Renewables grew rapidly in 2023, but must grow faster still to meet climate change target, IEA says

ASSOCIATED PRESS • January 11, 2024

The world’s renewable energy grew at its fastest rate in the past 25 years in 2023, the International Energy Agency reported Thursday in its first assessment since nations agreed in December on ambitious new targets to slow dangerous climate change. The report forecasts that solar power and onshore wind energy deployment through 2028 is expected to more than double in the United States, the European Union, India and Brazil, compared with the last five years. China, already the global leader in renewable energy, will likely account for 60% of the new clean energy capacity that will become operational by 2028.

Mills declares civil emergency for coastal counties dealing with flood damage

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 11, 2024

Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday declared a state of civil emergency for all of Maine’s coastal counties because of significant flood, wind and wave damage from this week’s powerful storm. The declaration allows the state to marshal resources to assist communities that have been hard hit, specifically in eight counties along the coast – Cumberland, Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Washington, and York. It also positions the state to seek federal disaster relief funds. “One thing is abundantly clear: these extreme weather events are becoming more and more common,” Mills said.

Editorial: Maine needs to pick a location and move forward with offshore wind port

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 11, 2024

The Mills administration is expected to file an application for a permit to construct a new port to support a new offshore wind industry, both of which will require lengthy state and federal permitting processes. The decision on where that port should be can be guided by a simple notion: It is reasonable to propose building a port on an island that was purchased specifically for a port (with a large portion later set aside for conservation). Especially when doing so would align several vital state economic and environmental objectives, including a necessary transition to cleaner energy sources. Port facilities to support Maine’s nascent offshore wind industry are very far from fruition, but pursuing them on Sears Island could meet a decades-old goal for the state-owned land, while helping Maine meet some of its climate and economic goals.

Where's Aldo (when we really need him)?

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • January 11, 2024

Considered by many to be the father of wildlife ecology and the United States’ wilderness system, Aldo Leopold was a conservationist, forester, philosopher, educator, writer, and outdoor enthusiast. Among his best known ideas is the “land ethic,” which calls for an ethical, caring relationship between people and nature. Happy birthday, Aldo Leopold (January 11, 1887 - April 21, 1948).

Maine receives $15 million federal grant to install nearly 600 electric vehicle chargers

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 11, 2024

Maine has received a $15 million federal grant to install nearly 600 electric vehicle charging stations in more than 70 cities and towns, increasing the number available by more than 50%. The Biden administration on Thursday announced the funding to pay for 62 DC Fast Charger ports and 520 Level 2 charging ports. The 582 ports will add to the 1,019 already in operation at 467 sites. Building out an EV charging network has been a critical part of the debate in Maine over establishing new rules requiring electric vehicle use. The proposal has drawn criticism from car dealers, Republicans and others who say EVs are too costly for many Mainers and that EVs don’t have the charging range to drive across the state’s vast rural areas.

Warmer, wetter weather leading to floods, outages, property damage

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 11, 2024

The flooded streets, power outages and property damage that have rocked Maine over the last month have served as an emphatic reminder that the Pine Tree State is both wetter and warmer than it was 100 years ago. State climatologist Sean Birkel says that every season, including winter, has seen an increase in precipitation over the last century, largely due to climate change.

Letter: LD 1156 would help improve Maine’s outdoor accessibility

SUN JOURNAL • January 11, 2024

Thanks to the United States Access Board we now have rules governing outdoor spaces regarding accessibility. Making these changes, as with anything, requires funding. LD 1156 would go a long way toward making the changes to our outdoor spaces in Maine and in turn making Maine’s outdoors more accessible to everyone. I have worked for the past three years assessing Maine’s trails for accessibility. There are more than 6,000 miles of existing trails that could be greatly improved if the funding existed to fix the low-hanging fruit of accessibility barriers. I urge everyone to strongly support this bond to allow more people to enjoy what Maine has to offer. ~ Enock Glidden, Albany Township

Farmington select board considers tree ordinance, support for trail bond

DAILY BULLDOG • January 10, 2024

The Farmington selectboard met on Tuesday evening. Marc Edwards, of the Natural Resources of Maine, sought the selectboard’s support for the Maine Trails Bond Initiative. The bond, managed by the Bureau of Parks and Lands, will be worth $30 million over four years and will be available for trail design, development, building, and maintenance throughout the state. Around 460 towns, businesses, and organizations have signed a letter that will go to the state legislature as an example of state-wide support for the bond. Selectman Joshua Bell spoke out in support of the initiative, citing the value of local trails like the Whistle Stop, that are well-used and loved by the public. The board voted to have Town Manager Erica LaCroix sign the letter of support on behalf of Farmington.

Green Activists Block Franklin County LUPC Nomination in Proxy Fight Over Pickett Mountain Mine Project

MAINE WIRE (Maine Policy Institute) • January 10, 2024

At a hearing on Monday, Maine’s committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, held a confirmation hearing for Tom Dubois, the representative of Franklin County on the Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC). But Democratic lawmakers, acting at the behest of the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) and other liberal nonprofits, turned Dubois’s confirmation into an hour-and-a-half debate about a coming vote on the Pickett Mountain mining development in Northern Maine. The committee failed to confirm Dubois, leaving Franklin without a representative on the LUPC.

