The most comprehensive online source of conservation news and events in Maine and beyond, edited by Jym St. Pierre
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 20, 2023
One of the finest hikes in the Camden Hills is a traverse of Maiden Cliff and Mount Megunticook.The expedition encompasses three of the most scenic locations in Maine: Maiden Cliff, a towering escarpment on Scenic Trail and Ocean Overlook. ~ Ron Chase
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 20, 2023
The storm that left many Maine households without electricity Tuesday also rocked some of the state’s major ski areas just as they were bracing for a rush of travelers during the busy holiday break. Multiple mountains announced that they were suspending operations. The most seriously hit of that group may be Sunday River in Newry, where rain combined with snowmelt to do serious damage to the surrounding area.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 20, 2023
I’ve been driving an all-electric Volkswagen ID4 now for the last two-plus years. Driving an electric car is not a compromise, it is a true upgrade over conventional gas engine cars. The unseen but very real additional benefit of an electric car is that as I drive, the electric car produces no tailpipe emissions. But there is also a true downside to owning an electric car today in Maine. First, our cold winters reduce the ability of my electric car batteries to hold as much of a charge compared to the warmth of summer days. The other more significant issue is that Maine and a good bit of rural America is not prepared yet for charging electric cars while traveling distances beyond a normal charging range. ~ Des FitzGerald, Rockport
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 20, 2023
Why do we elect members of the Legislature and our governor if they are simply going to allow a seven-person board to control what can be sold in Maine? Electric vehicles are good for some people, but not 82 percent of new car sales. I think the simple idea that people won’t look to New Hampshire to buy a car is foolish. Maine people deserve better, and I hope it’s not too late to prevent this from happening. ~ Audrey Murphy, Auburn
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 20, 2023
A plethora of solar projects emerged from generous incentives granted by a 2019 Maine law, LD1711, geared toward meeting the state’s statutory clean energy target of 80 percent renewable energy by 2030. The law was revised in 2021 to cool demand. But cities and towns across Maine have pushed back on some of the incentives and moved to make developers more accountable for commercial projects, especially the spike in waste expected when the solar arrays are at the end of their usable life in 20 to 30 years. Maine has 7,317 solar installations with a total of 948 megawatts of power. By 2030, the U.S. could begin piling up millions of metric tons of waste from decommissioned solar models.
SUN JOURNAL • December 20, 2023
Has government gone absolutely loony? On Dec. 13 this was the headline that greeted us: “Maine considering California-style incentives to encourage electric vehicle sales.” This measure would require, not encourage, 82% of new vehicles sold to be zero emissions by 2032. The Maine Board of Environmental Protection must not implement such insanity. Most Mainers cannot afford electric vehicles, and our cold climate, distance travel requirements, lack of statewide public transportation, and lack of chargers make these vehicles impractical. ~ Rep. Tammy Schmersal-Burgess, Mexico, House District 119, and Joseph Martin, Rumford, Republican candidate for state Senate District 19
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 20, 2023
Electric vehicles can be around 30 percent heavier than other vehicles. This could result in more infrastructure wear and certainly concern in places like parking garages. Electric vehicles are already not paying the same taxes for roads through their fuel expenses. So that means heavier cars, more wear to roads and bridges, but less money to fix them. ~ Alicia Collins, Sidney
MORNING SENTINEL • December 19, 2023
The Kennebec River rose higher than it has in 25 years. More than 350,000 people remain without power. Two have been killed by falling trees, including a Fairfield man whose family has not yet learned of their loss. Dispatchers in Winthrop are answering 911 calls on their cell phones because of downed wires. Many schools, offices and roads are closed. And police were asking some residents to evacuate their homes before floodwaters crept in. These are just some of the impacts being felt in central Maine on Tuesday, a day after a powerful wind and rain storm swept through New England.
SUN JOURNAL • December 19, 2023
Monday’s powerful wind and rain storm delivered an economic punch to many Maine businesses, which had to deal with issues ranging from retail locations losing internet service to ski areas watching their snow cover melt away just days before the start of the holiday vacation week.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • December 19, 2023
The Biden administration moved on Tuesday to conserve groves of old-growth trees on national forests across the U.S. and limit logging as climate change amplifies the threats they face from wildfires, insects and disease. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the agency was adopting an “ecologically-driven” approach to older forests – an arena where timber industry interests have historically predominated. That will include the first nationwide amendment to U.S. Forest Service management plans in the agency’s 118-year history, he said.
