Maine likely to amend its strict mining laws

MAINE MONITOR • June 18, 2023

Maine looks set to amend its mining laws to exempt some metals from the state’s strict metallic mining regulations, provided developers can prove they won’t pollute nearby watersheds or cause other environmental harms in the process. It will be at least a year, likely longer, before the changes take effect, and there will be ample opportunity for public input before that happens. The changes to the mining act were prompted by news of the discovery of a world-class deposit of spodumene, a crystal that contains the metal lithium, highly sought-after for batteries, touch screens and other devices. The mineral was found deep in the woods of the western Maine.

One immigrant’s story: from DRC to Portland Trails

MAINE MONITOR • June 18, 2023

When Angelique Bitshilualua moved to Maine five years ago, she quickly learned that “there is no bad weather, only bad clothing.” Maine’s climate may be worlds apart from that of her native DR Congo, but she said has always felt most at home outdoors, and this love for the outdoors — even in difficult weather — makes her a great fit for Portland Trail’s new position of Inclusion Coordinator.

Opinion: Let’s grow, but let’s keep Lake Auburn free from harm

SUN JOURNAL • June 18, 2023

The damage to the quality of water in Lake Auburn — and its cost if Auburn’s mayor and council make the changes they have planned — could require between an estimated $30 to $40 million for a filtration system. Water rates would at least double in Auburn, Lewiston and Poland. This is absolutely unnecessary. Keeping Lake Auburn clean involves making sure that the two major pollutants — phosphorus and nitrogen — are monitored aggressively and that their entry into the lake is strongly limited. Seventy-eight percent of the land around Lake Auburn was forested before the deforestation of the former dump began, and a healthy forest surrounding a lake is the most effective way to keep a lake clean. ~ Jim Wellehan

Letter: The real ‘government takeover’ of our utilities

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 18, 2023

Versant and Central Maine Power are some of the least popular mid-sized and large utilities in the nation. Versant is owned by Enmax, which is owned by the city of Calgary in Canada, whose residents enjoy electric rates half of the 28 cents per kilowatt hour Versant now charges. Where’s all that money going? Probably to pave sidewalks, build skating rinks and keep taxes low in Calgary. It’s more than ironic. The “government takeover” of our utilities has already happened. It just wasn’t our government. ~ Gary Friedmann, Town councilor, Bar Harbor

Steve Walker named Land for Maine’s Future director

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 17, 2023

Steve Walker will be joining the department as director of Land for Maine’s Future. Walker brings extensive experience and knowledge of conservation easement and land acquisition transactions, including strategic project selection, supportive policy, and successful funding and implementation. Walker currently serves as coordinator of the Beginning with Habitat program at the Maine Department of Inland Fish and Wildlife. Walker holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Maine and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from Brown University.

Opinion: Climate change should never have been made a partisan issue

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 17, 2023

The fires raging in Canada are accelerating climate change by adding millions of tons of new carbon into an already overheated atmosphere. We are prepared for none of it. I wonder if Republicans will ever understand how they got duped by the oil and gas crowd, funding its fake science questioning whether climate change was real, and bankrolling politicians to parrot their nonsense. Government has a big role to play. But it’s susceptible to big money and the politics of gridlock. The ordinary citizens of this state and country need to take matters into their own hands. To start:
• Stop burning burning gas in your car and oil or gas to heat your house.
• Share information and lead by example.
• Never again vote for anyone who isn’t committed to forceful action now.
~ Alan Caron, ClimateWork Maine

Opinion: Booming EV market is complicating Republicans message

BLOOMBERG • June 17, 2023

Battery-powered cars are one of the biggest economic vulnerabilities that Republicans have in the electoral battleground states that could wind up deciding the winner. The growth of electric vehicles is unique in that it touches an area of the U.S. economy that has changed dramatically since the last presidential election. They’re a key part of the Biden administration’s policy accomplishments, and they’re also entangled in the culture wars that animate the bases of both political parties. How can leading Republicans oppose an industry that’s shaping up to be such a major economic engine? ~ Conor Sen, Peachtree Creek Investments

Opinion: Maine Department of Transportation must take passenger rail seriously

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 17, 2023

L.D. 406 would create a “vision plan” for the four state-owned rail lines that terminate in Portland and in the equally fast-growing Brunswick area. These railroads were purchased through bond issues approved in the 1980s by lawmakers and voters to restore rail service when it became feasible. That moment may now have arrived. But a prominent naysayer has been the Maine Department of Transportation, which has shown no concern for expanding passenger rail networks. MDOT pits trail and rail supporters against each other. From the beginning, the potential for rail with trail should have been paramount; there’s already an example on the Lower Road from Gardiner to Augusta. Mainers should be able to rely on state transportation planners for a real vision of the state’s needs, not only today but for years to come. L.D. 406 will make sure MDOT provides that vision. ~ Tony Donovan, Maine Rail Transit Coalition

Letter: Oil storage tanks are a part of life

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 17, 2023

Regarding the recent op-ed about tanks in South Portland (“Commentary: Imagine South Portland without the tank farms,” June 14) I wonder for how long the author has driven a vehicle with an internal combustion engine and not thought once about the fuel required, which needs to be transported and stored. I wonder if the tanks the author objects strenuously to were there before he moved into the neighborhood. ~ Davies Allan, Westport Island

