officials in Manchester say they plan to take measures to discourage use of the popular Outlet Bridge swimming spot. Accordingly, officials are looking for other places where town residents can take a dip. Safety concerns stem from the number of people gathering and swimming there, and what residents say is unruly behavior, including drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana.

Farmington Fair cancellation means lost income, missed opportunities

FRANKLIN JOURNAL • July 30, 2020

The Franklin County Agricultural Society (FCAS) operates the Farmington Fair and this was to be the 180th fair. When officials announced earlier this month that the Farmington Fair was canceled, for many it meant a loss of income and no chance to show off their accomplishments this year. 

Maine’s tourism industry on life-support as visitors trickle back

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 30, 2020

There are signs that conditions for Maine’s mammoth tourism industry improved over the past month, but many businesses remain on life support coming into the second half of the critical summer season. Out-of-state traffic on the Maine Turnpike has jumped and hotel occupancy has grown substantially over the past month. But testing and quarantine requirements for many visitors, including those from Massachusetts, are still keeping tourist traffic down, and the overall suppressed demand means business in Maine’s tourism epicenters is anything but normal.

This hairy caterpillar ‘looks like something out of a Dr. Seuss book’

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 29, 2020

On July 23, when 10-year-old Ariana Jenkins of Limestone spied an odd-looking caterpillar during a family hiking trip in Fort Kent. She searched caterpillar images online to discover that it was likely an American dagger moth caterpillar. It has been reported that toxins found in the caterpillar’s hair can cause a stinging sensation and rash, so her mother, Lisa Burress, is glad that they adopted a hands-off approach to inspecting it.

Column: Rock on

TIMES RECORD • July 30, 2020

I’m much more knowledgeable writing about the living components of the ocean ecosystem than the non-living parts, but when my cousin came up for a visit last summer and showed me garnets in the rocks along the shore, my interest was sparked. He’s a retired geologist with a great depth of knowledge about rocks and an ability to explain it in a way that made it seem magical.  While you don’t eat garnets in your food, you do consume many of the same minerals in your food that are found in the rocks along the seashore. ~ Susan Olcott