Column: Proposed mine in Katahdin region would harm cherished trout, salmon fisheries

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • September 20, 2023

I am writing to express my strong opposition to Wolfden Resources’ proposed mine near Picket Mountain in the Katahdin region. I can speak from extensive personal experience when I state that these waters have been and continue to be some of the best brook trout and landlocked salmon fisheries I have experienced since my boyhood adventures growing up in Aroostook County in the 1950s and 1960s. So, it is inconceivable to me that we would consider threatening this special place with a mine. That is why I have continually expressed deep concerns regarding Wolfden’s rezoning application currently before the Land Use Planning Commission. I encourage other Mainers across the state who value the experience of fishing in our crystal-clear waters to join me in writing to LUPC. ~ Rep. Bill Bridgeo, member of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee

Janet Mills opposes utility takeover on Maine’s November ballot

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 20, 2023

Gov. Janet Mills used a Wednesday radio address to formally oppose Question 3, the November referendum that would replace Maine’s two largest utilities with one governed by an elected board. The Democratic governor’s opposition is no surprise: Mills vetoed legislation in 2021 to create a consumer-owned utility, a step that led to this year’s referendum, which she criticized earlier this month in a Maine Public interview as “a simple solution to a very complex problem.” The referendum, if approved by voters, would have the state buy out the infrastructure of Central Maine Power Co. and Versant Power and create a new Pine Tree Power Co. that would be overseen by seven elected board members and six appointed experts.

Facing pushback over tourism, Bar Harbor council eliminates cruise ship committee

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 20, 2023

In a move aimed at reducing tourism’s negative effects on Bar Harbor, the town council on Tuesday eliminated the town’s cruise ship committee. While some members of the council defended the purpose of the committee and the efforts of those on it, they acknowledged it had outlived its purpose, which was to make recommendations to the town on how to manage the cruise industry’s growth in Bar Harbor. With a majority of residents chafing at how the number of annual cruise ship visits to Bar Harbor has increased over the past 30 years — and with the town dealing with a federal lawsuit over the matter — the council unanimously agreed that the town should change its approach.

Biden is unveiling the American Climate Corps, a program with echoes of the New Deal

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • September 20, 2023

The White House on Wednesday unveiled a new climate jobs training program that it says could put 20,000 people to work in its first year on projects like restoring land, improving communities' resilience to natural disasters and deploying clean energy. The American Climate Corps is modeled after a program that put millions to work during the Great Depression. President Biden's climate policy adviser Ali Zaidi told reporters that the program has broader goals beyond addressing the climate crisis.

After years-long effort, farmworkers in Maine may soon gain minimum wage protections

MAINE MORNING STAR • September 20, 2023

This summer and fall, a committee created by Gov. Janet Mills is tasked with coming up with a policy to establish a minimum wage for farmworkers in Maine, as agriculture laborers are currently only covered by the lower federal minimum wage and generally don’t receive overtime protections. The effort comes after Mills, a Democrat, vetoed a bill in July that would have made farmworkers subject to the state minimum wage — currently $13.80 an hour compared to $7.25 on the federal level — while also granting them limited overtime protections. The governor’s rejection of the measure prompted an outcry from farmworker advocates, unions and progressive groups, who argued that having access to such safeguards is a matter of fundamental fairness. 

Opinion: Maine’s biotech sector shows our economy the way forward

MORNING SENTINEL • September 20, 2023

Tourism is undoubtedly an important piece of Maine’s economic puzzle. Millions of people flooded the streets of Portland, natural attractions, and other areas during the summer months, bringing their hard-earned dollars with them. According to new research, visits to Acadia National Park alone add hundreds of millions of dollars to the state economy. But there is more to Maine’s economic fortitude than our tourist attractions. There are more than 151,000 small businesses in Maine (99.2% of all businesses), employing hundreds of thousands of workers. Take the biotech sector as a case study. Between 2016 and 2021, life science job creation in Maine grew by more than 40%, totaling nearly 10,000 new careers. ~ Virginia Templet, Puritan Medical Products,Guilford

