Maine farmers harvest fewer potatoes after rainy growing season

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 28, 2023

Maine potato growers harvested about 70 million fewer pounds of potatoes than in 2022, likely caused by the state’s unusually wet weather. Nearly everywhere in Maine, rain damaged crops like hay and increased pest activity. Potato farmers faced having to leave some overly saturated potatoes behind. Potatoes have reigned for decades as Maine’s No. 1 food crop, with a value of $258 million last year. Though the numbers were smaller this year, producers still gathered the third biggest crop in the last five years.

Letter: Mandating EV use will strain Mainers

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 28, 2023

The proposed adoption of the Advanced Clean Cars II plan by the Maine Board of Environmental Protection. Mandating that zero-emission vehicles constitute 43% of new car sales for 2027 models and a staggering 82% by 2032 seems overly ambitious and potentially problematic. The rapid push for such high percentages raises questions about the feasibility and potential repercussions on consumers, the economy and the automotive industry. Electric vehicles will be a strain on Maine and a strain on her people. ~ Vernon Dukes, Cumberland

Letter: EVs beg too many questions

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 28, 2023

Here are some questions that need to be answered before this is our only choice: Our electric grid cannot handle the need for power now, so how could it possibly supply it for everyone’s EV? What are these batteries made of and how do we properly dispose of them? If the battery life is just five-to-seven years, and they are expensive, how can retirees replace them on a limited income? How will discarding spent batteries in landfills affect future generations? There are too many unanswered questions remaining about electric vehicles to make using them a requirement. ~ Diane Holden, Pownal

Letter: EV impact goes beyond markets

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 28, 2023

I encourage Sen. James Libby (Opinion: “EVs need a detour,” Dec. 18) to look at the many actual ecologic and societal disasters an unrestricted free market has created in the past. Unrestricted capitalism has countless examples of societal and environmental harm that often benefit a small minority and leave the vast majority dealing with the consequences. Relying solely on the free market for positive change is naïve and short-sighted. Yes, there will be some increased costs associated with the move away from fossil fuels, but those costs should be measured against the costs of environmental and societal disasters as a result of fossil fuel use and climate change. ~ Donald Endrizzi, Scarborough

Letter: Maine is not California; do not adopt new EV laws

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 27, 2023

An article, (“Maine considering California-style incentives to encourage electric vehicle sales,” Dec. 13), says that state regulators are considering a proposal  that would require 43% of new vehicle sales in Maine to have zero emissions by 2027, and 82% by 2032, to be like California. Maine is not California. The electricity to power/charge these vehicles is (at this time) primarily created by burning fossil fuels. Gas station closures and tank removal costs. Maine is a mostly rural state, and would have to install tens of thousands of additional charging ports. ~ Bruce Young, York

Letter: Listen to the economists on EVs

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 27, 2023

Sen. James Libby raises several good objections to rules that mandate the use of electric vehicles. A better way is a robust and gradually rising carbon tax will replace the need for various carbon regulations (and mandates). ~ Tony Barrett, Harpswell

Forecasters ‘surprised’ when Janet Mills claimed they failed to predict storm’s severity

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 27, 2023

In response to questions about the state’s response to the Dec. 18 storm, Gov. Janet Mills told reporters Wednesday that the agency did not predict up to 6 inches of rain or winds of up to 70 mph in any Maine community. But it did the day before the storm, issuing maps calling for up to 6 inches of rain in western areas and gusts of up to 70 mph along the coast. Mills’ office did not respond to Tuesday questions on the governor’s false characterization of the forecasts, which angered meteorologists across the country.

Maine State Park First Day Hike set for Jan. 1

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • December 27, 2023

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry invites outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers to kick off the new year with fresh air and scenic walks during Maine State Park First Day Hike activities. The department’s Bureau of Parks and Lands has announced guided hikes and a collection of self-led hike resources, ensuring a special start to 2024 for participants of all ages and skill levels. Guided hikes at Camden Hills, Mount Blue and Two Lights State Parks, as well as at Holbrook Island Sanctuary. Self-guided hikes at Bradbury Mt., Camden Hills, Popham Beach, Reid, and Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Parks.

Maine’s proposed new limits for gas vehicles are delayed for a year

ASSOCIATED PRESS • December 26, 2023

The rollout of potential regulations to drastically cut gas-powered vehicle sales in Maine has been pushed back by a year because environmental regulators had to delay a key vote after a storm caused widespread power outages. The Board of Environmental Protection postponed its Dec. 21 vote and won’t reconvene before year’s end. The delay means the proposed rules must be amended to go into effect for vehicles in the 2028 model year instead of the 2027 model year, and must also be reopened for public comment. The original proposal would eventually require 82% of new vehicles sold to be considered zero-emission by the 2032 model year. Critics of the environmental regulations were happy to get a second chance to weigh in. Additional public comments are allowed through Feb. 5.

