Southern company wins third auction for Orrington trash incinerator

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 14, 2023

A company based in the southern U.S. has made a winning bid for the foreclosed Orrington trash incinerator during a third auction for the facility on Tuesday. That company, C&M Faith holdings, made the winning bid of $1.2 million for the Penobscot Energy Recovery Co. plant. Its short term goal is to restart the facility and resume accepting trash from area communities. In the longer term, the group hopes to incorporate a newer waste technology that converts the gas generated by decomposing waste into electricity.

Maine tribes get federal funds for habitat restoration

MAINE PUBLIC • November 14, 2023

The Penobscot Indian Nation and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians are among those awarded America the Beautiful grants Tuesday from the Department of the Interior and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The Penobscot Nation was awarded $5 million to conduct habitat assessments of moose, wood turtles, and vernal pools, and improve fish passage for brook trout and Atlantic salmon. The funds will also restore riparian habitat and aquatic connectivity through the replacement of five stream crossings. The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians was awarded $1.6 million to fund river restoration projects in the Wolastoq-St. John watershed.

This national report says climate change is making life harder for Americans

MAINE PUBLIC • November 14, 2023

The National Climate Assessment, the most consequential U.S. climate report, says climate change now touches every region of the U.S. and it’s making American’s lives harder.

Maine Calling: Big & Old Trees

MAINE PUBLIC • November 14, 2023

Did you know that there are places in Maine that have trees dating back to the 1700s? Learn about Maine’s old growth and ancient trees and why they matter. And find out what trees make it onto the Maine Big Tree Registry. Panelists: Jan Santerre, Maine Forest Service, Maine Big Tree Coordinator; Justin Schlawin, forest ecologist, Maine Natural Areas Program. VIP Callers: Jim Ferrante, Maine Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry; Eben Sypitkowski, The Nature Conservancy - Maine.

National Climate Assessment highlights rapid changes in Gulf of Maine

MAINE PUBLIC • November 14, 2023

The Biden Administration on Tuesday released its latest National Climate Assessment. Dave Reidmiller of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute led the development of the last climate assessment. This time he's an author of the Northeast chapter in the report. He says it highlights the rapid pace of the changes in recent years, especially the frequency of extreme events like coastal flooding, heavy precipitation, marine heat waves and wildfires. Reidmiller says although the impacts are dire, the report is also chock full of hope. "When you flip through these pages you see solution after solution after solution.”

Despite deadline pressure, Maine lawmakers urged to press ahead on PFAS disclosure requirements

MAINE PUBLIC • November 14, 2023

State lawmakers continue to explore possible changes to a law that will eventually require all manufacturers to report whether products sold in Maine contain so-called "forever chemicals." While some businesses say the timeline is unrealistic, environmental health advocates say Maine should continue leading the way on regulation of PFAS. Linda Birnbaum, a leading PFAS researcher who formerly headed the federal government's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, urged Maine and other states to stay the course.

Newly trained workers set to join Maine's $582M logging industry

MAINEBIZ • November 13, 2023

A dozen skilled loggers are about to join Maine's half-billion-dollar logging industry after graduating from a five-month training program. As in the program's previous years, the majority of students have jobs waiting, since demand for both drivers and logging operators continues to exceed supply. In the Northeast, logging provides rural jobs and revenue for local and state governments as well as state and national forests. In Maine, the industry contributed an estimated $582 million to the state's economy in 2021.

Ethics in the outdoors means doing the right thing when nobody’s looking

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 13, 2023

As a Maine Game Warden, I was exposed to every shade of the ethical color wheel. I found most sportsmen and sportswomen are good people that do their best to adhere to fish and wildlife laws and rules. Yes, I observed my fair share of folks looking over their shoulder before tossing an extra trout in a cooler or sneaking a small doe home at midnight. I’m both happy to report, however, that I saw far more people do the right thing when it would have been so easy to do the wrong. Core values and morals vary from person to person and there is no definitive standard, but if you’re confused about what to do when nobody’s looking, there’s an old saying: Do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons. ~ Chris Sargent

Brief closure of rail trail will block commutes from Gardiner to Augusta

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • November 13, 2023

People looking to travel between Gardiner and Augusta by way of the Kennebec River Rail Trail will need to make alternate plans Wednesday, when workers will shut down part of it to replace a too-small culvert. The 6 1/2-mile trail that runs along its namesake river will be closed near the 3.75-mile marker in Farmingdale.

Another auction scheduled for Orrington trash incinerator after winning bidder backs out

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 13, 2023

Another auction is scheduled for the Orrington trash incinerator, after a recent purchase fell through. The foreclosed Penobscot Energy Recovery Co. plant was auctioned to Delta Thermo Energy on Nov. 2. The Pennsylvania company made the winning bid of $1.5 million. However, the company decided not to pay the required 10 percent of the sale. Now that Delta Thermo Energy has backed out, a third auction is scheduled for 1 p.m., Tuesday. PERC was originally scheduled for auction in June, but it was delayed three times until the first auction on Oct. 25, where no bids were placed, and the second auction on Nov. 2.

Maine Calling: Climate Change & Public Health

MAINE PUBLIC • November 13, 2023

Former Maine CDC director Nirav Shah—now with the US CDC—joins us to discuss the impacts of climate change on public health, and how to adapt or prevent illness and disease. Panelist: Nirav Shah, principal deputy director, U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention; former director, Maine CDC.