Yarmouth Town Council hears updates on climate change initiatives

FORECASTER • September 19, 2023

Climate change was on the agenda this month as the Yarmouth Town Council received updates on work to mitigate it at the state and local levels. “We had some big wins this year,” Rep. Art Bell, D-Yarmouth, told the council Sept. 7. Three bills related to climate change were signed into law, LD 1895 will open the doors for federal money to come into Maine to tap into the offshore wind energy opportunities on the Gulf of Maine. LD 1986 will create a more targeted and transparent solar energy storage program. LD 1909 will modernize Maine’s bottle redemption program and continue to reduce litter while increasing recycling. At the local level, the Yarmouth Climate Action Task Force hopes to deliver a draft of a climate action plan to the council in November.

Maine lobstermen and environmentalists welcome $82 million investment in right whale recovery

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 19, 2023

Maine’s lobster industry welcomes the federal government’s $82 million investment in the recovery of the North Atlantic right whale because it believes improved research, technology and tracking will prove its fishing gear doesn’t pose a threat to the critically endangered species. The whales, which have dwindled to fewer than 350 in number, are following their food into colder offshore waters as they swim between Cape Cod and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, said Virginia Olsen, the Maine Lobstering Union’s political director. They no longer congregate where Maine lobstermen fish.

Pine Tree Power supporters sell hope while detractors lean on uncertainty at industry forum

MAINE MORNING STAR • September 19, 2023

Dozens of Mainers rose early Tuesday morning to attend a debate over the merits of Question 3, a measure that — if approved by voters this fall– would create the nonprofit Pine Tree Power to provide service to most of the state and push two for-profit utilities, Central Maine Power and Versant, out of business. Supporters of Pine Tree Power doubled down on now familiar messaging that the current investor-owned utility structure does not work for consumers– pointing to poor customer service, reliability issues, the urgent need for a transition to renewable energy, and CMP and Versant’s corporate, for-profit structure. Meanwhile, opponents invoked the many unknowns, arguing that Maine residents are better off using the legislature and utility commission to hold CMP and Versant accountable to consumers.

Prices at smaller utilities work their way into debate over Maine’s energy future

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 19, 2023

Small, local electricity co-ops and municipally owned utilities in Maine tend to charge customers less for electricity, a fact that’s finding its way into the debate over the future of the state’s two investor-owned utilities. However, a review of rates listed by the Maine Public Utilities Commission shows the claim is true for some electricity customers, but not others.

Farmingdale man bitten twice by fox outside his home

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • September 19, 2023

A Farmingdale man was bitten twice by a fox Tuesday outside his Blaine Road home, but officials say while the fox was killed, they don’t know whether it was rabid. David Polley was taking the trash out around 9:30 a.m. when he apparently surprised a fox outside. The fox bit him on the leg, and then on the hand when Polley tried to get the animal off his leg. When he arrived shortly after 10 a.m., Andrew Killen, an animal control officer with Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, was able to shoot it with a small caliber rifle.

Tens of thousands expected in Unity as Common Ground Country Fair prepares to launch

MORNING SENTINEL • September 19, 2023

The annual celebration of the fall harvest that’s come to be known across the state as the Common Ground Country Fair launches Friday for three days of events featuring more than 1,000 exhibitors and speakers. People were busy Tuesday setting up stages and booths in anticipation of more than 60,000 people who are expected to attend this year.

