Increasingly early ice-outs on Maine waters open up new problems, experts say

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 15, 2024

As one of Maine’s warmest recorded winterscomes to an end, many waterways across the state are seeing ice form later and melt earlier than ever, which experts say is causing increasingly severe environmental impacts. While ice-outs historically begin in mid-April, ice has already disappeared on many Maine lakes this year. At Lake Auburn, ice-out this year was declared on Tuesday, March 12, earlier than ever recorded. At China Lake, it was Monday, March 11, another record. Earlier ice-outs have severe impacts on everything from algae blooms and trout populations to moose calves and snowmobilers.

Water samples from Casco Bay reveal widespread low levels of PFAS

MAINE PUBLIC • March 15, 2024

More than 100 water samples taken from 18 sites in Casco Bay last year showed low levels of PFAS. Friends of Casco Bay and Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences are conducting a three-year study on so called "forever chemicals" in the Bay and their sources and impacts on the marine environment. Casco Baykeeper Ivy Frignoca said the next step is to find the sources of the PFAS. She said sampling this year will focus on sampling water and sediment at key sites. Friends of Casco Bay will hold an online webinar to discuss the three-year study and PFAS results in detail on Thursday, March 21 at 8 am.

Mills administration taking next steps to advance Sears Island offshore wind project

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 15, 2024

The Mills administration is taking the next step to advance its selection of Sears Island as a hub for Maine’s floating offshore wind industry by proposing legislation to allow construction in a coastal sand dune system. Gov. Janet Mills is asking the Legislature to authorize the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to grant a permit under the Natural Resources Protection Act for an offshore wind terminal “notwithstanding any provision of law regarding activities in coastal sand dune systems to the contrary” if other permitting and licensing criteria are met. But the Friends of Sears Island group says the legislation could circumvent a potentially lengthy permitting process.

Mills, Congress members praise decision to protect vital lobstering territory from wind development

MAINE MORNING STAR • March 15, 2024

Gov. Janet Mills and state congressional leaders on Friday praised a decision by a federal agency to exclude an important lobster fishing ground from the area in the Gulf of Maine that will be leased for offshore wind development. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on Friday released its final designated Wind Energy Area for the Gulf of Maine, which the agency said could ultimately support the generation of 32 gigawatts of clean energy. The area excludes the entirety of Lobster Management Area 1, which is a crucial fishing ground for Maine’s lobster industry.

Biden officials mull quicker death for U.S. coal power plants

BLOOMBERG • March 15, 2024

U.S. coal-fired power plants could be forced to shut down two years sooner than envisioned under a Biden administration plan to stifle pollution from the electricity sector. The potential change being seriously considered now by administration officials would accelerate the required retirement date for coal plants that opt against installing carbon-removal technology at the sites. That would be a tougher approach than what the Environmental Protection Agency outlined in an initial proposal last year that would give companies until 2040 to shutter the sites.

Opinion: Let Maine people decide on the Maine trails bond

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 15, 2024

Trails are critical to our way of life and our economic future. The the proposed $30 million trails bond represents an investment in that future. I urge lawmakers to help us realize this vision by placing the Maine trails bond on the November ballot. Let Maine voters decide if we want outstanding trails for all types of uses to be a bigger part of Maine’s future. ~ Angela Arno, Piscataquis County Economic Development Council

Editorial: Warm winter yet another warning about climate change

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 15, 2024

For many parts of Maine this year, winter is already a distant memory. Without significant changes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally — and quickly — winters in Maine are likely to keep changing. February’s snowfall in Bangor was the smallest on record since 1926, when official tallies began. In January, coastal Maine was hit by back-to-back wind and rainstorms that swept away buildings, eroded beach fronts and closed parks. Not only was 2023 the warmest year in NOAA’s 174-year climate record — it was the warmest by far. Scientists have been warning for years that urgent action is needed to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. Relatively snowless winters, winter floods and rising ocean temperatures are more evidence that we need to do much more before it is too late.

Feds announce 2 million-acre site in Gulf of Maine for offshore floating wind project

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 15, 2024

Federal environmental officials announced Friday their selection of a 2-million acre site off the coasts of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire for an offshore floating wind project. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said the site, about 23 miles to 92 miles off the coast, is 80% smaller than its initially planned wind energy area after consulting with tribes, local residents, the fishing community and others. The new area avoids conflicts with lobster fishing, North Atlantic right whale habitat and other fishing areas and habitats and seeks to avoid most of the historical and present-day fishing grounds of the tribes, the agency said.

Federal government chooses final area in Gulf of Maine for offshore wind development

MAINE PUBLIC • March 15, 2024

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has identified the area in the Gulf of Maine that can be developed for offshore wind. The area covers 2 million acres offshore from Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, ranging anywhere from 23 to 92 miles off the coast, BOEM said Friday. Virginia Olsen of the Maine Lobstering Union said she's pleased that federal officials avoided most of Lobster Management Area 1, one of the most popular fishing regions, and two out of three additional areas that had been eyed as potential spots for development but were opposed by fishermen. BOEM said it will begin to prepare an environmental assessment about the impacts of offshore wind development in the area.

Feds announce areas where offshore wind can go in Gulf of Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 15, 2024

Federal regulators have made a final designation of roughly 2 million acres in the Gulf of Maine where offshore wind turbines can be deployed to help provide power to New England. The boundary set by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management does not include any part of the federal lobster management area 1. The Maine Lobstermen’s Association said Friday that it appreciates that the fishing zone is excluded from the wind area approved by BOEM. But it said that it remains “steadfast” in its position that industrial wind power development does not belong anywhere in the Gulf of Maine. A coalition of Maine environmental groups and construction-trade unions on Friday said the decision is good for fishermen, workers and the environment.

