Mills addresses state, tours flooding damage as more than 190,000 remain without power

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 20, 2023

A massive restoration is underway from Monday’s devastating wind and rainstorm as many Maine residents braced themselves Wednesday night to enter a fourth day without power. Temperatures are expected to plummet Thursday, too, as the holidays draw nearer. Gov. Janet Mills urged Mainers to stay safe in the coming days as utilities work to restore power – more than 190,000 were still in the dark late Wednesday – and as other crews repair roads and bridges threatened by both fallen debris and floodwaters.

Power outages, road closures persist across Midcoast two days after historic storm

TIMES RECORD • December 20, 2023

Thousands of people across the Midcoast, including entire communities, were still without power and the heavily traveled Frank J. Wood Bridge linking Brunswick and Topsham remained closed Wednesday afternoon due to Monday’s historic storm. The storm, which drenched the region and whipped up 60-plus mph winds, killed two Mainers who were hit by falling tree limbs and knocked out power to more than 400,000 across the state. Central Maine Power said Wednesday morning it had restored power to 201,000 customers across the state.

Lopsided spending lines up with lopsided results in Maine referendums

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 20, 2023

Committees funded almost entirely by the state's 2 largest electricity providers spent more than $136 per vote to defeat a nonprofit power company proposal, while proponents spent less than $10 per vote on their losing campaign.

State environmental board postpones meeting to consider electric vehicle mandates

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 20, 2023

A state environmental board has postponed a meeting scheduled for Thursday to consider electric vehicle sales mandates for Maine. The Board of Environmental Protection did not set a new date. It called off the meeting because of the statewide storm Monday that left hundreds of thousands of residents and businesses without power and made roads hazardous or impassable. Leading Democrats and Republicans in Maine have announced their opposition to the proposal to limit the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles and encourage more emissions-free electric vehicles. BEP members are considering regulations to limit the sale of new gas-powered vehicles.

Mainers may not have power restored until Christmas

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 19, 2023

Officials from Maine’s two largest electric utilities say it will likely take through the end of the week to restore power after Monday’s destructive storm, though the hardest-hit areas could be waiting until Christmas. Restoration efforts could take into the weekend for heavily damaged areas, Central Maine Power said in a Tuesday morning update. Interior parts of the state likely have longer restoration timelines, perhaps from five to six days, because some areas are too heavily flooded to access.

For many Mainers, power restoration may not come until the end of the week

MAINE PUBLIC • December 20, 2023

Monday's storm left thousands of Mainers without power. Versant estimates that many will be without power until the end of the week. The high winds pummeled Ellsworth so hard that they peeled back the roof of the elementary-middle school like a sardine can. Versant Power spokesperson Judy Long urges caution around downed power lines, and warns against cutting trees that are touching power lines.

Opinion: Biden’s supporters need to start acting like it

BLOOMBERG • December 20, 2023

The Biden administration signed into law the most ambitious climate legislation in the history of the U.S., arguably of the world. And he did it at a time of high inflation, when most voters would probably have preferred he focus on making energy as cheap as possible. His reward from environmentalists? Calls for the COP 28 gathering to be more ambitious, demands that the US be less friendly to natural gas, complaints that he’s approving too many oil and gas leases. Trump’s opponents are putting constant pressure on Biden to enact more of the progressive agenda. They undermine the message that Trump is an existential threat. Progressives mean what they say about Trump. They need to start acting like it. ~ Matthew Yglesias

Opinion: Christmas gift-giving turbocharges our trash problem. This is how I cope

TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY • December 20, 2023

We generate more than 25% of our annual waste during the holidays. We’ve created a civilization bursting at the seams with stuff, and the holidays merely see the worst of it. I shop for gifts locally and buy with waste reduction in mind. Requesting a small donation to a charity supporting people living with cancer in lieu of a gift would be for me the sincerest expression of love and concern this holiday season. ~ Paul Thornton

Letter: BEP should reject Advanced Clean Cars II

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 20, 2023

Some Mainers are choosing to purchase zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). If a ZEV makes sense for individuals, I think it is a great choice. However, I have a problem with bureaucrats in Augusta forcing them on everyone. The Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) is considering the adoption of a policy that will mandate the sale of ZEVs in Maine, removing the consumers’ right to choose. I urge the BEP to reject the adoption of the Advanced Clean Cars II plan. ~ Pamela Miner, Casco

Column: I visited 3 of Maine’s most scenic locations in a single hike

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

Inside a Maine ski area rocked by this week’s storm

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.

Opinion: My EV is an upgrade over gas-powered cars, but keeping it charged in Maine is a real problem

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

Letter: Stop the proposed electric vehicle standards

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

More Maine towns are pushing back against solar farms

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.

Opinion: Maine can’t prosper with exclusive electric vehicle usage

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

Letter: Concerns about electric vehicles

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

Flooding Kennebec River leaves wake of destruction as thousands remain without power in central Maine

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.

From retailers to ski resorts, Maine businesses also feel storm’s impact

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.

Biden administration moves to protect old-growth forests as climate change brings fires, pests

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.