Letter: Offshore wind can help us preserve the things we love in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 23, 2024

Even as a staunch environmental advocate, the sight of wind turbines has not always inspired joy for me. Now, with the new proposed port on Sears Island, I find myself facing the reality of another new facility in the state. When I consider the things this state needs most, like more affordable and reliable energy, better-paying and more jobs, clean energy solutions that prioritize community resilience, and protection from climate disasters, offshore wind is one solution that addresses each and every one. ~ Riley Stevenson, Waldoboro

Column: New information may prompt rethinking of lobster rules, development of Sears Island

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 26, 2024

A dead right whale was found with fishing gear “consistent” with that used in Maine wrapped around its tail. Should we revisit the regulations previously pushed by the feds? Or are tradeoffs restricting the lobster industry really worth it to help save whales? Similarly, there has been talk of development in Searsport since before I was born. Nothing has been built thus far. Now, Gov. Janet Mills has announced Sears Island is the chosen location for an offshore energy depot. Conservative GOP state legislators have made common cause with environmental advocacy groups and are speaking out against it. How much negative impact should people alive today shoulder for the sake of tomorrow? These are incredibly complex challenges. ~ Michael Cianchette

Organizers cancel Dover-Foxcroft charity snowmobile races

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 23, 2024

Organizers of the Piscataquis Radar Runs have canceled the snowmobile races scheduled for March 2 in Dover-Foxcroft because of a lack of snow and warm weather in the forecast. Snowmobilers were slated to compete at the airport in Dover-Foxcroft, but organizers decided that wasn’t possible with the lack of snow. They also considered racing on the frozen Piscataquis River.

Aroostook lawmakers back study that could further slow massive wind project

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 23, 2024

The top Aroostook County lawmakers who have championed a stalled transmission line linking a massive wind farm to the regional grid are backing a study that could further slow the project. The early stages of connecting the King Pine Wind Project in Aroostook County to the grid hit several snags last year, culminating in the Maine Public Utilities Commission killing the transmission line plans in December, citing cost uncertainties. The project was also hampered by opposition in the central Maine communities that the line would cross. Their allies in the Legislature are pushing for a pause in the project so the state can study its options before putting it back out to bid. Some of the transmission line’s most ardent supporters are also behind it, although the company seeking to build the wind farm is against it.

Maine fishing businesses struggling to recover a month after January storms

MAINE PUBLIC • February 23, 2024

Unlike the fishing industries in other states, Maine's is primarily small, family businesses — many that have existed for generations. And now they are faced with trying to restore the historic infrastructure. Ben Martens of the Maine Coast Fishermen's Association estimates that more than half of Maine's working waterfront was damaged in devastating January storms. As for Maine's working waterfront as a whole, Martens says he expects repairs to cost at least tens of millions. Although state and federal legislators have voiced support, the timeline for getting funding to businesses isn't clear, and could take months.

Overly broad rules, and prohibitions on rules, aren’t helping whales or lobstermen

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 23, 2024

With nearly 3 million lobster traps and miles of rope in the waters off the coast of Maine, it felt inevitable that a whale would die after getting entangled in this gear. It has. Without clear data on where the whales are, NOAA has proposed new gear requirements and some seasonal closures on all lobstermen. This is too broad and too simplistic an approach. Maine’s congressional delegation successfully added a provision to a spending bill that prohibits new federal restrictions on lobster fishing until 2029. Like NOAA’s sweeping rules, this prohibition is too broad, especially in light of new examples of the risks lobster rope can pose to right whales. Surely smart people can figure out how lobsters can be caught without entangling right whales. ~ Susan Young

Conservation purchase protects 400 acres in Casco

MAINE PUBLIC • February 23, 2024

Four hundred acres of undeveloped forestland in Casco have been permanently protected from development. Loon Echo Trust purchased the property, known as Rolfe Hill, after a multiyear fundraising effort. The land is home to more than 60 acres of wetlands, vernal pools and a trout stream in an area that is under increasing development pressure. The Trust says the property plays an important role in safeguarding the water quality of Sebago Lake, which is the drinking water source for more than 200,000 Maine residents. Public access for hunting, fishing, hiking and other recreational activities is now also permanently secured.

