PFAS found on former Loring base could delay $4B biomass jet fuel plant

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 21, 2023

One of the chemicals categorized as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, has been found in an old airport hangar at the former Loring Air Force Base, which could delay the base’s largest redevelopment project in years. Washington D.C.-based DG Fuels plans to construct a $4 billion sustainable aviation fuel production facility on the former base. The company intends to lease 1,240 acres for the project which is being funded through the U.S. Department of Energy and commercial equity, DG Fuels CEO Michael Darcy said. The PFAS discovery raises legal questions about cleanup responsibilities if hazardous materials are found in the future. Data from the U.S. Air Force’s ongoing investigation of the site won’t be compiled before the start of construction on the DG Fuels facility in late 2024 or early 2025, creating uncertainty about the timing of the project.

How a Category 5 atmospheric river supercharged deadly East Coast storm

WASHINGTON POST • December 21, 2023

Atmospheric rivers – jets of intense precipitation that curl around powerful ocean storms – are generally considered a West Coast phenomenon. But it turns out a top tier atmospheric river – rated Category 5 on scale of 1 to 5 – was part of the East Coast storm that killed at least five people and cut power to more than 800,000 customers this week. The storm unleashed at least 4 inches of rain and wind gusts over 50 mph in every Eastern Seaboard state from Florida to Maine. Boosted by the atmospheric river, the storm generated exceptional rainfall that caused creeks, streams and rivers to overflow. The river in the sky drew record-setting warmth from the tropics northward, melting snow in the mountains of the Northeast, which made the flooding even worse.

Letter: Millinocket area needs jobs, but not from the mining proposal

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 21, 2023

I am 80 years old, born in Millinocket, where my husband and I have lived and worked. We grew up here during the “glory days” when Great Northern Paper Co.’s mills were world-renowned and when millworkers made good money and their children were able to find jobs in the area or could afford to attend college and tech schools. We were also here when Great Northern was nibbled away at by outside investors with empty promises. We need jobs here, but not the kinds of jobs that could destroy wildlife habitat and poison our waters, not now and not for our future generations to have to clean up. ~ Marian Hale Fowler, Indian Purchase Township

Regulators kill deal for wind power line from northern Maine to New England grid

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 21, 2023

State utility regulators, citing differences over cost, have terminated an agreement for a proposed transmission line that would have brought wind power from northern Maine to the New England grid. Philip L. Bartlett II, chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission, said at the agency’s meeting Thursday that the developer, LS Power, informed regulators that it “can no longer hold to its price” for the transmission line that would extend up to 160 miles. “This is a nonstarter,” Bartlett said. The PUC will terminate the procurement and initiate a new one.

Maine Public Utilities Commission nixes Aroostook powerline contract

MAINE PUBLIC • December 21, 2023

The Maine Public Utilities Commission on Thursday terminated its deal with LS Power, which had won a contract to build a billion-dollar powerline from southern Aroostook County to central Maine. The powerline was planned to run from Glenwood Plantation to Coopers Mills, connecting the proposed 1,000-megawatt King Pine wind farm to the central Maine electrical grid. Proponents said it would help Maine meet its renewable energy goals. The PUC awarded the contract to LS Power in October 2022, and Massachusetts committed to funding 40 percent of the project two months later. It also received Maine lawmakers' approval. But when LS Power published maps of its proposed route in July, opposition quickly emerged, especially among farmers and other affected landowners along the route. Now, the PUC says it's been unable to negotiate terms of the contract with LS Power, including the actual cost of the project.

Federal government pauses controversial plan for western Maine wildlife refuge

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 21, 2023

The federal government has paused a plan to turn part of western Maine’s High Peaks region into a National Wildlife Refuge after pushback from residents and lawmakers who viewed the effort as encroaching on local autonomy. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service floated the idea this past spring of using 5,000 to 15,000 acres of the High Peaks region around Rangeley for a new refuge after identifying the area that contains the largest expanse of high elevation in Maine as providing critical habitat for migratory birds and opportunities to research how species adapt to a changing climate. But a broad group of opponents (loggers, outdoors groups, Sugarloaf ski resort, Gov. Janet Mills, Maine’s congressional delegation, and state lawmakers from the region) worried they would lose access to and control of land, especially for ATV and snowmobile use.

Scarborough to preserve small but mighty 18 acres

FORECASTER • December 21, 2023

The Scarborough Town Council on Wednesday voted unanimously to help the Scarborough Land Trust acquire and conserve an 18-acre parcel on the west side of town. While relatively small, “the ‘wow’ factor of this property’s connectivity is perhaps the most important factor to positively affect wildlife outcomes,” the town’s Parks and Conservation Land Board said in its recommendation to the council. The parcel along Hanson Road, with more than 1,200 feet of Silver Brook frontage, abuts other conserved land. The acquisition will create over 730 acres of contiguous land conserved in Scarborough and Buxton.

Letter: Range anxiety with EVs is misplaced

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 21, 2023

In the debate over Maine’s proposed electric vehicle regulations, range anxiety is often the first thing drivers think of. They picture nightmare scenarios of long recharging times on a road trip. But that nightmare is highly unlikely. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the average driver drives 29 miles per day, and 99.03% of driving trips are done at 100 miles or fewer, while 0.24 percent of all trips were over 250 miles. The median distance of a road trip in a personal vehicle was 194 miles. The average range of an EV in 2022, according to Bloomberg, was 291 miles. So for daily driving and over 99% of road trips, an EV can get you to your destination without you having to stop to recharge. ~ David Kuchta, Portland

This Acadia winter adventure includes a sand beach and crumbling tea house

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 21, 2023

One of the most popular destinations in Acadia National Park, Sand Beach is swarming with visitors in the summer. Its two parking lots fill up rapidly every day. But during the winter, even on a bluebird day, you might share the beach with a handful of locals and off-season tourists. Or you might have it entirely to yourself. Another perk? Dogs are permitted on the beach in the winter — but they’re not during the summer — if you keep them on leash and pick up after them.

Opinion: A wind port belongs at Mack Point, not on Sears Island

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 21, 2023

Most people are not familiar with the 2007 Sears Island Planning Initiative Consensus Agreement. It set the stage to divide Sears Island into the 601-acre conservation area (held by Maine Coast Heritage Trust), with the remaining 335 acres set aside “for a potential port development.” It’s clear that the reserved land is intended to serve “marine transportation” purposes. Based on the agreement, developing Sears Island for a wind port is inappropriate. The Maine Department of Transportation acknowledges that a proposed wind port could potentially be located on Mack Point, where the 100-acre land requirement could be met, and owner Sprague Energy welcomes the development. There is no clearly documented reason to destroy 100 or more acres of forest, flatten the west side of the island, and fill 20 acres of Penobscot Bay for a wind port. ~ Rolf Olsen, Friends of Sears Island

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