CMP parent says top competitor is illegally obstructing $1B corridor project

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 15, 2020

Central Maine Power and its parent have filed a complaint alleging a competitor opposed to its $1 billion hydropower corridor has illegally obstructed the project by refusing to complete upgrades necessary to connect the project to the regional grid. NextEra Energy Resources, a large Florida-based utility that operates a clean-energy business in Maine and New Hampshire while also owning the oil-fired Wyman Station plant in Yarmouth, has opposed the New England Clean Energy Connect, the formal name of the proposed 145-mile corridor.

Opinion: Science is telling us to protect more forests

GREENFIELD RECORDER • October 15, 2020

There is growing scientific consensus that the only way to prevent runaway global warming is to not only reduce burning of fossil fuels, but also to allow forests to grow back wherever possible to absorb and store carbon from the atmosphere — termed proforestation. Protecting such intact forests maximizes carbon storage while logging releases carbon and fuels climate change. Ignoring the needs of the natural world has gotten us into quite a mess. But human attempts to “manage” nature only make the problem worse. We need more places where we allow nature to take her course, without interference from us. This is what science is telling us, and we should have the wisdom to listen. ~ Michael Kellett, RESTORE: The North Woods

Charles Nadeau elected president of James W. Sewall Co.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 15, 2020

The board of directors of Old Town-based James W. Sewall Co. announced that Charles Nadeau has replaced George N. Campbell Jr. as the 140-year-old company’s president after serving as its chief financial officer and chief operating officer. Nadeau’s new role will encompass direction and leadership of the company, as well as overseeing accounting and human resources at Sewall. Sewall is a multi-disciplined consulting firm providing services to government, energy and utilities, and the forest industry.

Column: Head in the clouds

TIMES RECORD • October 15, 2020

I decided to brave the skies for the first time since the pandemic. Something that struck me were the clouds we were flying above. The types, the textures, the density – the diversity of form is all the more clear when you look at them in a broad expanse. I am much more familiar looking at clouds over the water in smaller chunks nestled in inlets and coves. What I had noticed, even in these small chunks, was that the cloud cover and complexity has started to increase with the change in season. I discovered a new app that has an abundance of information about clouds. The app, Flyover Country, lets you look at all kinds of natural and man-made features from the air if you pre-load a map ahead of flying. ~ Susan Olcott

Portland OKs $30M freezer warehouse despite West End opposition

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 14, 2020

Portland’s approval of a $30 million cold-storage facility in the city’s West End could make Maine a major hub for frozen food shipped between Europe and the U.S., the Portland Press Herald reported. The city planning board’s 6-0 vote on Tuesday will allow the Icelandic cargo hauler Eimskip to store up to 20,000 pallets of food at a high-tech refrigerator warehouse to be built on Commercial Street. Some 80 West End residents opposed the project. They questioned the wisdom of using waterfront space “for more than a hundred million pounds of frozen peas and pizza, chicken nuggets and corn-dogs and not for fresh locally caught bait fish.” 

With losses around $30,000 a month, Portland Fish Exchange seeks a bailout

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 14, 2020

The Portland Fish Exchange, the city-operated fish auction, is losing about $30,000 a month and is asking another city agency to help bail it out through the middle of next year. The daily auction, where fishermen sell their catch to buyers from seafood wholesalers and processors, has cut losses somewhat over the past few years and has made slight adjustments to cut expenses. But fish landings plummeted this summer, mostly likely the because of disruptions caused by the pandemic, and the losses accelerated. The exchange is turning to the Fish Pier Authority because it normally runs at a surplus of $200,000 to $300,000 a year through leasing parking spaces.

Views and birds among the concerns over Saddleback’s new lodge and solar farm plans

SUN JOURNAL • October 14, 2020

If development here goes ahead, the Maine Appalachian Trail Club questioned the impact on views and Maine Audubon questioned the impact on birds during Arctaris Impact Fund’s public hearing Wednesday in front of the Land Use Planning Commission. The new owner of Saddleback Mountain Ski Resort wants to change its Planned Development District to allow for a new sizeable solar farm and new mid-mountain lodge, projects it’s called “critical” in bringing the resort back.

Editorial: Protecting main street from climate impacts

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 14, 2020

In February, the Maine Climate Council Scientific and Technical subcommittee released a scientific assessment on climate change and its effects in Maine. According to the subcommittee, “it is likely that sea level in Maine will rise between 3 and 5 feet by the year 2100.” Whether it’s in response to warming winters or rising seas, understanding and acting on the impacts of climate change is not just about protecting the environment, but about preserving livelihoods — for individuals, for businesses and for entire communities.

The Wild Connection

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • October 13, 2020

Although they can seem far removed from our lives we have an innate connection to the animals we share the earth with. The relationship between us is complex, ever changing, and unique to each species. The Wild Connection seeks to understand the link between us at a time when the future is uncertain. One of the locations featured is Baxter State Park in Maine. The Park is a testament to conservation and remains largely untouched. Despite being a pristine wilderness the animals here are still inadvertently affected by human activity miles away. You can rent or buy this film on Vimeo on Demand. OR Watch it NOW on Amazon Prime.