Opinion: Rushing climate legislation isn’t the answer

CENTRAL MAINE • February 23, 2024

Maine needs a cohesive energy strategy. Instead, what we have feels like whiplash as individuals try to advance narrow concepts supporting single issues, or dream up the next big idea. We are faced with big challenges. and we must stay focused on working collaboratively. We have that opportunity with L.D. 1959 (the Governor’s Utility Accountability Bill), and rather than passing L.D. 2172 (Performance-Base Rate Design), a law that is duplicative, the legislature should allow PUC the time it needs to do its job. ~ Kimberly N. Lindlof, Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce and Central Maine Growth Council

Bucksport officials dismayed after state softens stance on landfill closure

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 23, 2024

After state officials ordered last year that a dormant Bucksport landfill be permanently closed, they have now backed off that order and are giving the owners more time to look into other options. That’s frustrated some local residents and officials, who opposed a recent effort to reopen the landfill and would like to see it closed down for good, in part because it no longer serves the town’s former paper mill, which had owned it, and also because of contamination from the buried waste.

Opinion: Today’s EVs are way better than people realize

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 22, 2024

After you’ve driven a modern electric vehicle, consider whether it makes sense for Maine to adopt the “Advanced Clean Cars II”rule, which would require auto manufacturers to send more electric vehicles to Maine dealers.This rule will not “mandate” Mainers to buy an EV. The goal of the rule is to ensure Mainers have plenty of EV models to choose from. Once people realize how good today’s EVs have become, and as the public charging infrastructure continues to rapidly expand, electric vehicles will soon become a no-brainer for all Mainers. ~ Phil Coupe, co-founder, ReVision Energy

Column: How to improve your bird identification skills

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 22, 2024

When it comes to building bird identification skills, there are five levels of proficiency. Level one, identification by sight. Tip: Don’t rely on color. Rely on field marks. Level two is identification-by-sound. Tip: 20 percent of the birds make 80 percent of the noise. Learn to recognize the bird songs you hear most often. Level three, understand bird ranges. Tip: Wherever you’re going, get familiar with what birds to expect there. Level four understand habitats. Tip: Recognize habitats. Level five rewards recognition of bird behaviors. Tip: Observe behavior. Duh. The trick to better bird identification is to sort them into smaller and smaller piles by size, color, field marks, noise, ranges, habitats and behavior. Until there’s only one left. ~ Bob Duchesne

Wiggly Bridge proposes scaled-back expansion following whiskey fungus concerns

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 22, 2024

Wiggly Bridge Distillery in York is scaling back its expansion plans after its first design was rejected over concerns about a fungus spreading through the area. The distillery’s original proposal to build two new storage buildings faced significant pushbackfrom neighbors and ignited a debate about whether the presence of baudoinia compniacensis – known colloquially as “whiskey fungus” because it feeds on alcohol vapors – was connected to the distillery. Ultimately, those objections derailed the expansion.

Local residents protest Sears Island as site for offshore wind port

MAINE PUBLIC • February 22, 2024

Just one day after Gov. Janet Mills announced the selection of Sears Island in Searsport as the preferred location for an offshore wind port, dozens of local opponents gathered in Belfast to protest the decision. Business and labor groups have voiced support for the project, and conservation groups are split. Some groups argue for the preservation of wildlife on the island, while others cite the need for clean energy quickly.

