60th Whale Death Since 2022 Raises Questions Over Offshore Wind Power’s Impact on Endangered Species

MAINE WIRE (Maine Policy Institute) • August 14, 2023

On Saturday, New Jersey lifeguards discovered a dead humpback whale washed ashore, the latest in a string of unexplained deaths of various whale species on the East Coast. Journalist Michael Shellenberger said the whale death was the 60th known death of the large mammals along the East Coast since Dec. 1, 2022. Although no official conclusions have been reached about why the whales are dying at an increasing rate, the spate of deaths does coincide with offshore wind development off the coasts of Rhode Island and New Jersey, where several of the whales have been discovered. Schellenberger thinks there is a connection between the powerful construction equipment used to build the wind turbine platforms and the dying whales. The potential threat presented to marine ecosystems by offshore wind development is significant for Maine. There is an unprecedented effort to construct massive floating wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine.

The Clean Energy Future Is Roiling Both Friends and Foes

NEW YORK TIMES • August 14, 2023

If there is anywhere in the country primed to welcome the clean energy transition, it is Penobscot Bay in Maine. Electricity prices there are high and volatile. The ocean waters are warming fast, threatening the lobster fishery. Miles offshore, winds blow strong enough to heat every home and power every car in the state. Researchers at UMaine are confident they can mass-produce turbine blades the length of football fields and float them miles into the ocean. It is the kind of breakthrough in clean energy technology that is allowing a much faster transition to renewables than many believed possible, aided by state officials eager to pioneer a floating wind industry. Standing in their way are environmental groups and local residents, all of whom are committed to a clean energy future and worried about the rapid warming of the earth. Still, they want the state to pick a different site for its wind port, citing the tranquillity of Sears Island and its popularity and accessibility as a recreation destination. If lawmakers want to ramp up renewables as fast and cheaply as possible, they’ll need to bulldoze or build over some places that people treasure.

Opinion: Don’t end discussion of new Maine wildlife refuge before it even begins

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2023

During the week of July 24 I had the opportunity to talk with staff members from the offices of U.S. Rep. Jared Golden and U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King about a proposal from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to explore the possibility of creating a new National Wildlife Refuge in the High Peaks region of western Maine. Each talked about why we support the process to share more information with and gather feedback from the public about a potential new refuge. Imagine my surprise then when I opened the newspaper one week later to read that Collins, King and Golden had sent a letter to the Fish and Wildlife Service calling for an end to this process. Before it has really even begun! Let’s let the process play out, to ensure that all voices are heard, compromises — if needed — can be made and people and wildlife can benefit. ~ Sally Stockwell, Maine Audubon

Column: This is among the most remarkable paddles on Maine’s coast

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2023

Two Bush Island is the most distant island in the Muscle Ridge archipelago. Located about four miles from Spruce Head, it’s home to historic Two Bush Island Light. The lighthouse, built in 1897, is situated near the heavily trafficked southwestern entrance to Penobscot Bay. Recently, I organized a Muscle Ridge kayak trip with Two Bush Island the primary objective. ~ Ron Chase

Enviros assail Forest Service report, saying it could promote logging

E&E NEWS • August 14, 2023

Activists are condemning a recent Forest Service report to Congress, saying one of its conclusions supports a policy that would worsen climate change by allowing the removal of old trees that absorb large amounts of carbon. The report says aging forests absorb less carbon than younger forests as tree growth slows. But some climate scientists and environmental groups consider the conclusion misleading and largely inaccurate. The debate around the ability of older forests to offset emissions could influence the Biden administration’s forest conservation policy. The Forest Service is drafting new federal rules to better manage forests and grasslands for climate resiliency.

Maine environmental regulators move to ban PFAS in food packaging

MAINE PUBLIC • August 14, 2023

Maine environmental regulators are moving forward with plans to ban the sale of food packaging made with PFAS, joining a small but growing number of states targeting a potential exposure pathway to the “forever chemicals.” For years, many food packaging manufacturers — including some with factories in Maine — have used PFAS coatings to keep paper-based containers from turning into soggy, greasy messes. But the same durable chemical bonds that make PFAS so useful in nonstick cookware, waterproof fabrics and food packaging also prevent the compounds from breaking down easily in the body and the environment, hence the nickname "forever chemicals.” A growing body of scientific studies have also linked some PFAS to health problems such as cancer, kidney disease, low birth weight and disruption of the endocrine system.

