Young climate activists challenging 32 governments will get their day in court

ASSOCIATED PRESS • September 25, 2023

Six Portuguese young adults and children between 11 and 24 years of age are due on Wednesday at the European Court of Human Rights, where they are accusing 32 European governments of violating their human rights for what they say is a failure to adequately address climate change. It's the first climate change case filed with the court and could compel action to significantly slash emissions and build cleaner infrastructure. Victory for them in Strasbourg would be a powerful instance of young people taking a legal route to force their governments to adopt a radical recalibration of their climate measures. The court's rulings are legally binding on member countries, and failure to comply makes authorities liable for hefty fines decided by the court. The courts are increasingly seen by activists as a way of sidestepping politics and holding governments to account. Last month, in a case brought by young environmental activists, a judge in the U.S. state of Montana ruled that state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by allowing fossil fuel development.

Aroostook wind megaproject is 1st in Maine to need legislative approval. It got it upfront.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 25, 2023

LS Power wanted to minimize the risk of their multi-billion-dollar bid for a 160-mile transmission line that would bring wind power through Aroostook County and onto the New England grid. So they asked the Maine Legislature in March to approve the project, and by June they received it. The approval was required under provisions of the citizen initiative passed by voters in 2021 that also had aimed, unsuccessfully, to derail another large project — a Central Maine Power Co. affiliate’s hydropower line through western Maine. Some Republican lawmakers questioned whether more information, including the final route for the project, should be submitted first. The companies behind the Aroostook Renewable Gateway project are LS Power of New York, which intends to build the 345 kilovolt transmission line, and Longroad Energy’s King Pine Wind of Massachusetts, which is responsible for the 170 wind turbine array that would be able to generate 1,000 kilowatts of energy to run through the transmission line. Both companies still must get various local, state and municipal permits. The project is being billed as the largest of its kind on the east coast. Longroad is owned by two New Zealand companies.

Maine’s role in dairy’s long-running fight against alternative ‘milk’

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 25, 2023

A dispute over the labeling of products made from dairy versus nuts and other alternatives keeps churning, and two big-name Maine politicians are in the fight. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King joined six colleagues in signing a letter sent to Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf urging him to prevent “dairy imitation products” from using terms like milk, cheese and yogurt on labels. This labeling dispute has played out at the federal level for years, with dairy farmers and producers arguing plant-based or cell-based products cloud the meaning of “milk.” King and Collins have previously called out alternative milk producers in the past for using that term. It is an example of how dairy farms continue to hold cultural sway in states including Maine, where the struggling industry has gone from nearly 4,600 farms in 1954 to well under 200 now. At the same time, the alternative milk industry is on the rise, with one estimate saying the market is expected to more than double globally through 2030.

10 surprising facts about Katahdin

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 25, 2023

Katahdin, Maine’s tallest peak, has long been a source of awe and adoration. With its rocky peaks, sharp ridges and boulder-filled slides, it towers over the forest, a granite giant at the heart of Maine. I have hiked the mountain many times, and the experience never gets old. Nor does it get any easier. I’ve learned some interesting things about the mountain’s history and habitats. 1. Katahdin rises 5,267 feet above sea level, just 13 feet shy of a mile. Near the summit of the mountain, a giant rock pile is said to reach that mile-high mark. 2. The alpine area on top of Katahdin is home to the Katahdin arctic butterfly that’s found nowhere else on Earth. 3. The name “Katahdin” is an Abenaki word that roughly translates to “greatest mountain.” 4. More than 60 people have died on Katahdin since the first known death in Baxter State Park was recorded in 1933. 5. Katahdin was purchased by former Maine Gov. Percival Baxter in 1930. A year later, he donated it to the state of Maine with the condition that it remain “forever wild.” 6. Black bears have been spotted near the top of Katahdin, feasting on wild blueberries, crowberries, cranberries and bilberries. 7. In July of 1939, 12-year-old Donn Fendler became lost while hiking with his family on Katahdin. He wandered alone for nine days before he stumbled upon a remote camp about 35 miles from where he’d gone missing. 8. There are several ways to hike Katahdin. 9. A Penobscot Indian entity called Pamola dwells on Katahdin. It has the head of a moose, large wings and the feet of a bird. 10. The top of Katahdin is the northern terminus of the National Scenic Appalachian Trail, a 2,190-mile footpath that spans from Georgia to Maine.