Column: With offshore wind port, something big is finally happening

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • February 22, 2024

With Tuesday’s announcement that the state intends to locate a port on Sears Island to support offshore wind construction, the Mills administration provides hope that, at long last, Maine can build something big. The recent track record has not been encouraging. Voters in a 2021 referendum canceled a $1 billion power line to Canada for hydroelectricity that while later reinstated in court has yet to resume construction due largely to rising costs. A similarly ambitious line to connect the proposed King Pine wind project in Aroostook County also fell by the wayside when the developer pulled out, citing municipal and landowner opposition. The Searsport fabrication, maintenance and shipping terminal represents the next best chance to position Maine firmly toward putting substantial amounts of renewable energy into homes, businesses and industry — and powering larger fleets of electric vehicles. ~ Douglas Rooks

State proposes $250k fine for Worcester cabins

MAINE MONITOR • February 21, 2024

The state plans to fine the company behind the failed Flagpole of Freedom project $250,000 for building several dozen cabins, a restaurant, roads and parking areas in the woods north of Columbia Falls without obtaining necessary permits. Worcester Holdings LLC has to apply for after-the-fact permits by March 1 for the development, which the company is marketing as Flagpole View Cabins, or face fines of $100 per day for additional violations. Worcester “stripped, graded and did not revegetate at least seven acres of land” on the property starting in 2019. Over the next three years the company built a restaurant and 52 cabins, using them as worker housing and seasonal rentals, charging $169 to $229 per night. Worcester continued to advertise the cabins and takeout restaurant after being notified of violations by Maine DEP.

Woodland Stewardship & Forest Carbon, Feb 22

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • February 21, 2024

Andy Whitman and Allyssa Gregory from the Maine Forest Service will present on ways to steward your woodland with forest carbon in mind. They will discuss forest carbon basics, forest resilience, forest carbon practices, and provide information on where to find additional resources, and who to contact for professional guidance. Andy Whitman is the Climate and Carbon Specialist at the Maine Forest Service. Allyssa Gregory is the Maine Forest Service’s District Forester for the MidCoast. On Zoom, February 22, 6:30 pm. Sponsored by Camden Public Library.

Waterville adopts new city rules for solar farms

MORNING SENTINEL • February 21, 2024

The Waterville City Council has voted to approve changes to the city’s zoning ordinance regarding solar farms. The council referred the matter to the Planning Board in September, asking the board to consider solar farm placement and standards. The council requested the board study the negative visual impacts of large-scale solar arrays and possible methods of mitigation; impacts to wildlife habitats, neighborhoods and outdoor recreational opportunities; and runoff and erosion issues.

Timber company reopens shuttered Aroostook County mill

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 20, 2024

A Wisconsin-based wood products company has opened its first facility in Maine at a former hardwood floor plant in Ashland, with plans to eventually bring more than 15 jobs there. WholeTrees Structures of Madison, Wisconsin, signed the lease this week for the vacant Moosewood Millworks building. The company makes structural round timber, a natural wood construction material it plans to market along the east coast. The venture in Ashland is expected to bring new life to a facility that’s been closed for six years. It will also expand the forest products industry with goods that are new to Maine.

Injured hiker from Bath rescued in New Hampshire’s White Mountains

TIMES RECORD • February 20, 2024

Cassandra Haskell, 37, of Bath, was hiking down Mount Avalon Saturday afternoon with a friend, using a small sled to descend some of the steeper sections of the trail. She could not control her speed and direction and hit a tree, suffering a lower-leg injury. Fish and Game officials rescued another hiker Saturday who they said didn’t have proper clothing while hiking Mount Washington. “New Hampshire Fish and Game would like to remind hikers to prepare themselves before venturing out into the wilderness, including packing the ten essential items: map, compass, warm clothing, extra food and water, headlamp, fire starter, first aid kit, whistle, rain/wind jackets and pants, and a knife.”

Sears Island selected as preferred site for offshore wind power port

MAINE PUBLIC • February 20, 2024

Gov. Janet Mills announced Tuesday that her administration has selected Sears Island in Searsport as the preferred site for development of a large, offshore wind port designed to jumpstart the clean energy economy in Maine and the transition away from fossil fuels. Steven Miller, executive director of the Islesboro Island Trust and the Alliance for Sears Island, says the state's decision to choose Sears Island is a violation of a pact made in 2007 to choose Mack Point as the preferred location for future marine transportation development. "The Alliance is profoundly disappointed," Miller said. "Mack Point consolidates industry in one location. It economizes existing infrastructure like rail and road access.