MaineDOT will spend more than $1 billion on non-highway projects in next three years

MAINE MORNING STAR • January 20, 2024

The Maine Department of Transportation released a new three-year, $4.7 billion work plan Thursday that includes more than 2,600 capital projects, maintenance work and planning initiatives for 2024, 2025 and 2026. While the vast majority of that money — $3 billion — will go toward capital projects for Maine’s 8,800 miles of highway and 2,800 bridges, that still leaves more than a billion dollars for buses, trains, airports, ferries and more. Here’s a breakdown of all the non-highway projects MaineDOT has planned for the next three years.

Letter: BDN editorial board should reexamine wind port location

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 20, 2024

I think the writers of the recent wind port editorial in the BDN have clearly misunderstood the scope of this development. It is not a “port” where ships quietly come and go, but a 100-acre industrial facility where the turbines will be fabricated before they are shipped. The potential nonstop road usage, 24/7 noise, traffic, lighting and habitat destruction are incompatible with the conservation mission of the island’s other half. A responsible editorial board would recognize the incompleteness of their research, critically reexamine both sides and issue a correction. ~ Bill Carpenter, Stockton Springs

Column: Who drove a snowmobile to the peak of Katahdin?

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 20, 2024

There is a rumor that former Director of Baxter State Park Buzz Caverly once took a snowmobile to the top of Katahdin, which he denies. Snow sleds are not allowed except on the perimeter road at Baxter and going up the mountain with one would be verboten. A quick Google search reveals a picture of a guy standing on the summit next to a vintage Ski-Doo and a Moto-Ski. The picture looks like it was taken in the early 1960s. It does look like Buzz in a Baxter State Park ranger suit. He spent 45 years working in the park. He became a passionate preservationist who did amazing things to protect this precious backcountry. Buzz believes the picture is of either Rodney Sargeant or Elmer Knowlton. The Park Supervisor instructed them to go up on the Tableland to remove nets and containers left from when the first crop of caribou was airlifted there in 1963. If you know who actually made the climb, drop me a line. ~ Bill Green

Andover snowmobiler dies in Franklin County crash

SUN JOURNAL • January 19, 2024

An Andover man died Friday morning when his snowmobile crashed into trees along a snowmobile trail in northern Franklin County. Frank Clifford, 69, was traveling northbound on his 2019 Ski-Doo Enduro 850 on ITS 89 in Davis Township about 10:30 a.m. when it drifted across the center of the trail and crashed into several small trees. The initial investigation indicates speed was a factor in the crash.

Experienced New Hampshire hiker dies on solo trek in blinding, waist-deep snow in White Mountains

ASSOCIATED PRESS • January 19, 2024

An experienced hiker who had accomplished the “Triple Crown” of challenging cross-country trails died this week in New Hampshire’s White Mountains during a solo hike in brutal conditions, including single-digit temperatures, harsh winds and waist-deep snow. Christopher Roma, 37, was an expert hiker who ran his own long-distance trail guide business and had walked the familiar trail many times before. Roma eventually reached the emergency line, saying he was very cold. A large team of Fish and Game conservation officers and search and rescue squads assembled and set out at 2 a.m. Wednesday, but the group was slowed by blowing snow. By the time ground crews reached Roma at 5 p.m. he was dead.

New York couple injured in snowmobile vs. pickup truck crash in Rangeley

SUN JOURNAL • January 19, 2024

A New York couple was injured Friday morning after the snowmobile they were riding on collided with a pickup truck. Dennis Hummel, 68, of East Meadow, New York, was driving a snowmobile on a trail which approaches the Loon Lake Road while Mark Nedeau, 61, of Oquossoc Village in Rangeley was driving a pickup truck on Loon Lake Road when the two collided. Hummel and his wife both received non-life-threatening injuries.

Solar development in central Maine may open up greener pastures

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • January 19, 2024

“The idea that I watch sheep eat grass and they get paid to eat grass is pretty remarkable,” he said recently. “Because they’ll do it for free, but I figured out a way to make money doing it.” Dennett and his sheep are pioneers in agrivoltaics, the practice of combining agriculture with solar energy generation, and this is the time of year he spends crunching numbers and planning for the year ahead. It might be a good year.

Column: An exciting opening day at Rangeley Lakes Trails Center

RANGELEY HIGHLANDER • January 19, 2024

The exceptional Rangeley Lakes Trail system is situated at the foot of Saddleback Mountain. They receive copious amounts of snow each winter. As a result, it’s one of our favorite winter sports destinations. The trails are maintained by the Rangeley Lakes Cross Country Ski Club. The dedicated members do a masterful job of keeping the trails in the best possible condition. Rangeley Lakes Trails Center has some of the finest Nordic ski and snowshoe trails in Maine. ~ Ron Chase

A new EPA rule could save 4,200 lives a year, but industry groups say it may cost Biden reelection

WASHINGTON POST • January 19, 2024

The Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to significantly strengthen limits on fine particle matter, one of the nation’s most widespread deadly air pollutants, even as industry groups warn that the standard could erase manufacturing jobs across the country. Several major companies, trade associations and some Democratic lobbyists are trying to preempt the rule by suggesting it could harm President Biden’s reelection chances in key swing states.

Recent powerful storms have led to more than 140 oil spill cleanups in Maine

NEWS CENTER MAINE • January 19, 2024

Most of the oil spills the Maine Department of Environmental Protection has responded to happened after the big "Grinch" storm in December, but last week's back-to-back powerful storms also affected more than 20 homeowners along the coast. Chris Hopper is the director of the DEP's Division of Response Services. Hopper said the Rumford and Mexico areas have had a lot of oil spills that need cleanup from his team. Hopper also said there's a fund, the Maine Ground and Surface Waters Clean-up and Response Fund, that has existed for many years and covers the cost of the service to clean up the spill if you have a heating oil tank that's been impacted.