SUN JOURNAL • December 19, 2023
The deadly rain and windstorm that swept through Maine on Monday downing trees, cutting power to half the state, washing away roads and bridges, and flooding communities is the latest example of bad weather made worse by climate change. Although the damage was caused by wind and rain, it was the unseasonably warm weather that Maine is experiencing due to an increase in heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that gave the wet winter storm its powerful punch, scientists say.
PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 19, 2023
Two major rivers in Maine are expected to experience 100-year floods between late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, creating dangerous conditions for some communities that are still reeling from widespread power outages in the wake of Monday’s storm. Late Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Janet Mills declared a state of civil emergency for every Maine county except York and Cumberland, a distinction that allows her to marshal state resources and apply for federal funding.
MAINE PUBLIC • December 19, 2023
The city of Lewiston is ordering residents of several streets to evacuate from this afternoon through midday tomorrow. In neighboring Auburn, officials have strongly recommended evacuating North River Road, Newbury Street, and Riverside Drive, among other low-lying areas. The city of Augusta has additionally closed streets and any city-owned property along the Kennebec River.
ASSOCIATED PRESS • December 19, 2023
Christmas tree growers and breeders have long prepared for a future of hotter weather that will change soil conditions, too. People buying trees may not have noticed a difference in availability this year and may not even in the next couple; the average Christmas tree takes eight to 10 years to reach marketable size. But that means the trees being grown right now are the beloved holiday traditions of tomorrow for millions of families. That’s why researchers have been working with breeders to see if species from other parts of the world – for instance, Turkish fir – are better adapted to conditions being wrought by climate change.
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 19, 2023
A Dec. 12 column opposing proposed clean cars standards for Maine includes several unsubstantiated claims. Adopting these standards is consistent with Maine’s long-standing practice of adopting strong fuel-efficiency and tailpipe pollution standards going back decades, and they are needed to meet Maine’s greenhouse gas reduction targets as required by law. Zero-emission vehicle drivers can save $20 to $30 every time they fill up, and the standards are designed to ensure Mainers can participate and benefit as the clean energy transition happens and not get left behind. There are no purchase requirements for individuals or businesses, and the standards don’t apply to used vehicles sales. ~ Josh Caldwell, Natural Resources Council of Maine, Augusta
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 19, 2023
The Maine economy is based on three primary elements: tourism, fisheries and manufacturing. Our educational system reflects conventional organization and academic disciplines, and yet we face a pervasive decline in skilled personnel for the trades and other workforce specialties. We are experiencing a renewal of people, young and old coming to Maine for the quality of life. Are we strong enough to have a strategic plan that will provide and accelerate the values these new “immigrants” bring to our community? “The creative economy,” traditionally characterized as art and culture, must now include science and communication. The demographic predictions of climate consequence indicate that Maine is one of the most beneficial places to live in the U.S. The opportunity demands vision and leadership. Will we create our future, or just let it be? ~ Peter Neill, Sedgwick
BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 19, 2023
I run a bus business, and we contract with schools to transport students to school and to sporting events. We had the opportunity to use an electric bus, and I can say from that experience, it would never meet the needs of the school systems. There’s no way to transport kids without spending hours charging, the bus had to be heated with diesel because the battery could never support that high need for power, and the battery could catch on fire. ~ Wayne Luce, Hope
SUN JOURNAL • December 19, 2023
City officials issued flood evacuation orders Tuesday afternoon for sections of Auburn and Lewiston due to an expected “record level” of the Androscoggin River on Wednesday.
TIMES RECORD • December 19, 2023
Officials shut down the Frank J. Wood Bridge linking downtown Brunswick and Topsham late Tuesday morning due to high water levels stemming from Monday’s severe storm. The Maine Department of Transportation decided to close the bridge around 11 a.m., as the Androscoggin River was rushing just 6 feet below the bridge deck’s beams, according to MDOT spokesperson Paul Merrill. Water also closed in on the bottom of the adjacent bridge that is being built to replace the Frank J. Wood Bridge.
RUMFORD FALLS TIMES • December 19, 2023
Two people remained missing Tuesday night after the vehicle they were in was swept off the Red Bridge by floodwaters from the Swift River on Monday night, officials said. Mexico police said that shortly before 5 p.m. Monday, a vehicle carrying four people was traveling Route 2 and the driver tried unsuccessfully to cross the Red Bridge into Rumford. As the driver tried to turn around the vehicle was swept into the river. Three people were able to get out of the car; two of them were rescued and taken to Rumford Hospital where they were treated for hypothermia. The the third person, along with the fourth person who was last seen in the car, remain missing.