Volcano eruption is disrupting Maine’s growing seasons

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2023

When the Tonga volcano erupted 18 months ago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it set in motion a chain of events that Maine growers and homesteaders will deal with for at least the next several years, experts say. The Tonga volcano eruption underwater in the southern Pacific Ocean in early 2022 shot massive amounts of water vapor into the atmosphere. The water vapor produced by the Tonga volcano was enough to warm the planet and impact weather patterns for a decade, While climate experts are not ready to say Maine’s growing seasons are undergoing a permanent change, growing seasons are increasingly unpredictable. Growers now have to be ready to quickly adapt to extreme weather and changes within a single season.

Federal plan for Maine wildlife refuge meets with strong opposition

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2023

Some residents feel a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to turn between 5,000 and 15,000 acres in the western Maine’s High Peaks region into a National Wildlife Refuge will wrest away the autonomy of local and state groups that already protect the area. Since the Fish and Wildlife Service first floated the idea of a refuge this past spring, towns, Franklin County commissioners, loggers, outdoors groups, Sugarloaf Mountain, Maine’s congressional delegation, Gov. Janet Mills and state lawmakers from the region have all expressed either skepticism of or strong opposition to the federal government’s plan. It mirrors previous battles in the state, such as that over the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument that was vociferously opposed before it was created in 2016.

Lost hiker rescued from Blueberry Mountain

CBS 13 • August 13, 2023

An out-of-state woman was hiking on Blueberry Mountain near Lovell when she became lost about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the Maine Warden Service. The woman had cell service, called for help and rescuers were able to track her coordinates. Within a couple hours, she was brought safely to the bottom of the mountain.

Mishmash of how U.S. heat deaths are counted complicates efforts to keep people safe as Earth warms

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 13, 2023

Even when it seems obvious that extreme heat was a factor, death certificates don’t always reflect the role it played. Experts say a mishmash of ways more than 3,000 counties calculate heat deaths means we don’t really know how many people die in the U.S. each year because of high temperatures in an ever warming world. That imprecision harms efforts to better protect people from extreme heat because officials who set policies and fund programs can’t get the financial and other support needed to make a difference.

Tap Lines: Allagash among breweries experimenting with sustainable grain

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 14, 2023

Allagash Brewing Co. recently partnered with Patagonia Provisions – the food and beverage arm of the outdoor outfitter Patagonia – to brew an experimental beer using Kernza. Kernza is an “intermediate wheatgrass” and is billed as a perennial grain crop. Allagash was one of 11 independent craft breweries from across the country to participate as part of the inaugural Good Grain Collaborative program. The goal is to encourage regenerative farming practices by promoting the use of ingredients with a lower environmental impact. For brewers and the farmers they rely on, that means developing more sustainable forms of ingredient production. Last month, Allagash was recertified as a B (“Benefit”) Corporation, which means a company demonstrates measurably positive social and environmental impacts and a commitment to accountability to all stakeholders (as opposed to merely shareholders).

A new hurdle for the CMP corridor has backers getting impatient

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 13, 2023

Work has resumed on the $1 billion hydropower project through western Maine, but it still is not clear who will pay for the up to $500 million in additional costs caused by legal and construction delays, causing some supporters to become impatient. Public Advocate William Harwood expressed concern Friday about the construction delays and projected cost increases for the project that is being spearheaded by Central Maine Power’s parent company Avangrid and Hydro-Quebec. Contracts must be renegotiated to consider the added costs, and Massachusetts lawmakers need to approve that. Despite lawmakers including provisions in their spending bills to allow changes, a slimmed-down budget passed recently without them. That means the project has resumed without knowing if or how the additional costs will be covered.

Bigelow leading project to assess cyanobacteria in drinking water

BOOTHBAY REGISTER • August 13, 2023

The Boothbay Region Clean Drinking Water Initiative is a collaboration of organizations working to protect the quality of our drinking water. This summer, Bigelow Laboratory is leading efforts to assess potentially harmful cyanobacteria in our drinking water supplies before it becomes a problem. Nutrients are essential for the growth and health of all organisms. But when too many nutrients run off the land into lakes and coastal waters, populations of algae and cyanobacteria may grow out of control, blooming into a slick mess that can restrict recreation and starve fish of oxygen.