Letter: The irony of pursuing a ‘green’ project at expense of a natural wonder

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 19, 2024

I strongly disagree with the Jan. 12 Bangor Daily News editorial advocating for a wind port on Sears Island. The island is a vital migratory stopover for tens of thousands of birds in the spring and fall. Most of these birds are passing through the island, and even likely coming from nearby Isleboro, heading toward the mainland. Building a wind port on the island, with massive steel cranes, towers and turbines reaching several hundred feet high would create deadly hazards. It is sadly ironic that this “green” energy project would come at such a high cost to one of Maine’s natural wonders, especially since heavily developed Mack Point is already available. ~ John Wyatt, Winterport

Opinion: Some of the worst predictions about climate change are already here

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 19, 2024

New data released earlier this month confirm that last year was the hottest ever recorded — and that the jump in global temperatures was higher than expected. Hotter temperatures contribute to more frequent and more intense storms, along with melting sea ice in Arctic regions, which means rising sea levels. Those rising sea levels swamped Maine’s coastline from Washington to York counties last week. The worst predictions aren’t really predictions any more. They are reality. We have got to figure out how to balance concerns about new energy sources and energy infrastructure with the reality that if we don’t do more to reduce our impact on the planet, we may have little recourse against the damage that will continue to spread across our state. ~ Susan Young

Maine Climate Council to hold special meeting next week to discuss extreme storms

MAINE PUBLIC • January 19, 2024

Gov. Janet Mills has called a special meeting of the Maine Climate Council next Tuesday to review the impact of recent storms and plan for future ones. The council consists of scientists, citizens, and state and local officials. During the meeting they'll hear from frontline agencies that responded to the storms as well as from affected communities. The council will then devise strategies to increase Maine's resiliency to future storms, and will consider strategies used in other states.

Bristol Parks Estimates Over $1 Million in Damage from Storms

LINCOLN COUNTY NEWS • January 19, 2024

Between damages to Pemaquid Beach and structures within Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park, Bristol Parks and Recreation Director Shelley Gallagher said the initial estimate to repair destruction from back-to-back January storms could be even higher than $1 million.

Environmentalists, consumer advocates at odds with businesses over plan to scale back natural gas

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 19, 2024

Environmentalists and the state’s public advocate, looking for another tool to cut greenhouse gas emissions, have proposed legislation that would scale back expansion of natural gas in Maine. Gas utilities, business advocacy groups and legislative Republicans quickly pushed back. If passed, the legislation would bar the Maine Public Utilities Commission from approving gas utility proposals to provide service or serve a customer in a municipality outside of its service area, beginning Jan. 1, 2025. Jack Shapiro, climate and clean energy director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, a backer of the measure, said its intent is to require gas users to “pay the true cost,” rather than “subsidize hookups on the backs of others.”

A waterfront park is overrun with rats. Rescuers are trying to find homes for them.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 19, 2024

A group of more than 150 volunteers believes the rodents at the homeless encampment Portland cleared at Harbor View Memorial Park are domestic, not wild, and is working to rescue them and find foster homes. City spokesperson Jessica Grondin said that the rat infestation was “severe” and is a public health concern.

Penobscot Nation land deal almost derailed $100,000 ATV trail

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 19, 2024

A new ATV trail was threatened with closure before it even opened when the Trust for Public Land announced a plan to help the Penobscot Nation acquire ancestral grounds. The problem was that the 12.2-mile trail from Millinocket to Medway runs through the southern edge of the 30,000-acre parcel the Penobscot Nation is expected to receive, said John Raymond, president of the Northern Timber Cruisers ATV and Snowmobile Club in Millinocket. But an easement arrangement between the trust and the state announced Thursday ensures the club can finish its trail and connect it to the 17 miles it already maintains. The club has spent $100,000 so far to build the trail, which will be completed with an 80-foot bridge now that the easement is secured.

Local climate protesters plan trip to D.C. to oppose natural gas facilities in the South

TIMES RECORD • December 18, 2023

A group of Maine climate protesters is heading to Washington, D.C. next month to join others across the nation rallying against a proposal to build 20 new liquified natural gas terminals in Texas and Louisiana. More than a dozen members of Third Act Maine will travel to the nation’s Capitol on Feb. 5 to participate in the protest. Many in the group have been practicing closer to home.

Maine’s climate wake up call

MAINE MORNING STAR • January 18, 2024

In the past month, Maine has been overwhelmed by three record breaking wind and rain storms that resulted in devastating floods in communities across the state. Sooner or later, it should become apparent to those who abhor regulations or who would prefer incremental steps that our survival depends on change. Real change. Just like so-called gun rights, opposition to renewable energy may make sense as a concept until your front stairs are being swept away in a torrent of water, or someone with an assault rifle interrupts your bowling league. Maine can’t wait much longer. 

New bill would stop expansion of natural gas in Maine

WGME-TV13 • January 18, 2024

The expansion of natural gas in Maine could soon be halted. It was once touted as a cheaper, “cleaner” energy source compared to other fossil fuels, but now advocates are hoping a bill will help Maine get away from it. Twenty-five years ago, construction on a Portland natural gas pipeline from western Canada down to Massachusetts was completed. Now, state leaders want to press pause. “As we transition to clean energy, we want to do it in as thoughtful and fair way as possible,” Natural Resources Council of Maine Climate and Clean Energy Director Jack Shapiro said. LD 2077 effectively stops the expansion of natural gas starting next year.