Home insurers cut natural disasters from policies as climate risks grow

WASHINGTON POST • September 3, 2023

In the aftermath of extreme weather events, major insurers are increasingly no longer offering coverage that homeowners in areas vulnerable to those disasters need most. At least five large U.S. property insurers – including Allstate, American Family, Nationwide, Erie Insurance Group, and Berkshire Hathaway – have told regulators that extreme weather patterns caused by climate change have led them to stop writing coverages in some regions, exclude protections from hurricanes, wind, and hail from policies underwriting property along coastlines and in wildfire country.

Attorney pushes back on lawsuit to give public full access to Moody Beach

CBS 13 • September 3, 2023

In 1989, a Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruling privatized part of Moody Beach based on that 1647 Colonial law. Now, a group hoping to make the entire beach public again is using that archaic law to try to overturn part of that 1989 ruling. Attorney Benjamin Ford argues the same public access protections in the 1640s for fishing, fowling and navigation still apply today. Beachgoers can walk along the private part of Moody Beach. They’re just not allowed to stay there. Ford also said beachfront owners on Moody Beach aren’t paying taxes on the beach they claim to own. He said they pay the same property taxes as beachfront owners on the public Wells beach. “If they’re claiming to own the beach in front of their houses, then they should be paying taxes on the beaches in front of their houses,” Ford said.

Letter: Please be mindful of bike riders on the road

MORNING SENTINEL • September 3, 2023

My husband and I ride our bikes on the outskirts of Waterville, Oakland and Fairfield. We are always keeping an eye out for traffic and are mindful of our responsibilities on the road. Clearly we are the bane of existence for some folks, who lurk behind us, rev their engines with poor exhaust systems, then leave us in a cloud of foul-smelling, oily smoke when they pass. We have witnessed several dangerous close calls recently. There is enough room for all on our roads if people will please be mindful and share them safely. We thank those who do, and we implore those who take risks to please use common sense, patience and caution rather than speed and hope when passing bikers. ~ Robin Johnson, Waterville

Letter: Thanks to everyone who helps us enjoy the outdoors

MORNING SENTINEL • September 3, 2023

Maine is home to some of the most special outdoor places. These places are kept up and run by staff and volunteers who are stewards of these special places and teach visitors important lifelong outdoor skills. I am thankful to all those who put in many hours and long days to support our outdoor recreation adventures. I also do not forget and I am grateful for the many small businesses that are, at the start or end of a trail, close to a park or are open early on the way to a paddle. Let’s all enjoy the outdoors in the coming months and thank those people who make the experience better for all of us. ~ Jeff McCabe, Skowhegan

21 great hikes in Acadia National Park

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 2, 2023

Acadia National Park is one of the most famous destinations in Maine, and for good reason. It’s a place filled with natural beauty. It boasts mountains of pink granite, pristine ponds, bubbling brooks, dramatic sea cliffs and one of the state’s sandiest beaches. Acadia is the outdoor enthusiast’s dream, no matter their abilities or skill level. The park features more than 120 miles of hiking trails and over 45 miles of smooth, gravel, vehicle-free carriage roads. This trail system is a work of art, with giant stone bridges, rock staircases, wooden footbridges and historic cairns. And the scenery can’t be beat.

Forestry companies granted state funds despite environmental violations

MAINE MONITOR • August 2, 2023

Two forestry companies that were announced as recipients for hundreds of thousands of dollars in state grant money last December were issued environmental violations at their Maine facilities over the past several years. One of the companies, ND Paper Inc., had a $101,400 state penalty finalized in late August for chemical spills at its Old Town mill in 2020 and 2022. One spill led to a limited fish kill in the Penobscot River and continued issues with high-pH at the spill site near the riverbank, according to Maine Department of Environmental Protection officials. A second company, T&D Wood Energy LLC, operates a wood pellet manufacturing facility in Sanford that was cited for nine violations of DEP regulations between 2019 and 2022, DEP records show. Its violations stem from inadequate recordkeeping and exceeding the facility’s emissions limits.

