Thousands allowed to bypass environmental rules in pandemic

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 24, 2020

Thousands of oil and gas operations, government facilities and other sites won permission to stop monitoring for hazardous emissions or otherwise bypass rules intended to protect health and the environment because of the coronavirus outbreak. The Trump administration paved the way for the reduced monitoring on March 26 after being pressured by the oil and gas industry, which said lockdowns and social distancing during the pandemic made it difficult to comply with anti-pollution rules. States are responsible for much of the oversight of federal environmental laws, and many followed with leniency policies of their own.

Opponents will still try to kill CMP corridor after court nixes referendum

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 24, 2020

Hours after Maine’s high court struck down a referendum aiming to kill Central Maine Power’s proposed corridor project earlier this month, a legislative critic issued a statement saying they “may not be able to stop this corridor,” but they could stop similar ones in the future. The sentiment from Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, illustrated the increasingly limited options opponents have to kill the project. But they are still hoping for the success of a bank-shot effort consisting of two lawsuits and challenges to final permits that could do it in theory. Natural Resources Council of Maine attorney Sue Ely characterized as “clearest path” to challenging the project. There is the DEP environmental permit and a second lawsuit charging that the Bureau of Public Lands violated state law by not requiring a Somerset County land lease to go to a two-thirds vote in the Legislature.

Column: Putting families back on the farms

TIMES RECORD • August 24, 2020

American farming is in a dismal condition. Decades after giant, polluting industries – paper, leather, chemicals and many hazardous substances – were either shut down or forced to clean up, we are left with giant, polluting farms. Maine had numerous paper mills and tanneries that fouled the rivers and air of countless “mill towns,” and were famously restored by Sen. Ed Muskie’s Clean Air and Clean Water acts. Agriculture, however, has been nearly exempt from anti-pollution rules. We need wholesale change. We might take a cue from Ed Muskie and start regulating agriculture with health, safety and environmental standards, and bring farm workers, finally, under the protection of wage-and-hour laws. ~ Douglas Rooks

Editorial: Crosswalks, no matter their color, are failing to protect pedestrians

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 24, 2020

Last year, 17 pedestrians died after being struck by vehicles in Maine. That was three times the number who died in 2018, and higher than the average for the previous four years, which was 12 pedestrian fatalities a year. Nationally, the number of pedestrian deaths in 2018 was the highest in almost three decades. State law requires that motorists “yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian who is crossing within a marked crosswalk or to a pedestrian who has shown visible intent to enter the marked crosswalk.” Too often, this is not happening. Coupling crosswalks with signs, speed bumps and other features to call drivers’ attention to them make the crosswalks more effective. Motorists, especially in downtown areas with pedestrians, need to slow down, put down the cellphone (that is state law now), and pay attention to the road and what is around them.

Volunteers in Hallowell install temporary minipark, seek public input

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • August 23, 2020

Volunteers set up the pocket park Saturday morning at the corner of Central and Water streets. It is scheduled to remain for two weeks as a test run. In July, the City Council approved a test run of a park on city land now used as a parking lot.

Maine lobsterman to address GOP convention as Trump bets big on iconic industry

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 23, 2020

Eighth-generation lobsterman Jason Joyce of Swan’s Island will address the Republican National Convention on Tuesday as President Donald Trump prioritizes Maine and its most iconic industry in an election year. Maine is one of two states that split presidential electors by congressional district. Trump lost the Democratic-leaning state in 2016, but won the more conservative 2nd Congressional District and is making a large play here in a repeat bid.

Eaton Mountain owner, foundation strike deal to upgrade Skowhegan ski area

MORNING SENTINEL • August 23, 2020

Eaton Mountain experienced an optimistic opening and a disheartening closing in 2019, but a new foundation has stepped in with local support and a plan to engage the students of the local charter school to revive the recreation area and turn it into a year-round operation. The Eaton Mountain Foundation, which is seeking approval of its application for nonprofit status and is associated with the Community Regional Charter School, has entered into a long-term lease with David Beers, who owns Eaton Mountain. Students from the school will be contracted to transform Eaton Mountain into a four-season recreation area.

Naturalist sheds light on Maine’s spider world in new book

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 23, 2020

With eight spindly legs and rows of shining eyes, spiders often rouse goosebumps and shrieks of surprise. But what else? Diving into the mysterious world of these creepy crawlies, “A Backyard Book of Spiders in Maine” by Dana Wilde was released earlier this summer by North Country Press. Not your typical guidebook, the resource is imbued with Wilde’s deep fascination with spiders and their complex behaviors. And his wonderment is infectious.

Three men killed in separate ATV crashes in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 22, 2020

Three men died Saturday in separate ATV crashes in Maine, the Maine Warden Service said. Around 10 a.m. Saturday in The Forks, Joshua Violette, 32, of Readfield was the fifth driver in a group of nine when he hit a dip in the road, lost control and flipped his ATV. He died at the scene. Violette’s passenger, Ashlie Dostie, 33, of Mount Vernon had injuries that were not life-threatening. Neither rider was wearing a helmet. A few minutes later in Anson, Roland Robitaille, 69, of Freedom was riding in a line of seven ATVs on a trail behind the Solon Road. He went over a bridge on the trail, lost control, and was thrown from his vehicle. Robitaille was not wearing a helmet. That night in Lang Township, Tyler Curry, 29, of Groton, Massachusetts, was riding alone on a private access road. Just before crossing a bridge, he made a left turn and slid off the bridge and into the river. Curry was not wearing a helmet. 