Opinion: Wolfden project can set standard to improve mining worldwide

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 13, 2023

Recently there have been public hearings held on whether to allow the Pickett Mountain Project, a proposed copper, zinc, gold and silver mine, to move forward. I testified in support of the project. I am not just a political lobbyist, I am also a hunting guide with a lodge, just south of the proposed mine. China controls a good chunk of the global metals market. This presents a national security problem and an environmental concern because of its almost non-existent environmental regulation. I have full faith in our government to ensure that Wolfden’s words are met with the action it speaks of. I trust our elected officials and bureaucrats to ensure that the mine is above the standard that they lay out. I trust the folks at Wolfden with our state’s land. ~ Jared Bornstein, Democratic lobbyist and owner of Northern Star Lodge in Sherman

Maine wildlife officials investigate two illegal moose killings

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 13, 2023

The Maine Warden Service is investigating the illegal killings of two moose in Washington and Aroostook counties. Game wardens in Washington County found a dead moose about 70 yards off Grand Falls Road in Baileyville midday on Nov. 10. In Aroostook County, a dead moose was found a day earlier on County Road 15. Both animals were left to waste after being killed. Operation Game Thief is offering a $3,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for either killing. Tips can be submitted at maineogt.org.

Seasonal worker visas expected to double, boosting Maine’s hospitality industry

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 13, 2023

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King say they have worked with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor to secure an additional 64,716 H-2B visas – on top of the congressionally mandated 66,000 – that allows employers to temporarily hire foreign workers to help Maine’s small businesses amid a heightening workforce shortage.

In the ‘Wild West’ of Maine solar, complaints build against this company

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 13, 2023

Residential and business customers who have filed complaints with authorities and are awaiting installation or refunds from Pine Tree Solar. The complaints show a pattern of delayed work, lack of communication from the company and failure to refund money for work not done. The complaints reflect a bigger challenge with hooking up solar: It can be complicated and expensive to upgrade Maine’s aging electricity grid to be able to handle new technologies. In addition to being a headache for customers, the difficulties could hamper the state’s clean energy goals.

The battle is on between Maine growers and invasive jumping worms

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 12, 2023

Gardeners around Maine are not ready to run up the white flag in the face of attacks by invasive jumping worms, but they are mounting a defense as the worm numbers increase statewide. The Asian jumping worms have been in Maine for the last 100 years. For most of that time they were confined to a couple of locations in southern and central Maine. But their numbers have dramatically increased in recent years. They are voracious, born pregnant and extremely difficult to kill. They also destroy the top layers of planting soils. There is no proven effective way to eradicate the worms.

Rough seas ahead for offshore wind

MAINE MONITOR • November 12, 2023

Recent months have seen cancellations or setbacks for multiple offshore wind contracts in the Northeast. Some of those developers could rebid their contracts at a higher cost. But other projects may be in jeopardy. Supply chain issues, high interest rates and other economic stumbling blocks are creating uncertainty across the industry for a renewable energy source that’s vital to meeting U.S. emissions-cutting targets. What does this mean for Maine, with its lofty, early-stage project plans for what’s been described as the “Saudi Arabia of offshore wind” — the Gulf of Maine? Under Maine’s recently inked offshore wind procurement program, which sets a goal of installing 3 gigawatts of wind by 2040, the state doesn’t have to issue its first request for proposals until either January 2026 or three months after the first federal auction for wind in the Gulf of Maine, whichever is later.

Eel guts, salmon blood: Maine companies look to make the most of fish waste

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 12, 2023

A recent report from the Seafood Economic Accelerator for Maine, a statewide initiative to bolster economic growth and improve resiliency for the seafood sector, estimates that Maine’s seafood industry annually generates about 57 million pounds of waste – about 25% of its total seafood production. This waste, known as seafood residuals, can be used in myriad ways across numerous industries, and experts believe it has serious economic potential. Converting waste from salmon, eel and other marine species into consumer and biomedical products has opened a new and lucrative path for Maine's seafood industry. Maine companies could see a 7% to 20% return on investment for residuals.

A new book explains how to read the natural landscape

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • November 12, 2023

Regarding forests, conservation biologist Noah Charney, a professor at University of Maine in Orono, takes a long view – 20 years, 200 years, 20,000 years, back to the Ice Age. What can a forest tell us about the major evolutionary forces that sculpted what is before our eyes today? Why are certain trees where they are? What was the likely succession of tree species over time that created the forest in front of us? When he takes his students to a salt marsh, he asks them to think about what created the striking visual patterns they can see. “These Trees Tell a Story” is meant for the average person, not the biologist. ~ Frank O Smith

Column: Will we see snowy owls this winter?

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • November 12, 2023

Folks are reporting that many of our winter visitors are now coming south. One species that we’ve been getting asked about recently is the snowy owl. This denizen of the arctic tundra often shows up in Maine at least in small numbers. Some years we see large flights of them coming south. So, what can we expect to see for snowy owl numbers in Maine this winter? This winter will mark 10 years since we experienced one of the largest flights ever recorded. Irruptions do tend to be cyclical. It is important to remember that snowy owls generally only come to Maine as part of an irruption. Whether it is a large irruption or not, I want to take this opportunity to remind about proper owl-viewing ethics. as soon as your actions change the behavior of the bird, this is a sure sign that you are too close and need to move back immediately. ~ Maine Audubon Staff Naturalist Doug Hitchcox