Maine lobster industry’s defamation lawsuit still pending as similar case in Massachusetts is dismissed

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 10, 2024

A defamation lawsuit filed 10 months ago by a handful of Maine lobstermen’s groups will continue even though a similar suit brought by Massachusetts lobstermen was dismissed Tuesday. Five plaintiffs, including the Maine Lobsterman’s Association and the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association, sued the California-based Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation in March 2023 after the organization’s Seafood Watch program included lobster on a “red list” of food consumers should avoid. Seafood Watch cited the industry’s impact on the endangered North Atlantic right whale as the reason for the designation. The suit argued that reasoning was not only false but has caused substantial harm to the plaintiffs and the Maine lobster brand.

Maine Forest Service’s Project Canopy director will speak at Belfast Garden Club program on Jan. 16

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 10, 2024

Jan Ames Santerre, Project Canopy director for the Maine Forest Service, will talk about managing Belfast’s legacy trees in a free Belfast Garden Club program on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at noon in the Abbott Room at the Belfast Free Library.

Auburn foundation appoints environment program officer

SUN JOURNAL • January 10, 2024

The Onion Foundation has appointed Rosalind Erwin to serve as its environment program officer. The Kennebunk woman will lead the Environment Program, which focuses on equitable outdoor access, nature learning, and advocacy and movement building. Susan Onion, co-founder of the foundation, said, “With her 12 years of philanthropic experience, Roz will take the lead in our work to build a stronger environmental sector with the goal of increasing access to and enjoyment of the state’s natural resources.”

3,000 acres on east shore of Moosehead Lake protected from development

MAINE PUBLIC • January 10, 2024

A 3,000-acre swath of forest that had been eyed for a subdivision near Moosehead Lake has been permanently conserved. Scammon Ridge is a highly visible, scenic property that contains Prong Pond, a popular fishing hole, and sensitive habitats for migrating birds and cold-water fish, as well as moose, bear, deer and lynx. But 40-acre lots that were planned for the area. Karin Tilberg, president of the Forest Society of Maine, says the Scammon Ridge conservation effort is significant because of growing development pressures in the Moosehead region and because the approved developable lots on the parcel at the edge of Maine's North Woods are now extinguished.

Carbon pollution down in U.S., but not fast enough to meet 2030 goal

ASSOCIATED PRESS • January 10, 2024

Climate-altering pollution from greenhouse gases declined by nearly 2% in the United States in 2023, even as the economy expanded at a faster clip, a new report finds. The decline, while “a step in the right direction,” is far below the rate needed to meet President Biden’s pledge to cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030, compared to 2005 levels.

Opinion: Don’t be fooled – snow is becoming a thing of the past

BLOOMBERG • January 10, 2024

The long-term trend, especially in the normally colder parts of the U.S. and other countries, is one of warmer winters with less of the white stuff. Why does snow matter? For one thing, people pay good money to play in it for some reason, generating billions of dollars in economic activity. Its melting provides water for drinking and agriculture in summer months when it’s needed most. A cold, snowy winter keeps mosquitoes and other dangerous bugs in check while keeping some other plants and animals alive. It shortens the pollen season for allergy sufferers. Snow protects winter crops, and cold helps fruit and nut trees. Meanwhile, a hotter planet means more air conditioning in the other seasons, offsetting some of the benefit of less heating in the winter. ~ Mark Gongloff

Letter: Scrap salmon farm in Belfast

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 10, 2024

The newspaper’s update on Nordic Aquafarms fish farm, (“Nordic reaffirms commitment to $500 million Belfast fish farm,” Jan. 2) asks whether Nordic is redesigning the project altogether to avoid future hurdles. Good idea. Nordic could start by moving to an existing industrial infrastructure, instead of destroying 55 acres of mature forest, wetlands and wildlife habitat. And, where its massive power needs wouldn’t need a ratepayer-funded grid expansion. And, where the city of Belfast wouldn’t seize private property with a dubious eminent domain action. Yes, redesigning Nordic’s ill-conceived plan would help, but sometimes a project should just be scrapped altogether. ~ Lawrence Reichard, Belfast

Renewal: Restoring fish passage in Maine

Maine is home to the only remaining populations of wild Atlantic salmon in the U.S. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has worked with partners to remove a perched culvert near the A.T. and restore aquatic habitat in Henderson Brook, a priority tributary to the West Branch of the Pleasant River for Atlantic salmon recovery. The project is helping rescue the species from the brink of extinction and providing access to valuable rearing waters that have been blocked for decades. (7 minuted video)

Alert: Join Maine enviros to announce the 2024 priority issues

Nearly forty environmental, conservation, and public health organizations in Maine’s Environmental Priorities Coalition (EPC) have identified a slate of priority bills for 2024 that will advance climate action, further environmental justice, protect biodiversity and the environment, and cultivate healthy Maine communities. Join them on Thursday, January 18, from 8-9:30 AM at the State House in Augusta to learn more about the issues the EPC groups will be advocating for in the coming months.

Republican lawmakers plan to campaign on electric vehicle mandate this fall

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 9, 2024

Minority Republicans in the Legislature promised Tuesday to make a campaign issue this fall of electric vehicles, insisting that voters should decide whether state legislators, appointed environmental officials – or anyone – should remake private transportation in Maine. A top Democratic lawmaker also opposes the EV rule sought by the environmentalists’ petition, but he supports the use of EVs. Senate President Troy Jackson “supports the use of electric vehicles and policies that help our state respond to the very real health, economic and environmental threats posed by climate change.” However, the technology and a sufficient number of charging stations do “not exist equitably” in Maine and Jackson, D-Aroostook, prefers an approach that incentivizes Mainers to make the switch “as opposed to mandating it.”