Letter: The Maine woods are a treasure to protect

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 25, 2023

The Maine woods are a treasure, world-famous and locally beloved. In the Katahdin region alone, we have a paradise for hunters, anglers, hikers, birders, cyclists, paddlers, mountain bikers, ATV and snowmobile enthusiasts, backcountry skiers, snowshoers and anybody who knows the simple joy of taking a breath in a quiet forest for a minute. It’s disheartening that there is a serious proposal on the table to allow a Canadian company to develop a mine here. After Wolfden Resources already submitted an application once and withdrew it because of errors and inconsistencies, it’s once again asking the state’s Land Use Planning Commission to allow it to rezone Pickett Mountain for mining. The LUPC will hold public hearings — in Bangor on Oct. 23 and Millinocket on  Oct. 16-18. Mainers who are able should attend, and all of us who love the Maine wilderness should write WolfdenRezoning.LUPC@Maine.gov to let our opinions be known. ~ Joshua W. Jackson, Brunswick

Scientists found the most intense heat wave ever recorded – in Antarctica

WASHINGTON POST • September 24, 2023

In March 2022, temperatures near the eastern coast of Antarctica spiked 70 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) above normal – making it the most intense recorded heat wave to occur anywhere on Earth, according to a recent study. At the time, researchers on-site were wearing shorts and some even removed their shirts to bask in the (relative) warmth. Scientists elsewhere said such a high in that region of the world was unthinkable. “It’s possible that climate change influenced the atmospheric dynamics like the tropical convection anomalies that led to the heat wave, but this is very difficult to quantify these things,” Meteorologist Jonathan Wille said. Edward Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, an atmospheric scientist, said more heat waves like this in Antarctica in a warmer world could have dire effects on the ice sheet.

Auburn to hold walking audits to identify projects to improve pedestrian, traffic safety

SUN JOURNAL • September 24, 2023

Walking audits are planned for several Auburn neighborhoods Tuesday and Wednesday to identify projects to improve walkability and pedestrian and traffic safety. The Auburn Age-Friendly Community Committee received an AARP Foundation grant for areas qualifying for assessment: The downtown/Great Falls Plaza area and the Washburn neighborhood at the intersection of Turner and Dennison streets. Senior and youth safety are the priorities.

Fifty years ago, the energy crisis officially began. And it hasn’t ended.

MAINE MONITOR • September 24, 2023

It was an audacious plan. Build a major marine terminal in Casco Bay for supertankers to unload crude oil into a pipeline running underground from Portland to a 250,000 gallon-a-day oil refinery in Sanford, 36 miles away. Petroleum products would then be piped to southern New England. The idea may sound unbelievable in 2023. But the need for an oil refinery in Maine seemed obvious to many in 1973, and was reinforced 50 years ago when the state received a startling wakeup call. An attack on Israel started the Yom Kippur War. President Richard Nixon’s decision to give Israel emergency financial aid prompted OPEC to retaliate by cutting off oil exports to the U.S. and Europe. Suddenly, Mainers discovered their way of life threatened by their dependence on energy from unfriendly countries, as the carefree era of cheap petroleum came to a screeching halt. And few parts of the country were as vulnerable as Maine.

