Opinion: President Trump supports Maine’s lobster industry

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 5, 2020

Because of the Trump economy, 2017, 2018 and 2019 were three of the top six years in the history of the lobster industry for value landed. As a matter of fact, in 2019, lobstermen saw the highest per pound price ever. It wasn’t even close, at $4.82 it was nearly 20 cents higher than the next closest year on record. When we needed help the most, not only did Trump throw us a lifeline, he showed up with a rescue boat. If Joe Biden wins, he will likely nominate judges who favor eco-extremists over Maine’s lobster industry. For the lobster industry to have an ally in the White House working for us, the choice for Maine could not be any clearer.. ~ Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham, Winter Harbor

Forest Service investigating suspected arson in Bridgewater

THE COUNTY • September 4, 2020

A week after the Bridgewater Fire Department was called to put out a fire at a former house that was under demolition, the Maine Forest Service said the fire appeared to have been lit intentionally. Jim Britt — a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, which contains the Maine Forest Service — said the investigation is not complete and there are currently no suspects. While the fire caused negligible property damage, as well as minor damage to the forest, the results could have been far more severe.

US wildlife agency seeks to carve out areas from protections

ASSOCIATED PRESS • September 4, 2020

A Trump administration proposal released Friday would allow the government to deny habitat protections for endangered animals and plants in areas that would see greater economic benefits from being developed — a change critics said could open lands to more energy development and other activities. It’s the latest move by the Trump administration in a years-long effort to repeal regulations across government that has broadly changed how the Endangered Species Act gets used.

Feds sign off on Maine’s plans for production of hemp

ASSOCIATED PRESS • September 4, 2020

Maine officials said the federal government has signed off on the state’s plans for the production of hemp, a growing piece of the state’s agriculture industry. The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry says Maine’s hemp program began in 2016, when it consisted of one grower who harvested seed from less than an acre. The departments says the program now includes 110 outdoor licenses and 362 licensed acres of planted hemp, as well as seven indoor grower licenses with more than 22,700 licensed square feet planted.

How to check if your personal care items contain toxins

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 4, 2020

Makeup, lotion and other personal care products are often touted as an essential element of “self-care.” However, some of these products contain toxins that are detrimental to our health. Gail Carlson, assistant professor of environmental studies at Colby College, said most lipsticks not only have lead in them, but also other preservatives that have been found to be carcinogenic in mice and rats. The experts agreed that the long-term solutions to personal care products containing harmful chemicals will be advocacy for change in regulations and policies surrounding consumer chemical safety. 

Portland records its hottest summer on record – again

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 4, 2020

This summer was the hottest on record in Portland, although recent history suggests 2020 may not hold that title for long. As if the pandemic summer of 2020 didn’t offer enough ways to be remembered (or purposely forgotten), meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Gray announced this week that the period from June to August was also the warmest since record-keeping began in 1940. The average temperature for the three-month period in Portland was 70.5 degrees – more than 1.5 degrees warmer than the previous record (set just two years ago) and 3.6 degrees hotter than the “normal” summer temperature in the city.

Who Was John Muir, Really?

CA CHAPARRAL INSTITUTE • September 5, 2020

John Muir was raised by a racist and abusive father, who forced him into intensive labor logging forests on their farm as a pre-teen and beating and lashing him to force memorization of the Bible. Muir’s father viewed natural areas as places to be exploited—cut down, dug up, and put to rigorous utilitarian purpose—and saw Native Americans as an impediment to this goal. When Muir first arrived in Yosemite in 1868, it was nearly two decades after white miners and loggers, backed by militias and the U.S. government, warred upon the Native American tribes in Yosemite Valley. And, Muir began to view Native Americans, their culture, and the way they lived in harmony with Nature, with growing respect. In 1871, he quit his job in the logging industry[vii] and began his personal and professional transformation. John Muir the environmental advocate was born. 

Editorial: Trump administration’s deal to eliminate EU lobster tariffs a good haul for Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 4, 2020

During a visit to Maine in June, President Donald Trump preemptively and preposterously claimed to have saved Maine’s fishing industry with the rolling back of protections in a national monument off the coast of Cape Cod. However, the Trump administration has negotiated an agreement with the European Union to drop its 8 percent tariff on live U.S. lobster imports and upwards of 20 percent tariff on frozen products for the next 5 years, with the potential of zeroing the tariffs out permanently. The deal with the EU is an undisputed good haul for the industry that puts it back on more even footing with Canada, at least in that market.

Column: Rangeley’s Lakes Remain Clean and Healthy

RANGELEY HIGHLANDER • September 4, 2020

Alayna McNally is the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust’s new water quality coordinator. Alayna started in May with a full plate of responsibilities; coordinating the water quality monitoring program that includes checking dissolved chemicals such as phosphorus as well as clarity testing, the invasive plant patroller program, the courtesy boat inspectors at town and state public boat launches, the local loon count program of the Maine Audubon Society, and organizing a water quality conference (on Zoom, of course). ~ Allen Wicken

Maxwell Farm to preserve 76 acres for agriculture in Cape Elizabeth

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 4, 2020

Maxwell Farm, 76 acres stretching between Sawyer and Spurwink roads, will be conserved in perpetuity under a pending agreement negotiated and funded by the Maine Farmland Trust and the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust. It’s a deal that will prevent the property from being sold amid growing pressure for residential development in an affluent seaside community, and it will preserve farmland at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for local sustainable food sources.

