Opinion: The 2024 election just might turn on climate change

BLOOMBERG • January 30, 2024

A recent study suggests anxiety about global warming might be what kept Donald Trump from a second term in the White House in 2020, and it could deny him again this year. As far-fetched as that sounds, it’s a reminder, at least, that support for the climate fight runs deeper in this country than many — especially Republican leaders — might think. Denialist rhetoric may turn on hard-core Republican primary voters. But it risks turning off almost every other constituency in a general election, including younger Republicans who increasingly want their party to get serious about the climate. It’s not just good policy; it’s good politics to boot. ~ Mark Gongloff

MaineCF awards $470K to environmental initiatives across the state

MAINE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION • January 29, 2024

The Maine Community Foundation (MaineCF) has awarded $469,623 to 25 conservation initiatives around the state. The foundation’s Maine Land Protection grant program awarded $127,199 to three nonprofit organizations and donors with advised funds at MaineCF awarded an additional $105,000 to three more organizations. In total, the grants will conserve nearly 2,300 acres.

Maine Lobster Industry Faces off against Conservationists over Whale Protections

FOOD TANK • January 29, 2024

Maine lobster fishers recently won reprieve on new federal regulations to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whales. According to the Maine’s Lobstermen Association, The regulations could dramatically change lobster fishing practices, impacting fishers and Maine’s island communities who depend upon this resource. The North Atlantic right whale population is declining, with 340 individuals left and fewer than 70 breeding females, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. The Center finds fishing gear to be a leading cause in the species’ spiral towards extinction.

Baxter State Park

FORESTRY.com • January 23, 2024

Explore Baxter State Park, Maine’s wilderness gem with majestic Mt. Katahdin, diverse wildlife, and thrilling outdoor adventures. Located in the remote wilderness of Maine, Baxter State Park is a breathtaking expanse of natural beauty and tranquility. Established through the vision of former Governor Percival Baxter, this 200,000-acre park is a testament to unspoiled nature, featuring the majestic Mount Katahdin, Maine’s highest peak, as its crown jewel.

Business group urging lawmaker to scrap PFAS reporting deadline

MAINE PUBLIC • January 29, 2024

In 2021, Maine became the first state in the nation to adopt a law that bans PFAS "forever chemicals" from most consumer products starting in 2030. That same law requires manufacturers to begin reporting "intentionally added PFAS" to state environmental regulators starting this January. But state lawmakers are considering potential changes to the law in response to concerns raised by businesses — particularly whether to once again push back the start date for product reporting. On Monday, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce held a virtual press conference with several businesses and organizations to make their case to scrap the requirement altogether.

Running Tide oyster hatchery in Harpswell changes ownership

HARPSWELL ANCHOR • January 29, 2024

The former Running Tide oyster hatchery at George J. Mitchell Field in Harpswell has been sold to a local entrepreneur for an undisclosed sum, parties involved in the transaction said this week. The buyer, Topsham entrepreneur Matt Nixon, said he would continue to operate the facility as an oyster hatchery and would retain three of Running Tide’s former employees. Nixon, who owns Muddy River Farm Aquaponics LLC in Bath, said the Harpswell hatchery will operate under the name Merrymeeting Shellfish Co.

Composting company now collects food scraps from customers in central Maine

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • January 29, 2024

Residents in the Kennebec Valley now have a more sustainable alternative to chucking food waste into a trash bin. They can have it picked up from their doorstep, to be turned into compost. ScrapDogs Community Compost, based in the Midcoast town of Washington, has expanded its operation to cover parts of central Maine, including Augusta, Fairfield, Hallowell, Waterville and Winslow.

Officials urge precaution as ice conditions vary widely across Maine

MAINE PUBLIC • January 29, 2024

This winter's rain and mild temperatures have made ice conditions especially variable on Maine's lakes and ponds. Mark Latti of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife says conditions can even vary on one body of water. He says people don't often know the areas where currents can weaken the ice. "Be aware of where you are," Latti says. "And while one part of a lake may be alright, as you get towards an inlet or outlet, or maybe there's a spring there, there's probably not going to be as much ice. And so be careful around there." Latti says ice is considered safe when it's at least four to six inches thick. Its color should be blue or clear.

Madison-based TimberHP aims to be fully open this year as more public financing arrives

MORNING SENTINEL • January 29, 2024

The $500,000 in financing approved by the quasi-independent Finance Authority of Maine is expected to help create and retain more than 100 jobs in Somerset County by allowing the manufacturer to buy equipment needed to produce its full product line later this year, the agency said in a statement. TimberHP, a division of Belfast-based GO Lab Inc., uses renewable resources to produce wood fiber insulation products, according to the company’s website. The products are the first of their kind in North America. The company began operations last year in Madison at the former Madison Paper Industries mill on Main St., which closed in 2016. The renovation of the mill, funded largely through public-private partnerships, cost about $150 million.

The University of Maine System has reduced its fossil fuel holdings since leaders voted to divest

MAINE PUBLIC • January 29, 2024

The University of Maine System says it has reduced its investments in fossil fuels since trustees voted two years ago to divest from the industry. Kelly Regan, a partner with investment firm NEPC, told trustees on Monday that the system has recently moved to specific "fossil fuel-free" index funds and management strategies. "I'll say that both of those investments have done well, in 2023, given the fact that energy, as an asset class, had negative returns," Regan said. After years of student pressure, the system voted on a plan to eliminate fossil fuels from its investments by the end the decade.

