Maine among 22 states to oppose $10.3 billion deal over PFAS in drinking water

ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 26, 2023

Twenty-two attorneys general, including Maine’s, urged a federal court Wednesday to reject a proposed $10.3 billion settlement over contamination of U.S. public drinking water systems with potentially dangerous chemicals, saying it lets manufacturer 3M Co. off too easily. The deal announced in June doesn’t give individual water suppliers enough time to determine how much money they would get and whether it would cover their costs of removing the compounds known collectively as PFAS, said the officials. In some cases the agreement could shift liability from the company to providers.

100 acres of land to be conserved near downtown Westbrook, Gorham Village

AMERICAN JOURNAL • July 26, 2023

The Presumpscot Regional Land Trust is working on three projects to protect over 100 acres of land near downtown Westbrook and Gorham village, areas where less than 5% of the land is currently conserved. In Westbrook, the Rivermeadow Nature Conservation Project will protect the largest natural landscape remaining within a mile of downtown. The 44-acre site along the Presumpscot River, adjacent to the Lincoln Street boat launch and four-season rink, includes 30 acres of forested wetland. The Deer Woods Conservation Project along Day Road in Gorham has been deer wintering land for decades, and the Trout Run Conservation Project off Route 35 encompasses a wild trout habitat and one of the largest undeveloped forests near downtown Gorham Village.

Column: The heat will kill you

MORNING SENTINEL • July 26, 2023

Jeff Goodell in his book “The Heat Will Kill You First” explains that as the temperature rises, your body diverts blood from internal organs to the skin to try to cool off. At temperatures of about 100 or hotter, too much blood may leave the brain, causing wooziness or even fainting. The problem at that point is the lack of blood in vital organs. By around 106 to 107 degrees, drinking water is not the solution. If you don’t find shade and cooler air, seizures can occur. It feels like the Earth is undergoing a heat seizure this summer. The climate is unraveling here on Earth. The seizures are going to continue, and they’re going to get worse, if we don’t reduce the heat. ~ Dana Wilde

The Maine towns with the most ‘forever chemicals’ in their wastewater

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 26, 2023

Bangor recently volunteered to be the first community in Maine to participate in an effort with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to investigate the origins of PFAS chemicals in wastewater, beginning this summer. PFAS are detectable in effluent from every wastewater facility, which “is an indication of the prevalence of PFAS in our society,” David Madore, deputy commissioner of the Maine DEP said. The ecological risk from PFAS is more unknown. The Interstate Technology Regulatory Council explains how “little is known about whether or how these exposures are translating into adverse effects in wildlife,” but that “even extremely low or undetectable concentrations of PFAS in the environment may present potential health risks to organisms.” See PFAS test results on the BDN website.

Column: Rediscovering the Peace and Quiet of Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument

BOOTHBAY REGISTER • July 26, 2023

A quiet, unbroken by low grumbling of distant traffic or the white noise of an overhead jet. No buzzing lawnmowers or sirens. No dogs barking or brakes screeching. That was what we experienced this past late-July weekend in parts of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument as we gazed across beautiful scenes of forests, mountains, ponds, and stream. It was wonderfully regenerative and calming. ~ Jeff and Allison Wells

Canadian fishing gear linked to 4 of 5 documented right whale entanglements this year

MAINE PUBLIC • July 26, 2023

Scientists spotted a North Atlantic right whale entangled in fishing gear in the Gulf of St. Lawrence earlier this month. It is the fifth right whale with attached fishing gear observed so far this year. The New England Aquarium said in four of those cases, the gear belonged to a Canadian fishery. Scientists are calling on both Canadian and U.S. fisheries to do more to modify their gear and implement "ropeless" or "on demand" options. NOAA has counted 115 dead, seriously injured or ill right whales since 2017 as part of an ongoing investigation into an elevated number of mortalities. About two-thirds of those cases involved entanglements with fishing gear. There are fewer than 340 right whales remaining.