Column: Remember the stern drain, it’s (now) the law

SUN JOURNAL • September 2, 2023

Our state legislators have conjured up a new stern-drain law that will warm the cockles of your heart. Here it is: Effective June 16th, 2023, boaters are now required to do the following: “Prior to entering a water body and when preparing to leave launch sites, boaters are required to remove or open any devices designed for routine removal/opening (for example, hull drain plugs, bailers, live wells, ballast tanks) to encourage draining of areas containing water (excluding live bait containers). This must be done in a way that does not allow drained water to enter any inland water of the state.” Proponents of this law, no doubt well-intentioned, assert that many other states have this law and that is intended to minimize the introduction of invasive plants and organisms. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

More than 1 million travelers expected on Maine Turnpike over Labor Day weekend

CBS 13 • September 2, 2023

The Maine Turnpike Authority is predicting more than 1 million vehicles will travel on the turnpike this weekend, an increase of nearly 3 percent over last year’s Labor Day weekend.

Opinion: Biden’s EPA is needlessly delaying smog standards until after the election

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • September 2, 2023

President Joe Biden ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider dozens of actions taken by the Trump administration. One of the most important was the last-minute decision in December 2020 to keep in place outdated health standards for smog. But now, instead of moving to strengthen the nation’s limits on ozone — the lung-searing gas in smog — the Biden administration is delaying action until after the November 2024 election. Reviewing and updating air quality standards every five years to reflect the latest science, as required by the Clean Air Act, is one of the most important environmental actions a president can take. The nation’s limits on ozone pollution are too permissive. Clean air delayed is clean air denied. ~ Los Angeles Times editorial

Commentary: Willard Beach contamination must be put in context

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 2, 2023

Willard Beach is a special place in our community. South Portland takes its stewardship role very seriously. We share the water quality concerns expressed by residents. The city participates in the Maine Healthy Beaches program to ensure that the water at Willard Beach is safe for swimming and to notify visitors via sign and flag systems when it is not. The watershed is densely developed, consisting of 40% impervious surfaces. There is less natural landscape to absorb potential pollutants. During significant rain events, pollutants such as animal waste, lawn chemicals and many others are discharged to the beach water via the stormwater system. Nearly $650,000 has been invested in watershed restoration projects. If the water quality flag at the main entrance is yellow or orange, contact with the water is not advised. If it’s green, it’s safe for swimming. ~ Shara Dee, South Portland’s communications officer, and Fred Dillon, stormwater coordinator

Letter: Climate debate needs a dose of rationality

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 2, 2023

The direct cause of the Maui fire was poor maintenance of the power transmission lines that served the Lahaina area. This included old, thin, sagging posts for the lines, miles of uninsulated live wire and the accumulation of dense, invasive grasses that were allowed to cover the hillsides above the town. Local residents and officials had been warning, for years, that these conditions were a threat, but little was done about them. The fire had little to do with climate change or fossil fuel companies and everything to do with poor local policy decisions. It would be helpful if there were more journalistic skepticism about expansive claims and connections. ~ Martin Jones, Freeport

A Houlton mobile home park is getting clean water after 6 years of using bottles

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 2, 2023

After nearly six years of undrinkable chemically contaminated water flowing through their pipes at the Houlton Mobile Home Park, residents will soon get relief, according to the park’s owner. Once the final piece of financing is approved that is. The imminent repairs of the water and sewage systems will finally bring the mobile home park in compliance with state and local regulations, and make the water safe for people to drink.

3 northern Maine hikes for avoiding summer crowds

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 2, 2023

For some of you, heading to Aroostook County might be a bit of a trek. But the journey is worth it, as you can escape the crowds and find yourself actually relaxing in nature, because that’s what it’s all about. Bonus: These hikes are all dog-friendly.
• Salmon Brook Lake trails in Perham
• Scopan Mountain near Presque Isle
• Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge in Limestone

Letter: Copper helps power our economy. Why not mine it here?