Opinion: Maine needs a clean energy future, in solar

SUN JOURNAL • June 17, 2023

After achieving our dream of farming food for our family and community, we decided to add solar as one of our crops and became community solar farmers. Community solar provides our family and members of our community with access to both the economic and environmental benefits of solar energy — whether they have panels or not. Maine needs a clean energy future. That’s why we’re for LD 1986 and opposed to LD 1347, “An Act to Eliminate the Current Net Energy Billing Policy in Maine.” ~ Leslie and Ben Geissinger, Livermore Falls

Wildflowers and wildlife fill this surprisingly beautiful coastal Maine preserve

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 16, 2023

The 21-acre Starr and Virginia Lampson Preserve on the border between Castine and Penobscot is owned by the Maine Coast Heritage Trust. It features a half-mile loop trail that travels through meadows and forestland to visit the shore of the Bagaduce River. The trail began as a mowed path through a meadow that sloped down to the water. Daisies, buttercups and pink-purple flowerheads of clover dotted the vibrant green landscape. Pale yellow cabbage butterflies flitted about. The preserve features about 1,500 feet of the river shoreline. The nearby Tills Point Preserve in Penobscot is another MCHT property with a half-mile trail.

Bikers ride for family, clean air and safety during 39th annual Trek Across Maine

SUN JOURNAL • June 16, 2023

The Trek Across Maine is an annual fundraising event for the American Lung Association (ALA) and their research on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. In all, participants will ride just less than 170 miles over the course of three days. As of Friday, the ALA has raised $599,329.70 of their one million dollar goal. The largest personal fundraiser is Patti Lane, who has raised $10,892.77 and the top fundraising team is L.L. Bean, which has raised $50,745.68.

A new queer-focused outdoor gear library in Portland encourages the LGBTQ+ community to get outdoors

MAINE PUBLIC • June 16, 2023

In a cozy basement space in Portland, Hallie Herz and their partner Eva Fury are holding an open house and membership drive at Kindling Collective, a queer-focused outdoor gear library. They are outdoor enthusiasts who came up with the idea while on a hike in the White Mountains. They wanted to make camping, backpacking, and skiing more accessible to the queer community by collecting high-end gear and lending it out. Kindling Collective's gear library is open to all who want to use it, but nonqueer members must be supportive of Kindling Collective's mission to empower LGBTQ+ residents to embrace the outdoors with gear, a new skillset and a supportive community.

Opinion: Young people like me want to work in offshore wind in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 16, 2023

Offshore wind will extend Maine’s maritime legacy, allowing our state to step into a leadership role in the national clean energy landscape. It will attract young people to Maine as students, engineers and contractors. This new industry will open doors for students like me who want to contribute to a cleaner, healthier future along Maine’s working waterfront. Passing L.D. 1895, “An Act Regarding the Procurement of Energy from Offshore Wind Resources,” would send a signal that Maine is ready to be a leader in offshore wind, bringing billions of dollars of investment to the state in workforce training, as well as our ports, communities and local businesses. ~ Luke Healy, Castine

Acadia closing section of Park Loop Road for culvert repairs

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 16, 2023

A section of the Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park will be closed for culvert repairs starting next Tuesday. The 0.7-mile section of the road between the intersection of Kebo Street and Sieur de Monts in Bar Harbor will be closed to all traffic for a series of emergency repairs, according to park officials. No motor vehicle, pedestrian or bicycle traffic will be permitted in the area, and travelers will be detoured.

Maine lobstermen score victory in appeal over gear rules intended to protect right whales

MAINE PUBLIC • June 16, 2023

Maine's lobster industry scored a major legal victory Friday when an appellate court ruled federal regulators went too far to try to protect endangered whales. In a stinging ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia invalidated the biological opinion that the National Marine Fisheries Services used to impose stricter fishing regulations on lobstermen in the Gulf of Maine. In a 3-0 opinion, the court called the scientific assessment done by federal regulators “arbitrary and capricious as well as contrary to law” and that the agency made assumptions about the cause of North Atlantic right whale deaths with “little empirical support.” The agency will now have to redo the scientific assessment.

Federal judge rules in favor of Maine lobstermen over controversial whale lawsuit

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 16, 2022

A federal judge has sided with the Maine Lobstermen’s Association and on Friday ruled that the National Marine Fisheries Service used “pessimistic assumptions” when it created new regulations to help save the North Atlantic right whale. U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit Judge Douglas Ginsburg’s ruling vacates a biology-based opinion – the government’s 10-year plan to reduce the risk posed by fishing gear to the endangered whales. The decision also brings into question a set of highly contested rules that fishery officials have called burdensome, needless and even dangerous. It was not immediately clear on Friday how the ruling affects the current regulations.

Gas stoves pollute homes with benzene, which is linked to cancer

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • June 16, 2023

When the blue flame fires up on a gas stove, there's more than heat coming off the burner. Researchers at Stanford University found that among the pollutants emitted from stoves is benzene, which is linked to cancer. Levels of benzene can reach higher than those found in secondhand tobacco smoke and the benzene pollution can spread throughout a home, according to the research. The findings add to a growing body of scientific evidence showing that emissions within the home are more harmful than gas stove owners have been led to believe.

A Portland lobsterman caught 3 rare orange lobsters in 1 week

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 16, 2023

A lobsterman working out of Portland caught his third rare orange lobster in a week on Thursday. Capt. Peter Pray showed up at Harbor Fish Market with another orange lobster, after catching two last Friday. Pray reportedly used the same trap he used to catch the first two. Earlier in June, Capt. Gregg Turner and his crew hauled in an orange lobster out of Casco Bay. In 2021, a rare yellow lobster was caught by a Tenants Harbor lobsterman. In October 2020, a fisherman at a seafood co-op in Vinalhaven caught a blue lobster.