28 and counting: Portland on unprecedented run of days with temp at 60 or above

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 26, 2023

Portland is in the midst of a record-setting heat wave of 28 consecutive days in which the temperature has not fallen below 60 degrees, according to the National Weather Service office in Gray. “This is the longest amount of time Portland has had a temperature above 60,” said meteorologist Jon Palmer. And with overnight lows predicted to be in the mid-60s or above for the next few days, it looks like the current hot streak is going to continue. It could not have happened without climate change

Opinion: Let’s get the facts right in the solar debate

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • July 26, 2023

The op-ed by Gerry Chasse (“Solar program raising rates”) shows that common sense and good economic policy requires that established facts be reiterated. Maine’s solar resource, while lower than the Southwest desert states (considered the gold standard for solar resources), it’s not nearly as low as the author suggests. But the most ridiculous claim is that solar energy farms are heavily subsidized and cannot compete in a fair marketplace. From 1950-2010, oil, natural gas and coal interests received over $585 billion in federal subsidies while solar and wind (combined) account for only $74 billion (9% of the total). ~ John Gardner, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering, Waterville

Maine lawmakers endorse proposal that would jumpstart offshore wind projects

ASSOCIATED PRESS • July 26, 2023

Maine is poised to launch an offshore wind program that would meet clean energy goals and produce enough power for about 900,000 homes from floating wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine. The legislation, which was endorsed by lawmakers Tuesday, calls for requests for proposals to be issued for 3,000 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind turbines by 2040. That’s enough electricity to power about half of Maine’s electricity load. Approval puts Maine on a path to catch up with other states that already have offshore wind projects. The difference, however, is that the wind turbines would be farther offshore than those projects, and would involve floating turbines. It also includes incentives aimed at ensuring wind power developers steer clear of lucrative lobster fishing grounds.

Concerned Pushaw Lake residents save loon chick stranded below the outlet dam

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 25, 2023

When a loon check recently became stranded below a dam in Pushaw Lake in Hudson recently, a committed group of locals — all staunch conservationists — jumped into action to save it. Lou and Dorli Cloutier live at the lake during the summer. On July 17, they they came upon an adult loon frantically calling. Friends Dianne Kopec and Mike Beliveau, who live near the outlet and have a canoe, put in below the dam and attempted to capture the loon chick using a net, but initially they were unsuccessful. They finally coaxed it into the net, made their way back toward the lake, then paddled their canoe toward the two adult loons. The chick started making sounds. They let it go and within a few minutes it had reunited with the adults. High water conditions at the lake during the early summer may have flooded many loon nests, reducing this year’s breeding success. That makes the group’s recent efforts to save the loon chick even more important.

Advocates look to fall referendum to ban foreign campaign spending

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 25, 2023

Supporters of an effort to ban foreign governments from spending money on Maine referendum campaigns are vowing to pass the measure through a statewide ballot question after the Legislature failed Tuesday to override Gov. Janet Mill’s veto of the proposal. Supporters urged lawmakers to enact the bill outright rather than requiring a costly fall campaign, pointing to spring polling showing 82% of respondents supporting it. But opponents argued that the bill would muzzle other Maine businesses and the constitutional rights of a free press.

Skepticism threatens to unravel Aroostook power line

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 25, 2023

The path for a proposed transmission line connecting a new Aroostook County wind farm to the regional power grid near Augusta looked smooth. It already has received a green light from Gov. Janet Mills and lawmakers. Apart from needing final approval from regulators, the project looked to be avoiding the grassroots opposition that has marked other energy fights in Maine. But six July meetings in communities along the proposed route laid bare skepticism from residents, echoing Maine’s biggest infrastructure struggles. Chief among the local criticism is how homeowners did not know the transmission line could run by or through their properties. The Aroostook Renewable Gateway project would extend for 140 to 160 miles from a new substation in northern Maine to an existing plant in Windsor. Massachusetts agreed in January to finance up to 40 percent of the transmission and distribution projects in return for 40 percent of the generated energy. It is expected to cost Maine ratepayers $1 per month for 10 years.