On this date in Maine history: Aug. 23

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 23, 2020

Aug. 23, 1879: Theodore Roosevelt, who was approaching his 21st birthday, arrives in northern Maine for a month of camping, hiking and canoeing, during which, long before the development of marked trails, he climbs Mount [sic] Katahdin carrying a 45-pound pack. He reaches the peak with friends Wilmot Dow and Bill Sewall. Afterward, the future president and Dow embark on a 50-mile, six-day expedition up the Aroostook River in a dugout canoe, hacking their way through beaver dams and log drifts and spending up to 10 hours a day in icy water up to their hips.

The Saco River’s good Samaritans

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 24, 2020

A group of four friends—Sager and George Belanger, both 27, and Lance Jandreau and Liam Bergin, both 26—three of them certified scuba divers, have made it their mission this summer to haul trash out of the Saco River. Ludmila Svoboda of Limerick said she and her 8-year-old son watched recently as a large group floated past them and dropped cans in the river. Svoboda used it as a teaching moment for her son, Abner Deans. “It’s unfortunate. It’s not uncommon to see large groups,” Svoboda said. “I told my son we have to respect the river to take care of the water and wildlife. We’re so lucky to live in Maine and to have this clean river. Kids need to know that behavior is not OK.”

University of Maine at Machias expanding its marine biology program

WABI-TV5 • August 22, 2020

At a time when many universities are scaling back and concentrating on remote learning -- the University of Maine Machias is making other plans. The University is adding three new concentrations to its marine biology program in aquaculture, marine ecology and coastal conservation.

Visits to Acadia doubled from June to July, but were still down sharply from 2019 totals

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 22, 2020

Monthly visits to Acadia National Park more than doubled from June to July but still lagged well behind visit totals from 2019, a decline directly attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Park Service estimates it had 493,000 recreational visits last month, more than 260,000 fewer than the 756,000 visits it had in July 2019. Acadia had just over 200,000 visits this past June, less than half of the 490,000 visits it had in June 2019. So far in 2020 Acadia National Park has had an estimated 908,000 visits, compared to 1.58 million for the first seven months of 2019, for a 42 percent decline.

Ecological reserve to be established in western Maine, following land purchase

DAILY BULLDOG • August 21, 2020

Following the purchase of 9,608 acres of land near the Canadian border, The Nature Conservancy announced last week that it will be creating an ecological reserve. The acreage was purchased by the conservation organization from Bayroot, LLC to create the Boundary Mountains Preserve, The Nature Conservancy said in a press release. The land is adjacent to 22,000 acres of public land in Quebec and a roughly 8,000 acre parcel that another organization, the Forest Society of Maine, is working to purchase a conservation easement for. According to The Nature Conservancy, acquiring the Merrill Strip Township land further extends a corridor of more than 260,000 acres that links the White Mountains in New Hampshire, the foothills of western Maine and the Quebec borderlands.

Maine to partner with Massachusetts in study of great white sharks

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 21, 2020

The Maine Department of Marine Resources announced Friday that it will place 20 acoustic receivers in “near shore” waters off the Maine coast to capture data from tags that have been placed on great white sharks by Massachusetts biologists. The effort will help add critical data to a 10-year white shark study conducted by the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and to work done by the nonprofit Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

Maine removes anti-CMP corridor referendum from the ballot

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 21, 2020The Maine Secretary of State’s office announced Friday that a question that would have killed Central Maine Power’s proposed powerline project won’t appear on the November ballot, ending one the most high-profile local campaigns this year. The action came after a Cumberland County Superior Court judge formally declared on Friday that the question that would have directed the Maine Public Utilities Commission to reverse its approval of a permit for the utility’s western Maine project “fails to meet the constitutional requirements” needed to get on the ballot.

European Union to eliminate tariffs on American lobsters

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 21, 2020

The United States and the European Union have reached an agreement to eliminate tariffs on American lobster, federal officials announced Friday, which could boost exports for Maine’s industry hit hard by trade wars and, more recently, the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to losing some of the European market to Canada, China — a major importer of Maine lobster — imposed 25 percent tariffs on lobster in 2018 after Trump placed tariffs on many goods imported from China. The trade war led many Chinese importers to shift to buying lobster from Canada.

Column: Field of folly

TIMES RECORD • August 21, 2020

Growing up in Brunswick in the 1980s and 1990s was a great time to be a kid. Just down the street was an open field near a small farm stand. Cars, a great deal of them, generally drove on by as they headed for Bath Road or Maine Street. This field, while not very large, at about three acres was noticeable with large pine trees in its center and its wildlife. There is a plan being considered by the town’s Planning Board to remove the trees and vegetation, the animals and the tranquility. In its place will be 16 single family homes and garages. Sometimes a well-intentioned development can be just too much for the surrounding area. ~ Jonathan Crimmins

On this date in Maine history: Aug. 21

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 21, 2020

Walt Disney releases the animated film “Bambi,” which benefited from various Maine influences. Disney sent one of his employees, Damariscotta native Maurice “Jake” Day, a prolific artist, sculptor, photographer and naturalist, back to Maine to paint and photograph the area around Mount Katahdin in various seasons during the production of “Bambi.” As a result, many of the scenes in the movie are inspired by the Baxter State Park area. To aid the film’s development further, the Maine Development Commission sent two orphaned fawns, Bambi and Faline, to Hollywood by train for animators to study.