Letter: Future generations won’t forgive climate inaction

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 26, 2023

As the 40-year-old parent of a young child, I want there to be an environment conducive to stable civilization on this planet when she is grown. Some things we cannot control, but continuing to treat the atmosphere as an endless aerial sewer by burning fossil fuels is one thing we can. I think building offshore wind capacity — indeed, building all available renewable energy capacity as quickly as possible — is non-negotiable if we are to have any hope of maintaining a stable civilization and a human-friendly climate. ~ Celine Kelley, Searsport

Commentary: Democracy and climate politics are set to collide next year

BLOOMBERG • December 26, 2023

As the dust settles on the COP28 climate summit that concluded last week in Dubai, a sobering reality is looming. The dirty business of political maneuvering is going to consume the world’s democracies over the next 12 months. In 2024, climate will be on the ballot in a way we’ve rarely seen. Voters in countries representing more than 40% of the world’s population — and roughly the same share of emissions — will go to the polls. In places, that offers the prospect to break gridlocks on climate and energy policies. In others, it may offer an opportunity for a climate-denying backlash. Far too few places show a decent chance of accelerating the transition to clean energy in the way advocated by the COP28 agreement. ~ David Fickling

Letter: Ban on lead ammo unnecessary

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 26, 2023

A ban on traditional ammunition not only penalizes Maine hunters but would also be detrimental to the Pine Tree State’s wildlife management and conservation efforts. Alternative ammunition made of alloys is significantly more expensive than traditional ammunition. Removing lead shot as an ammunition choice will discourage hunters from purchasing Maine hunting licenses. Hunters have used traditional ammunition for centuries and studies have demonstrated no compelling data showing negative impacts on human health. America’s wildlife populations are healthier and more numerous today than ever before. ~ Lawrence G. Keane, National Shooting Sports Foundation

Federal government holds off on plans for a High Peaks refuge

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 25, 2023

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has paused its plan to designate part of the High Peaks region in western Maine as a national wildlife refuge, after hearing from concerned local residents and some of Maine’s federal lawmakers who have argued that the region is already well managed locally. The federal government had been considering making between 5,000 and 15,000 acres in the High Peaks into a refuge since the spring. In August, U.S. Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins and Rep. Jared Golden sent a letter to the Fish and Wildlife Service outlining their concerns about the plan for the refuge, citing local opposition.

Genetic engineering was meant to save chestnut trees. Then there was a mistake.

WASHINGTON POST • December 25, 2023

The American Chestnut Foundation has poured years of work into a line of chestnuts genetically engineered to endure a deadly disease infecting them, an effort meant to be one of the best hopes for its survival. Then in October came a blow to that vision. Ek Han Tan, a geneticist at the University of Maine, found a gene inserted into the wrong spot, driving the American Chestnut Foundation to pull its support this month for the Darling line. It has sent a rift through the passionate community and left still-unanswered questions about the fate of a long-standing, high-tech effort. The disagreement threatens to derail plans for restoring the trees. But Andrew Newhouse, director of chestnut restoration at SUNY ESF, said his team is moving forward with seeking federal approval to begin distributing seeds to the public without the 5,000-member foundation as its longtime partner and financial backer.

Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust awarded $10,000 grant to complete Cathance River trail project

TIMES RECORD • December 25, 2023

A set of 40 stairs carved into a steep embankment along the Cathance River will now be completed thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Maine Land Trust Grant Program. The steps are a key connecting piece of a project that the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust began five years ago: rerouting a trail that wends along the river to avoid a new expansion to the adjacent Highland Green retirement community. The BTLT owns or holds easements on 3,200 acres spread across Brunswick, Topsham and Bowdoin. Two hundred thirty-one of those are along the Cathance River, a waterway that’s a popular destination for hikers, birdwatchers and whitewater paddlers. Since 2004, L.L. Bean has given over $400,000 to nearly 60 local land trusts through the program.

Residents in Augusta had a moose on the loose in their backyard

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • December 24, 2023

Residents on Murray Street in Augusta got quite the surprise Saturday night when a moose came trotting through their neighborhood. Chris Martinez received a frantic call that night from his neighbor who was out of town at the time — her house’s camera detected a motion, but little did Martinez know that it would be a moose that visited his neighbor’s home.

Maine land trusts using grant funds to upgrade trail systems around the state

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 24, 2023

Land trusts around Maine have received $65,000 for upgrades to their trail systems and other improvements. The projects, which recently received funding through the L.L.Bean Maine Land Trust Grant Program administered by Maine Coast Heritage Trust, include the design and planning of a new parking area at the popular Robinson Woods Preserve in Cape Elizabeth. There’s also a planned trail reroute and the installation of steps at the Cathance River Nature Preserve in Topsham and the installation of new solar-powered lights on a ski loop at Roberts Farm Preserve in Norway, along with seven other projects.

New subsidies in 2024 could boost already-prevalent heat pumps in Maine

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • December 24, 2023

Maine already has become a leader in heat pump installation, and the trend seems certain to continue as units become more versatile and as subsidies help defray upfront costs. Three months ago, Gov. Janet Mills announced that the state has surpassed its goal of installing 100,000 heat pumps by 2025, two years ahead of schedule. She has set an updated target of installing 175,000 more heat pumps in Maine by 2027, and the state soon will have a new source of federal funding to help reach that goal.

Letter: Don’t mine in the heart of Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 22, 2023

I know Maine’s people and government have always worked together to preserve the natural resources of our state: forests for the air we breathe, the wildlife, and sustenance of our spirit and waters to quench our thirst and to nurture our unique and precious ecosystems. I know we need minerals, but not if they must be dredged from the very heart of Maine. I implore the LUPC to reject Wolfden’s request. There are times we have sold too much timber, too much water and too many fields to industrial or corporate entities, but we must be cognizant of the limits. Too big a bite, from the very center of our state, to feed the glutinous appetites of a corporate meal would be at the expense of Maine’s land and people. ~ Jayne Lello, Sebec

Opinion: Give the fisheries back to the people

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 22, 2023

The fishing fleet is facing more stress than ever from overregulation, offshore wind development and a generally difficult business environment. In general, Congress has been responsive to our concerns. It’s the regulators who are utterly indifferent to fishing families and fishing communities. The “whale protection” plan directed lobstermen to reduce the risk of entanglements by 98%. Compliance meant the demise of the industry. Building wind turbines in Lobster Management Area 1 would decimate maritime communities. ~ Dustin Delano