New scorecard rates nation’s grid managers on connecting renewables

MAINE MORNING STAR • March 15, 2024

In the queues run by the organizations that manage the electric grid in much of the nation, more than two million megawatts of potential new power sources, chiefly solar, wind and batteries, are languishing awaiting interconnection studies. “Interconnection customers report that in some areas, projects can move through to completion in 2 years, which is consistent with ISO-NE’s official timeline,” the report says “However, interconnection customers noted that two areas in ISO-NE can take longer: southeast Massachusetts and Maine.”

Maine Legislature rejects free renewals of lifetime hunting and fishing licenses

MAINE MORNING STAR • March x, 2024

The Maine House and Senate have been furiously voting on bills ahead of the looming end of session. The full Legislature went against the majority committee recommendation and killed a bill (LD 163) that would have required free renewals in certain circumstances of lifetime hunting and fishing licenses in order to increase communication between licensed holders and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. 

Letter: We must move away from fossil fuels

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 15, 2024

As a high school student, I would like to share my perspective on L.D. 2077, An Act Regarding Customer Costs and the Environmental and Health Effects of Natural Gas. Climate change affects us all, regardless of political affiliation. Climate change-fueled disasters, such as storms, floods and fires, do not discriminate. Investigating opportunities to redeploy Maine’s existing gas infrastructure into geothermal districts would help us move away from fossil fuels and improve our health. Delaying action on climate change will only cost us more in the future. Every minute we wait to address climate change is a minute we lose in terms of economic and health benefits. While it may be tempting to ignore the reality of climate change, it is crucial that we take action now. ~ Maya Faulstich, Yarmouth

Maine looks to limit sale of used trucks made to be more polluting

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 15, 2024

State regulators are starting to go after violators of a relatively new law that prohibits the sale of used vehicles that have modifications resulting in more air pollution. Passed in 2021, that legislation was meant to help address a relatively pervasive issue in Maine: the dismantling of systems for limiting the air emissions of diesel trucks. Among the pollutants released by those vehicles are nitrous oxide and a particulate matter known as black carbon, which are harmful to human health and the environment.

$30M from bond could help storm-damaged Maine trails

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 15, 2024

A $30 million bond request meant to bolster existing and develop new trails could be used to repair damage that multiple storms inflicted on the state’s trail system, according to a Maine Trails Coalition spokesperson on Thursday. The bond is part of an effort to take a statewide approach to designing, developing and maintaining trails that draw people into Maine’s more than $3 billion recreation economy. One goal is to build trails that stand up to the effects of climate change. “We need a more dedicated stream of funding and we need to have more climate resilience,” said Silvia Cassano of the Maine Trails Coalition.

Column: Why the blue jays never left

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 15, 2024

Blue jays have a trick up their sleeves, or they would if they had sleeves. They are excellent mimics. They do a red-shouldered hawk imitation that is better than most real hawks I’ve heard. Their broad-winged hawk impression is almost as good. Vocal versatility is perhaps the blue jays’ true superpower. They make many different noises, indicating a complex language that supports their highly social communities. Most blue jays stay local year-round, though they may move around somewhat to adjust to winter conditions. Last year, they almost completely vacated the North Maine Woods, moving closer to suburbia where food was more plentiful. This year, mild weather and abundant natural food kept more of them back in the woods. ~ Bob Duchesne

Effects of climate change progressing faster than expected in Maine, state planners find

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 14, 2024

A drought during the 2020 growing season, followed by unusually heavy rains in 2023. It’s a pattern brought on by a changing climate that is expected to occur with more frequency in Maine, challenging farmers’ ability to plan their crops and to sustain their business. “It is difficult to prepare for both of these at the same time,” Melissa Law, owner of Bumbleroot Organic Farm in Windham, said during the quarterly update meeting on Thursday of the Maine Climate Council. “A lot of farms and fisheries are just struggling to stay in business.” The council, which created the “Maine Won’t Wait” four-year climate plan for the state in 2020, met on a Zoom call with 160 attendees to hear updates from its scientific and technical subcommittee. Presentations by scientists revealed that many climate change effects, including four of Maine’s warmest years on record, are happening faster than expected since its 2020 report.

Wriggling gold: Fishermen who catch baby eels for $2,000 a pound hope for many years of fishing

ASSOCIATED PRESS • March 14, 2024

They’re wriggly, they’re gross and they’re worth more than $2,000 a pound— more than 400 times more than lobster, Maine’s signature seafood. And soon, fishermen might be able to catch thousands of pounds of them for years to come. Baby eels, also called elvers, are likely the most valuable fish in the United States on a per-pound basis — worth orders of magnitude more money at the docks than lobsters, scallops or salmon. That’s because they’re vitally important to the worldwide supply chain for Japanese food. This year’s elver season starts next week.

Angus King and Jared Golden Introduce Biomass for Transportation Fuel Act

ANGUS KING NEWS • March 14, 2024

This week, Senator Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME) and Representative Jared Golden (D-ME02) joined other members of Congress to introduced the "Biomass for Transportation Fuel Act” (H.R.7609). This legislation would allow facilities generating renewable electricity from forest biomass like woodchips or sawdust to participate in the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, which forces fossil fuel companies to subsidize alternative energy.

People visiting family and friends in Aroostook boost tourism numbers

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 14, 2024

Aroostook County saw a spike in visitors in Maine on a percentage basis last year as more people returned north to visit family and friends after the pandemic. Aroostook had a 17.5-percent jump in tourism between Dec. 2022 and Nov. 2023, with 332,400 total people having visited during that time, according to the Maine Office of Tourism’s regional 2024 data released Tuesday. That’s the highest percentage increase among the eight regions for which the Maine Office of Tourism splits its tourism data.