Thanks to Skowhegan-area students, families are hot on the trail for a good story

MORNING SENTINEL • September 19, 2023

A third StoryWalk trail is coming to Somerset County in the spring, thanks to a collaboration between public health advocates and a group of Skowhegan-area high school students. Participants previously built StoryWalk trails in Madison and along Lake George in Canaan. The third and final StoryWalk is expected to be placed in the spring at the community center in Skowhegan. StoryWalks were developed by a Vermont woman as a way for families to read a book together while enjoying the outdoor

State’s offer to help repair roads to Tumbledown Mountain trailheads approved

SUN JOURNAL • September 19, 2023

Franklin County commissioners voted Tuesday to have the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands do $15,000 worth of work this year to help repair and stabilize Byron Road in Township 6 North of Weld where Tumbledown Mountain trailheads are located. Bureau representatives told commissioners in Augustthat they would help with washed-outs and other damage from a June 26 storm. It was agreed to spend $5,000 each year for five years for grading and other work.

NOAA says $82 million to conserve endangered right whales is 'historic'

MAINE PUBLIC • September 19, 2023

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it has received a "historic" amount of funding to conserve and recover critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. Roughly $82 million in federal funds will help scientists better track North Atlantic right whales, whose distribution patterns have changed within the last decade due to warming waters. NOAA will use nearly $36 million to better monitor the right whale population, which has fewer than 340 individuals. About $20 million will go to prevent vessel strikes, the second leading cause of death and injury to right whales after entanglement with fishing gear. Nearly $18 million will be used to advance and expand on-demand fishing technology, with a portion of the funds devoted to training and reimbursing fishermen to test out the new techniques. About $5 million will fund NOAA enforcement efforts.

Pilot curbside recycling program approved by Auburn city councilors

MAINE PUBLIC • September 19, 2023

After discontinuing a curbside recycling program last spring, Auburn city councilors voted unanimously Monday night to approve a new pilot program within designated areas of the city. The council ended Auburn's curbside recycling program in May, citing low participation and cost concerns. But a 2020 report from an ad hoc committee found Auburn didn't have enough data to properly evaluate its recycling program. It also recommended that the city better educate the community about the program.

Will Mainers vote their two biggest utilities out?

MAINE MORNING STAR • September 19, 2023

Amid the dueling figures, the TV spots, door-knocking campaigns, demonstrations and recriminations, the fate of one of the most ambitious public power campaigns in modern U.S. history may come down to a simple question. Are Maine’s two largest electric utilities unpopular enough to be voted out and replaced with something brand new? On Nov. 7, Mainers will decide whether to initiate a public takeover of the state’s two investor-owned utilities, Central Maine Power and Versant, which together service more than 96% of Maine’s electric demand, called “load” in industry jargon. 

Letter: Support Pine Tree Power, support shift to renewables

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 19, 2023

I am voting for Pine Tree Power because I want my kids to grow up in a livable climate. We already know that a key to addressing the climate crisis is switching to renewable energy, and quickly. CMP has shown, time and again, that it’s not really interested. When a utility is owned entirely by its customers, it puts their needs first. That means things like getting serious about the energy transition. And let’s not forget: It also means lower rates, fewer outages and higher customer satisfaction.Join me in voting  “Yes” on Question 3. ~ Caitlin Marshall, Portland

Letter to the editor: CMP is on a PR offensive

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 19, 2023

Central Maine Power just woke me from a nap with a recorded message informing all that a recent power outage was caused by an event beyond their control – a tree falling on Mosher Road – and that power was restored within 20 minutes to over 1,000 customers. Brilliant! Someone at CMP or their PR consultant should get a bonus. Do they really think sleazy tactics will cause us to vote “No” on the Pine Tree Power vote? ~ David Alexander, Gorham

Editorial: With delay, PFAS disclosure law can be made better

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 19, 2023

Now that the state has delayed requirements that companies disclose PFAS in their products sold in Maine, regulators can revamp the reporting to ensure it is more meaningful to Maine consumers. Because PFAS, a group of man-made chemicals, are in so many products, collecting this data – and making it useful – is a massive undertaking. Maine was the first state in the country to require such a PFAS registry. However, without consistent information being readily available to consumers, the registry that was envisioned was only of limited benefit in practice. With the delay, lawmakers, the DEP and companies that will be required to report can make the data more user friendly and useful. The delay, however, should not become a tactic to weaken or further stall getting this information to Maine consumers.