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 2, 2023

A recent letter in the Bangor Daily News bemoaned Wolfden Resources’ efforts to establish a copper mine in Maine. Demand in the U.S. for copper is increasing due to the growing electrification of our economy. If we do not produce copper domestically, it must be imported. Large quantities of copper used in the U.S. are mined in poor countries, where water quality and environmental standards are far lower than here in Maine. I find it morally repugnant to take advantage of poor, defenseless people to sustain our metal demands when we have a domestic supply that can be extracted in a much more environmentally sound manner. Recycling is not the answer; the volumes needed are too great. Before someone else raises concerns about the threat of mining in Maine, let them answer the question: Where can we get copper in the volumes we use without despoiling someplace else? ~ Joseph T. Kelley, Orono

At These North Woods Cabins in Maine, Quiet Is the Main Attraction

OUTSIDE • September 2, 2023

You’ll know your vacation here is beginning when, at the end of a 25-mile dirt road, you move your drybags and wanigans into a 22-foot wood-and-canvas canoe and greet the staffer waiting to paddle you the mile up Fourth Debsconeag Lake (pronounced DEBS-con-egg or DEBS-con-eeg) to the Debsconeag Lake Wilderness Camps. This comfortable off-grid scattering of five waterside cabins and two large yurts in the heart of the North Woods is a deeply, deeply quiet place to canoe, kayak, fish, swim, and hike.

Inspired by iconic wildlife, this Maine outdoorsman’s art career has taken off

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 30, 2023

Hunter Law was feeling anxious. He was fresh out of high school and was trying to figure out what was next in his life. He had started drawing while attending Foxcroft Academy in Dover-Foxcroft, but decided to try painting. That experience opened up a whole new world of creative potential for Law, who has spent the last several years perfecting his craft. He specializes in painting iconic Maine animals such as moose, bears and deer.

Canoers complete months-long trip across the Northeast

MAINE PUBLIC • September 1, 2023

Members of the Penobscot Nation gathered at the northern tip of Indian Island today on the Penobscot River to celebrate the completion of a months-long canoe trip across the Northeast. The canoers left Maine in May, and went south to New York Harbor before going north to Quebec and then returning to Maine, in a trip that totaled more than 1800 miles. The inspiration for the trip was to connect with historic ways of travel.

Central Maine town in path of proposed Aroostook power corridor approves moratorium on utility lines

MAINE PUBLIC • September 1, 2023

Voters in Albion approved a six-month moratorium on high-impact transmission lines earlier this week. The central Maine town is on a proposed path for a power corridor that would connect Aroostook County to the southern Maine electrical grid. Supporters of the moratorium say it will give the town more time to study the potential visual and environmental impacts of the project. Tom Bolen, who leads Albion's newly formed transmission line committee, said, "No doubt we need to connect Aroostook County in some form. But what we can't do is just tear up the landscape…when the reality is there's…alternatives."

Several beaches under bacteria contamination warnings headed into Labor Day weekend

MAINE PUBLIC • September 1, 2023

Maine's healthy beaches program is reporting that seven locations have elevated fecal bacteria levels going into the Labor Day weekend. The state website shows that several beaches in the Kennebunk and Kennebunkport area have levels that could be unsafe for swimmers, as well as beaches in Camden, South Portland, York and Lincolnville. The beaches that have elevated bacteria levels are:
• Colony Beach in Kennebunkport
• Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport
• Goochs Beach in Kennebunk
• Mothers Beach in Kennebunk
• Laite Beach in Camden
• Willard Beach in Portland
• Cape Neddick Beach in York
For the latest updates check the Maine Healthy Beaches website.

A Maine wildlife biologist shares his stories

MAINE PUBLIC • September 1, 2023

In his memoir Bald Eagles, Bear Cubs and Hermit Bill, wildlife biologist Ron Joseph recounts his youth in central Maine, the importance of his family's dairy farm, his adventures in the field, and the characters he met over the course of a career working with wildlife and conservation that spanned more than three decades. (rebroadcast)