Rain brings flash flooding to Androscoggin County area

SUN JOURNAL • July 25, 2023

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning at 6:51 p.m. Tuesday night for the Lewiston/Auburn area. An alert was sent out to mobile phones in the area reading: “This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.” The warning was in effect until 9:30 p.m. National Weather Service forecaster Donnie Dumont said Lewiston and Auburn were expected to get the worst of the rain, about 2 to 4 inches by roughly 7:30 p.m.

Lewiston-Auburn hit hard; more storms coming statewide Thursday

NEWS CENTER MAINE • July 26, 2023

It was a stormy late afternoon and evening in the Lewiston-Auburn area. Isolated thunderstorms popped up Tuesday due to daytime heating and didn’t move for hours. Reports of nearly 5 inches of rain came in once the storm was gone around 8 p.m. Most of that fell in a very short time. Feet of rain was observed washing over roads and nearly submerging cars.

Two Maine residents drown in space of 2 days, authorities say

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 25, 2023

Brian Minott, 61, of New Gloucester drowned Sunday afternoon while swimming off the stern of a pontoon boat on Little Narrows Pond in Lincoln. Wardens said Minott went under and never resurfaced. The Maine Warden Service dive team used sidescan sonar and an underwater remotely operated vehicle to locate Minott’s body in about 30 feet of water, about 1,000 feet from shore. Scott Newton, 38, of Madison, was whitewater rafting with two friends Monday afternoon on the West Branch of the Penobscot River in an area known as the Big Eddy, when their raft flipped. He was wearing a helmet and life jacket. A fisherman on shore called 911 from a nearby campground and several people retrieved Newton’s body. The incident took place downriver from the Ripogenus Dam and was a private excursion not connected to a rafting company.

Scientists detect sign that a crucial Atlantic Ocean current is near collapse

WASHINGTON POST • July 25, 2023

The Atlantic Ocean’s sensitive circulation system, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, has become slower and less resilient, according to a new analysis of 150 years of temperature data – raising the possibility that this crucial element of the climate system could collapse within the next few decades. The study suggests that continued warming will push the AMOC over its “tipping point” around the middle of this century. The shift would be abrupt and irreversible, and it could lead to dramatic changes in weather on either side of the Atlantic. The new analysis is at odds with the most recent report from the United Nations, which drew on multiple climate models and concluded with 'medium confidence' that the Atlantic's circulation system will not fully collapse this century.

Legislature sustains Mills’ veto of farmworker minimum wage bill

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 25, 2023

The Maine Legislature has fallen short of overriding a bill Gov. Janet Mills vetoed last week that would have improved wages and working conditions for agricultural workers in Maine. House members voted 61-61 on a motion to override Tuesday, effectively upholding the veto, killing the bill and further disappointing its supporters. They needed a two-thirds majority of members present to save the bill. With her veto sustained, Mills signed an executive order Tuesday afternoon establishing a formal stakeholder group to pursue a state minimum wage for farmworkers – an action she promised when she rejected the bill.

Organization seeks to help Maine immigrants cultivate food and community

PUBLIC NEWS SERVICE • July 24, 2023

New immigrants in Maine are benefiting from an effort to improve access to traditional foods and farming practices. Presente! Maine, a Latino and Indigenous-led nonprofit, offers immigrants the chance to help grow food on its one-acre farm near Portland. new immigrants with deep agricultural backgrounds are creating a new sense of home in the city by planting corn, tomato, cilantro and garlic seeds in the ground. Developed during the pandemic, when grocery store shelves were sometimes empty, the farm produced 15,000 pounds of produce in its first year.

Unprecedented heat: Portland Jetport breaks 35-year record for continuous warm nights

WGME-TV13 • July 24, 2023

Since 1988, the Portland Jetport has been unable to break the record for the number of continuous days with overnight lows recording 60 degrees or above. For the first time in 35 years, that record was tied last Friday and was broken the very next day on Saturday. This past Sunday was the 26th continuous day where the overnight low temperature has not dropped below 60 degrees. With global warming on the rise, this stretch is only set to simply continue.