Column: Take an early autumn paddle on these connected ponds

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • September 24, 2023

Experience two seasons at once on Kingsbury Pond – late summer warmth combined with the soft golden light of early autumn. The northern shoreline has cottages along it, but for the most part the southern shoreline is undeveloped, featuring an unbroken line of evergreens and birch. Once you get out into the open water from the Kingsbury boat launch – located about 30 miles south of Moosehead Lake and 9 miles east of Bingham – you will notice the massive white turbines of the Bingham Wind Farm along the ridgelines to the north. With 56 turbines this is currently the largest wind farm in New England. ~ Michael Perry

Column: I have a license, so why do I need to buy these permits, too?

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • September 24, 2023

If you need to buy a waterfowl stamp or a permit don’t complain; you’re doing your part to support wildlife conservation. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “For every dollar you spend on Federal Duck Stamps, ninety-eight cents goes directly to purchase vital habitat or acquire conservation easements for protection in the National Wildlife Refuge System.” Like the duck stamps, in Maine some of the money from antlerless deer permits goes toward conservation, specifically, acquisition and management of deer wintering areas, which are a critical and often lacking habitat component in northern and eastern Maine. With a few limited exceptions, hunters and anglers fund the bulk of wildlife conservation. ~ Bob Humphrey

Commentary: Maine Clean Trucks proposal carries major economic and environmental benefits

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • September 24, 2023

Maine’s mandatory 45% cut in greenhouse-gas emissions looms, and the Advanced Clean Trucks program is necessary for the state to hit this target. Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, while only comprising around 5% of the vehicles on our roads, contribute more than a quarter of climate-damaging transportation emissions. The Advanced Clean Trucks rule will never force a Maine business to purchase a particular vehicle. Instead, it sets a standard for manufacturers. Under the rule, Maine would gradually transition to clean vehicles over the next decade – only 15% of trucks on the road in 2035 would be zero-emission. This means that our loggers and long-haulers can continue using the trucks they trust for years to come, while proven electric vehicles like delivery vans, school buses and refuse trucks can be on a faster track to clean air and cost savings. ~ Emily Green, Conservation Law Foundation

Why September’s record-warm temperatures have scientists so worried

WASHINGTON POST • September 23, 2023

After months of record planetary warmth, temperatures have become even more abnormal in recent weeks – briefly averaging close to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, a global warming threshold leaders are seeking to avoid. The trend adds to near-certainty that 2023 will be Earth’s warmest on record, and heightens threats of the extreme conditions the heat could fuel around the world. The warmth is likely to be the fingerprint of a deepening El Niño climate pattern and a sign that temperatures will continue to accelerate beyond old norms in the year ahead.

Debating Maine’s energy future in Question 3

MAINE MONITOR • September 23, 2023

Many claims about the Pine Tree Power proposal were up for debate at a Question 3 forum hosted by the business network E2Tech in Augusta on Tuesday. The two sides did agree on one thing: This proposal presents a stark choice about Maine’s energy future. Should we move forward within the status quo or take a big leap into something new? Voters, according to both sides of the debate, can either trust CMP and Versant, and trust state lawmakers’ and regulators’ efforts to hold the utilities accountable for improving rates, reliability, service and climate readiness — or they can try to realize those improvements via an alternate model, one akin in many ways to a municipal power & light district or a rural electric cooperative. Seth Berry, the original architect of the Pine Tree Power proposal, said the new utility’s nonprofit structure would allow cheaper grid upgrades to respond to climate change.

Column: Ethical, and legal, hunting includes safe shooting

SUN JOURNAL • September 23, 2023

The ethical deer hunter, whether with bow or rifle, will weigh the odds of a clean kill before squeezing the trigger. There is a legal aspect as well. Maine has a target identification law, a state statute that defines the safe hunter. Boiled down, the law states that no deer hunter can take a shot legally in Maine at an animal unless he or she can “obtain an essentially unobstructed view of the head and torso of the potential target.” The implied imperative, of course, is that the safe and ethical hunter, who is not positive, will forego that shot rather than risk injury or death to another human being. Hunting safety has improved markedly over the years. As hunters we all need to be always mindful when it comes to target identification and, equally important, practice muzzle discipline whenever in the field and when loading and unloading firearms. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Guide to leaf-peeping in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2023