New Maine bee habitat information available

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • October 13, 2020

Updated research on supporting habitat for Maine’s 278 species of bees is included in a new publication from University of Maine Cooperative Extension. “Selecting Plants to Support Bees in Maine: Summary of the Bee Module Project” includes data from the original project conducted 2012-15 across four Maine sites, broad and specific recommendations for planning or enhancing bee habitat, specific results with key takeaways, data tables and additional resources. UMaine Extension bulletins may be ordered or downloaded from the publications catalog, by calling 207-581-3792 or by emailing extension.orders@maine.edu.

Forestry Officials: Be On The Looking For Japanese Stiltgrass In Maine

MAINE PUBLIC • October 13, 2020

The Maine Department of Agriculture Conservation and Forestry is urging landowners and nursery professionals to check for an aggressive, invasive plant that’s only recently been confirmed in Maine. “Japanese stiltgrass is a plant that came over to the United States in 1919 in Tennessee as a kind of packing material for china, and other uses,” says state horticulturalist Gary Fish. He says Japanese stiltgrass was discovered at a plant nursery in York County a couple of weeks ago. He says it’s one of the most harmful non-native invasive plants.

Electricity Maine lawsuit approaches settlement, but state probe continues

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 13, 2020

A $14 million settlement agreement in a class-action lawsuit alleging fraud and deceptive practices in marketing electric power to Maine customers is set for a final approval hearing in U.S. District Court on Wednesday. Electricity Maine has agreed to pay damages to customers who collectively spent millions of dollars more than they would have between 2011 and 2019 if they had stayed on the standard offer supply. Meanwhile, Electricity Maine is in negotiations to settle similar charges at the Maine Public Utilities Commission. The Maine Public Advocate’s Office is asking the PUC to fine Electricity Maine at least $1 million and suspend its operating license for a year. On the Electricity Maine website, the company calls itself “Maine’s most trusted energy supplier.”

Here’s what Katahdin Woods and Waters looks like in October

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 13, 2020

In search of birds and fall colors, BDN bird expert Bob Duchesne spent three days exploring the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in early October. With camera in hand, he traveled throughout the 87,500-acre property, situated just east of Baxter State Park, and produced a short video.

Hiker found dead on Katahdin summit identified

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 13, 2020

The hiker found dead on Katahin’s Baxter peak on Thursday has been identified as Nathan Leigh Bell, 27, of Walkersville, Maryland, according to officials. Bell’s clothing and equipment were insufficient for a night on the mountain during inclement weather, Baxter State Park director Eben Sypitkowski said. There is no evidence of foul play. The cause and circumstances of death are still under investigation.

Iowa man seriously injured when motorcycle hits moose in Rangeley Plantation

SUN JOURNAL • October 13, 2020

An Iowa man is listed in critical condition Tuesday at a Lewiston hospital after the motorcycle he was driving on South Shore Drive on Monday night hit a moose. It appears driver Eric Mond, 47, of Dubuque, who was wearing a helmet, was ejected from the motorcycle and his head hit the pavement, and a tire from his 2014 BMW bike struck him in the head.

Hiker who died on Mount Katahdin summit identified as Maryland man

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 13, 2020

Baxter State Park officials identified the hiker whose body was found last week at the summit of Katahdin as 27-year-old Nathan Leigh Bell of Walkersville, Maryland. He was the second hiker to die on Maine’s highest mountain in two days, prompting park officials to remind hikers that the mountain “is a formidable place, especially as winter approaches.” On Oct. 7, Donald MacGillis, a longtime Boston Globe editor from Pittsfield, Mass., died after he was airlifted from the mountain following a fall. Eight people have died in Baxter State Park in the last 10 years, including the two last week.

81 percent of hunters in first moose season filled their tags

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 13, 2020

This year’s moose seasons are bucking traditional wisdom, according to the state’s moose biologist, who said he was a bit surprised that 81 percent of hunters in the first six-day season, which was staged two weeks ago, filled their tags during a hot week of hunting. The state allotted 3,135 moose permits that are spread over four hunting seasons this fall.

Editorial: Cold storage could heat up international trade in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 13, 2020

Maine has miles and miles of coastline, but only one container port – only one place where ships can off-load or take on cargo packed in containers that also fit on truck trailers and in rail cars. It’s the International Marine Terminal on Portland’s western waterfront. The growth of the container port in Portland has been an economic bright spot of the last several years. Now, a proposed cold storage warehouse promises to give the terminal a missing piece of infrastructure that can help the port continue to grow. We hope the Portland Planning Board will consider the contribution this facility would make to the state’s economy and approve it

Letter: Curry dedicated to helping climate

MORNING SENTINEL • October 13, 2020

Every morning I ask myself, “How can I make a difference?” One critical issue is climate change. Our success in meeting that challenge will require action and leadership at every level of society. I support Chip Curry for state Senate because he understands the significance of climate change and will take the actions needed to be effective. ~ Jonathan Fulford, Belfast

'This is certainly an anomaly': Three helicopter rescues in the same week at Katahdin

WCSH-TV5 • October 12, 2020

Twice in the last week, climbers have lost their lives on Katahdin. One was a man who fell 50 feet while climbing with his nephew, he died later at the hospital. Another younger man died at Baxter Peak the next day. "Typically we have one to two helicopter rescues in a year, this was…the sixth or seventh," says Baxter State Park director Eben Sypitkowski. In fact, a Maine National Guard helicopter was called to Katahdin three times, last week, the third call was for a 13-year-old boy who was rescued after having a medical emergency. Sypitkowski wants to remind all hikers that you should always prepare to spend more time on the mountain than you anticipate, especially this time of year.