Maine Calling: Meteorology

MAINE PUBLIC • January 29, 2024

The surprising severity of the storms that recently hit Maine called attention to how essential weather forecasts are in our lives. We’ll talk with meteorologists about how they study and predict the weather, how their field is changing, and the importance of communicating effectively with the public. Panelists: Keith Carson, meteorologist specializing in forecasting and climate analysis, News Center Maine; Donald Dumont, warning coordination meteorologist, National Weather Service in Gray.

Editorial: Climate resilience requires rebuilding to withstand more damaging storms

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 29, 2024

Many of the town’s roads and buildings, along with commercial fishing infrastructure, were badly damaged by a Jan. 10 storm that brought high winds, rain and record storm surges to part of the coast. It was followed by a Jan. 13 storm that was worse. Changes need to be made to zoning and permitting requirements to address the consequences of climate change but repairs, reconstruction and new construction may need to happen quickly. Permitting and zoning changes can’t take so long that industries and communities are hurt. Nor should rebuilding happen so quickly that no needed adaptations are made to account for the next flood, the next wind storm, because they are surely coming.

Maine businesses say PFAS reporting requirement is ‘unworkable’

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 29, 2024

Maine’s economy will take a big hit if changes are not made to a law mandating companies to report the content of PFAS in products they sell in the state, business leaders said in a press conference Monday. “The notification section is unworkable,” said Patrick Woodcock, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, which has 5,000 members. “If this statute is not amended this [legislative] session, there will be a complete rethinking of the long-term relationship with the state of Maine for some key employers.” One problem is the sheer number of PFAS potentially in products, business leaders said. Another is the international nature of business, with components suppliers selling to other manufacturers who in turn add components and resell their products. Another issue in advancing a workable PFAS reporting requirement is that many businesses will not talk about it for fear of having their company stigmatized by customers and other businesses.

Energy storage is growing in Maine, and utilities want to own it. Opponents are pushing back.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 29, 2024

Battery storage that holds and releases solar and wind power when the sun won’t shine and a breeze doesn’t stir is drawing increased investment from developers as Maine tries to reach its clean energy goals. The question of who can own energy storage is now beforestate regulators. Central Maine Power and Versant Power have asked the Public Utilities Commission for permission to own battery storage, something that hasn’t been possible since the Legislature deregulated the utilities more than 25 years ago. Critics are pushing back and urging regulators to allow competitive energy storage markets to function undisturbed.

This iconic Maine tradition is slowly dying

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 29, 2024

There used to be dozens of smelt shacks on the Merrymeeting Bay’s rivers. Ice was plentiful. It was solid in December and stayed until March. Now, fluctuating temperatures, severe storms and even less interest in smelt fishing are contributing to the slow death of a Maine tradition.

These politicians refuse to give up on bringing passenger rail to Bangor

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 29, 2024

Two Maine lawmakers are continuing their fight to bring passenger rail to Lewiston, Waterville and Bangor — despite multiple studies showing the project would be costly and the route likely won’t draw many riders. Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, and Sen. Margaret Rotundo, D-Androscoggin, joined forces to propose an amended bill that directs the State Rail Passenger Authority to identify a potential route from Portland to Bangor with possible station locations in Lewiston and Waterville.

Some People Hate National Monuments Until They Love Them

WILDLIFE NEWS January 28, 2024

A history review shows that in most cases, there is “local opposition” to park and wilderness proposals. Timid conservationists often cite local opposition to scale down or even avoid promoting ambitious land protections like the Alliance for Wild Rockies Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance’s original 9 milllion acre wilderness proposal (now somewhat reduced due to success in getting wilderness designation),  RESTORE‘s 3.2 million acre Maine Woods National Park proposal, or my own proposal for a Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem National Park. In all these and other instances, the naysayers suggest that without local support, you should not promote visionary concepts. But what history shows is that after these areas are designated and protected, there is usually greater support, even from local people, for these land designations.

'Disappointing' ice fishing season due to poor ice conditions

WGME-TV13 • January 28, 2024

The dangerous ice is taking a toll on at least one of Maine’s iconic winter industries. Between a lack of cold temps and snow, ice fishing has been all but impossible for some areas in southern Maine. 20 smelt fishing camps still on dry land is a rare and disappointing sight this time of year for Jim McPherson. "Gonna have to put them back in storage,” said McPherson, owner of Jim’s Camps in Bowdoinham. “I hauled them out again this year, did repairs. Looks like I’ll have to put them back in storage." Last year was the first time in fifty years that McPherson couldn't put these smelt fishing camps onto the river this time of year and this year, it's the same story.

Officials warn that ice is not safe on many Maine bodies of water

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 28, 2024

State and local officials are warning Mainers to be careful when going out on frozen ponds and lakes, saying the up-and-down temperatures and rain this winter have made for dangerous conditions, even near the end of January. On Friday, Carmel’s town manager and his 4-year-old son broke through the ice on Etna Pond. Kevin Howell, 51, managed to lift his son out of the water, but he couldn’t get out himself and died. Five people, including three children, were rescued from Moose Pond in Denmark on Saturday after the vehicle they were in broke through the ice.

Lighthouses hit with millions in storm damage

MAINE MONITOR • January 28, 2024

Many of Maine’s lighthouses withstood the hurricane-force gusts better than expected, but a number – including buildings on Pemaquid Point, Wood Island, Portland Headlight and the Rockland Breakwater — suffered significant damage. Maine’s lighthouses are iconic. They appear on napkins and postcards, on tea towels and in photographs; in films and novels. Poets write odes to them, and, even in the age of GPS and radar, sailors still use them to help keep their vessels out of danger. “They’re not only historic,” said Trapani Jr., “They’re also so important to our sense of place, our culture and our tourism.” They are also old, hard to get to, expensive to upkeep and extremely vulnerable to rising seas and intensifying storms.