This summer’s rainfall could lead to more vibrant foliage on Maine’s trees this fall, according to state agriculture officials. We’ll be following along with Maine’s official foliage report and updating this page weekly throughout the peak leaf-peeping season, so make sure to check back for more updates. Northern Maine tends to reach peak foliage in late September, while coastal Maine reaches peak in mid- to late October. This year, Acadia National Park is expected to see peak foliage later in the season than historic data would predict. Due to climate change, peak leaf-peeping is expected to come two weeks later than it did in the 1950s, according to new research. That means that peak foliage is expected around the third week in October.

Commentary: License to kill – Brookfield’s dams and Maine’s rivers

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 23, 2023

On July 7, lighting knocked out McKay Station, the powerhouse serving Brookfield’s Ripogenus Dam on the West Branch of the Penobscot River. With the unstaffed station inoperable, Brookfield’s own SafeWaters website showed waterflows below Ripogenus collapsing to 100 cubic feet per second, a fraction of the normal 3,000 to 1,800 cfs range. Retired fisheries biologist Ed Spear, who worked for Great Northern Paper when it ran Ripogenus, said: “Essentially, the entire West Branch 2023 salmon year class was eliminated.” This event provided the latest example of Canada-based Brookfield’s careless disregard for the many Maine dams it owns and rivers it controls and why Mainers who care about our environment should be concerned as Brookfield seeks to renew its 30- to 50-year federal licenses to operate its dams. It must be made clear that a license to operate dams is not a license to kill. ~ Steve Heinz, Maine chapter of Trout Unlimited

Maine has spiders that can hiss and jump

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2023

Not every spider sits in the middle of its web or drops down from above on a string of silk. In Maine, there are spiders that also jump and spiders that make hissing-like sounds. While neither is poisonous, coming across either can be a bit startling. Among the spiders commonly found in Maine is the wolf spider, a rather athletic spider that is a ground dweller. Instead of catching flies in a web, the wolf spider hunts and runs down its prey, including small bugs and even other spiders. They have excellent night vision and because they make a hiss-like sound, they are among the so-called hissing spiders. Wolf spiders prefer to run away, but will rear up on their hind legs and wriggle their front ones at you if cornered. Jumping spiders are not aggressive and have even been described as friendly.

Opinion: California’s lawsuit against Big Oil could help end decades of climate lies

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • September 23, 2023

California’s lawsuit against some of the world’s largest oil companies is an important move by the world’s fifth-largest economy to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for decades of climate denial and deception. The state is also trying to prevent oil companies from continuing to make false or misleading statements about their role in overheating the planet. The fossil fuel industry’s disinformation tactics are ever-evolving, morphing from outright denial years ago to more sophisticated greenwashing today that misleads consumers by portraying oil companies and their products as environmentally sustainable. And its climate deception remains one of the biggest barriers to action to cut planet-warming emissions. ~ Los Angeles Times Editorial

Letter: Chamber event should have featured both sides

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 23, 2023

In the Sept. 15 story about the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce’s “forum” on Pine Tree Power (“Portland chamber slams public power proposal as activists demonstrate”), a key detail was buried in the middle of the piece: The event was sponsored by Central Maine Power. One side of the issue sponsored an event and didn’t even invite the opposition to participate. ~ Kevin Simowitz, Portland

Wet fields jeopardize some of Aroostook’s multimillion-dollar potato crop

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2023

Sodden fields are keeping potatoes in the ground and many farmers are worried about rot. Constant wet weather kept berry pickers away and hurt County hay production. Rain delayed planting season in Aroostook County, where about 90 percent of Maine’s potatoes are grown, and now it’s jeopardizing the multimillion-dollar crop. It’s been more than a decade since wet weather has plagued County farmers. Potatoes need healthy moisture to grow, but too much water can lead to rot — and you can’t sell rotten potatoes.