Letter: Zeigler works toward sustainable future

MORNING SENTINEL • September 4, 2020

 My wife and I are impressed the work of Rep. S. Paige Zeigler. Markets for recycled materials dried up when China stopped accepting most plastics, so Zeigler co-sponsored a bill that would shift much of the cost of recycling to the companies that produce the packaging, relieving taxpayers of that burden and incentivizing companies to use easily recyclable materials. He leads the Maine contingent among members of the National Council of Environmental Legislators. His committee is now working on ways to reduce levels of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). We think voters should reelect Zeigler. ~ Gary Stimeling, Freedom  

Letter: NECEC brings clean energy, investment

MORNING SENTINEL • September 4, 2020

I keep hearing from opponents of NECEC there is no benefit to Mainers and that Massachusetts only will reap its rewards. That is utterly ridiculous. The Clean Energy Corridor will pump more than 1,000 megawatts of hydropower into Maine and New England from Quebec. When this amount of any type energy is brought into the New England grid, the effects are obvious — bills go down for Maine ratepayers. There is also a significant amount of property tax revenue that will be generated for towns along the corridor of the project to fund local projects. I strongly encourage all Mainers to get behind NECEC. ~ Connie Craven, Corinna

With shark attack and scuba accidents, 2020 has been more deadly along Maine’s coast

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 4, 2020

2020 is the state’s deadliest of the past few years for recreational and commercial mariners. Earlier this week, three people died in Maine’s coastal waters, bringing the statewide total so far this year to nine, including seven in just the past two months. The Marine Patrol has handled more fatalities this year than in any of the five previous years, and perhaps longer.

Carrabassett Valley club closes ATV trails on posted tribal land

SUN JOURNAL • September 3, 2020

The Carrabassett Valley ATV Club shut down its all-terrain vehicle trails Tuesday after the Penobscot Nation, which owns about half the land in town, erected no trespassing signs on their property. The federally recognized tribe owns about 24,000 acres in Carrabassett Valley and over the years they have been very kind to allow organizations to use the land, John McCatherin, club treasurer and secretary, said. Of about 32 miles of the club’s trails, an estimated 28 miles of them are either on Penobscot Nation land or riders have to cross the land to get to another area. The club has filed a request to discuss the matter, resolve the situation and get permission to reopen the trails.

Just outside Bangor, this arboretum and trail network features a wide variety of plants

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 3, 2020

Ecotat Gardens and Arboretum is a 91-acre property in Hermon that’s owned and managed by the nonprofit Ecotat Trust, which was formed in 1995. The property is home to 55 gardens, and the forest surrounding the gardens features a network of intersecting trails. There are 280 types of trees on the property, and more than 1,500 varieties of perennials. This floral diversity attracts an abundance of insects, birds and other wild animals.

Maine bear hunter killed when truck collapses on him

ASSOCIATED PRESS • September 3, 2020

A Maine hunter has died from injuries suffered when his pickup truck collapsed on him while he was changing a tire. The accident killed Jason Dube, 46, of Eagle Lake on Tuesday. He had been on a bear hunting trip in the woods of northern Maine. Dube was changing the tire when other members of his group were looking for a bear they had shot. The vehicle slipped off a jack and collapsed on Dube.

Maine hits snag in effort to distribute pandemic aid to seafood industry

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 3, 2020

Maine’s plan to distribute the $20 million in COVID-19 relief earmarked for the state’s seafood industry is facing unexpected opposition from federal regulators who say individual recipients, not the fishery as a whole, must demonstrate a 35 percent revenue loss this spring before they can qualify for pandemic assistance.

Letter: Let’s not remain captive to CMP

MORNING SENTINEL • September 3, 2020

The Maine Public Utilities Commission’s job in theory is to protect the consumer rights of utility customers. However, the PUC has authorized Central Maine Power to increase rates this year. Despite a $10 million fine, the rates increased on average $1.73 per month per residential household effective March 1. Effective July 1 was an additional rate increase averaging $2.50 per residential household to help pay for two storms. CMP will receive an additional $1.1 million and $1.6 million monthly. Over the allotted 36 months CMP stands to “recoup” $57.25 million to pay for repairs. Why do we continue to remain captive to CMP, Avangrid and Iberdrola? Hopefully efforts to defeat the New England Clean Energy Connect will translate into L.D. 1646 becoming a reality. ~ Christopher J. French, Vassalboro

Column: Big changes to the ocean impacts tiny shells

TIMES RECORD • September 3, 2020

One of the impacts climate change on marine life is related to acidification, the increasing acidity of the ocean water. It is the result of a number of factors including increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that gets absorbed into the water. The two critical components of shells are calcium and bicarbonate. Sea creatures combine them to make carbonate. The growth of a snail shell has to do with the golden ratio that starts with a small spiral and grows logarithmically, repeating itself over and over again. The increased carbon dioxide in seawater binds to carbonate ions, using them up so they are no longer available to shell-building animals that combine them with calcium to form calcium carbonate – the stuff they need for their shells. ~ Susan Olcott

Letter: NECEC takes climate change seriously

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • September 3, 2020

I support the New England Clean Energy Connect. The time has come for Maine and the rest of New England to take the climate crisis seriously. The NECEC will reduce carbon emissions by millions of metric tons annually. There are other benefits to the project, but my most pressing concern is addressing the climate crisis. ~ Brian Marson, Hallowell