Buxton swimming closed, East End and other beaches have bacteria warnings

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 13, 2023

Buxton’s Pleasant Point Park swimming area has been closed since Friday because of high levels of E.coli bacteria in the water. Portland’s East End Beach, and Gooch’s and Laudholm beaches in Kennebunk have been flying orange flags warning visitors of high enterococci bacteria levels, but they have not been closed. The orange flags warn visitors that bacteria levels are higher than normal.

Longtime Manchester residents donate 68 acres of land to local trust

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • August 13, 2023

The Wagner family has donated their land, spanning 68 acres, to the Kennebec Land Trust, which will work to conserve the land’s habitats and potentially utilize the property to offer recreational activities to residents. The Wagner Woods Conservation Area shares its borders with 1,368 acres of ecological conservation landscape. That includes the 228-acre Manchester conservation lands and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s 1,140-acre Jamie’s Pond Wildlife Management Area. The Kennebec Land Trust is a local organization that works collaboratively with landowners and communities to conserve natural habitats and resources. Founded in 1988, the organization has conserved over 7,690 acres of land and constructed more than 58 miles of trails.

Cultural and Historical Benefits of Expanding the National Park System

NATIONAL PARKS TRAVELER • August 13, 2023

There are dozens of natural areas across the United States that could be added to the National Park System, both to protect unique ecosystems as well as biodiversity, and there also are many cultural and historic sites that tell chapters of the country's history. "We ought to be thinking big," believes Michael Kellett of RESTORE: The North Woods. "The National Trust for Historic Preservation has their 11 Most Endangered places list. We're losing these areas, a lot of these important places that could be protected and wouldn't cost that much in the bigger scheme of things. It wouldn't be that expensive to save these places. We ought to be doing that, just like natural areas."

State investment has jumpstarted Loring revitalization, officials say

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 13, 2023

Limestone’s former Air Force base is poised for a revitalization. A start-up sustainable aviation fuel manufacturer and artificial intelligence research center have agreed to invest millions to build or renovate facilities and create hundreds of jobs. Private investors from Green 4 Maine LLC acquired 450 acres last year, aiming to turn their land into a hub for companies with national and local interests. DG Fuels chose Loring as one of two U.S. sites for a $4 billion sustainable aviation fuel facility. The vast open land for building, railroad and pipeline access and proximity to forest products were key selling points. And the new Maine Space Corporation, which wants Loring to become a launch and manufacturing site for satellites and small rockets.

Opinion: Let’s hope we’re approaching a public opinion tipping point on climate

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 13, 2023

Scientists have defined the issue, engineers have invented the technology to slow climate change. Now we regular Americans need to step forward and force our politicians to act. Research shows that if a group can convince 25% of the population of a new idea, then the entire population will swing in its favor. Most of our legislators understand that the planet is in serious trouble, but they do not act because they are concerned about being voted out of office. They need to know that an increasing number of Americans want them to act. ~ Nancy Hasenfus, Citizens Climate Lobby, Brunswick

Federal agency allows emergency haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program acres

MAINE PUBLIC • August 13, 2023

The Maine Farm Service Agency is allowing emergency haying and grazing on Conservation Reserve Program acres for livestock producers whose fields have been impacted by this summer's excessive rain. FSA State Executive Director Sherry Hamel says 3,200 acres in Aroostook, Franklin, Oxford and Penobscot counties are available for farmers and ranchers enrolled in the CRP program in those counties. "People who produce hay have been able to maybe get 1 cutting this season, when they usually get 2 or 3 per season," she said. "So this is creating a hardship for livestock producers, the lack of feed is going to drive prices up.”

20 stunning photos from iconic Acadia hiking trails

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 13, 2023

There’s no such thing as a bad view in Acadia National Park. With more than 120 miles of hiking trails and 26 mountains to summit within the park, there are countless places to soak in the sights of Mount Desert Island, the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding Maine coast. Here are 20 photos that show what awaits you on these iconic trails.