Letter: The case to pause natural gas expansion in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 30, 2024

The state Legislature is currently considering LD 2077, a bill that would determine the future of natural gas. A crucial question is: should we put a pause on natural gas expansion? Here’s a case for why we should. First, the unnecessary cost burdens associated with natural gas expansion. Second, consider the climate and human health consequences associated with natural gas expansion. As a young Mainer, it is crucial to me that my state holds itself to its climate goals with integrity. Given that natural gas heating may not align with our climate goals, it is only sensible to pause its expansion and instead expand alternative heating sources. ~ Boston Cochrane, senior, Thornton Academy

Column: Getting dates in order during the slow season

SUN JOURNAL • March 30, 2024

Open water fishing season starts April 1. Spring wild turkey hunting begins April 29 and goes until June 1. Bear season starts with a youth day on Aug. 24 and the general bear season starts the following Monday, Aug. 26. For bow hunters, the deer season kicks off in the expanded zone on Sept. 7. The firearms season for deer begins Nov. 4 this year and extends until Nov. 30, with a statewide muzzle loader option on its heels Dec. 2. The 2024 grouse season will open on Sept. 28 and run until Dec. 31. That Saturday of the grouse opener is also the last day of Maine’s first moose hunting week. ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Committee endorses $30 million bond to support Maine trails

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 29, 2024

A legislative committee unanimously endorsed a proposed $30 million bond Friday that would provide grants to organizations and communities for motorized, non-motorized and multi-use trail projects. The Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee voted in support of L.D. 1156, which now heads to votes in the House and Senate. Two-thirds approval is needed in each chamber for the bond request to be sent to voters in November.

Making home energy upgrades part of disaster recovery

MAINE MONITOR • March 29, 2024

Maine’s winter weather disasters this past season had major effects on the power grid, road infrastructure and working waterfronts, all of which were in focus at the Climate Council’s special meeting and in the advice from Vermont. But what about the vulnerable infrastructure inside our homes and businesses? Just as Vermont saw better outcomes last summer for roads and bridges it upgraded after Irene, communities that had adopted rules to keep critical energy infrastructure out of home basements saw less of that damage, officials said.

$30 million trails bond advances with unanimous committee support

MAINE PUBLIC • March 29, 2024

A bill supporting a $30 million trails bond in Maine has received unanimous support from the Legislature's Appropriations Committee. That means it now heads to the full Legislature for consideration. More than 500 organizations, businesses and towns have endorsed the bill. Supporters say the money would bolster the state's $3 billion outdoor recreation economy by providing grants to organizations and towns for motorized, nonmotorized and multiuse trail projects. The funds would be managed by the Bureau of Parks and Lands. The bill, which has support from Democrats and Republicans, requires a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate along with the governor's approval to place it before Maine voters on the November ballot.

Column: Unusual visitors told me Maine’s winter is done

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 29, 2024

Last weekend’s snowstorm was annoying in every way except one. The snow provided proof that winter was over, and summer had begun. How do I know? A little bird told me. Since January, there has been a steady number of birds flitting into my yard, scavenging on and under my bird feeders. They are especially easy to see and tally on a white blanket of fresh slush. This week, a fox sparrow joined them — a sure sign that the early wave of spring migrants was underway. Spring is here. Please, no more snow. ~ Bob Duchesne

Opinion: Offshore wind is a vital investment in Maine’s future

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 29, 2024

We know that there’s little we can do to control the weather, but we also recognize that there is a lot that we must do to prevent the worst consequences of climate change. One of our top priorities must be to transition away from fossil fuels. In Maine, one of our greatest opportunities is in the development of floating offshore wind. The Searsport Selectboard passed a thoughtful resolution supporting the process to develop offshore wind. This new floating offshore wind port will directly employ about the same amount of people as were lost when the Bucksport paper mill closed, and the Offshore Wind Roadmap identified that as many as 60,000 jobs will be created in Maine if we move offshore wind forward. ~ James Gillway (R), Searsport town manager and Sen. Chip Curry (D), Belfast

Environment committee approves open-pit mining exemption submitted past deadline

MAINE MORNING STAR • March 29, 2024

As the final act of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee this session, members approved a change to mining law, paving the way to extract the 11 million ton lithium deposit in western Maine. The committee did not approve the rule exactly as it was submitted by the Department of Environmental Protection, however. The DEP’s rule would allow developers to apply for an exemption for open-pit mining by undergoing pre-application testing and submitting proof that the proposed operation wouldn’t violate environmental standards for water and other factors. The version advanced out of committee includes a handful of changes, including requiring more pre-application testing and decreasing the size an excavation pit can be at any one time.

Letter: Maine Trails Bond deserves Legislature’s support

SUN JOURNAL • March 29, 2024

Mainers are counting on legislators’ support of the Maine Trails Bond, L.D. 1156, a bill to support the development and maintenance of recreational trails. I cannot begin to describe the impact this bond would have on our local communities. Maine trails help preserve the landscapes that Mainers and our predecessors have utilized and appreciated for generations. It is critical that we ensure the next generation have the kind of outdoor recreational opportunities we grew up with, whether its hiking, biking, skiing, hunting, fishing, boating or off-roading. Outdoor recreation and environmental protection begins and ends with our trails. ~ Conner Tremblay, Buckfield

Maine’s high court rules Sunday hunting ban is constitutional

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 28, 2024

Virginia and Joel Parker of Readfield sued the commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in April 2022. They argued that the Sunday hunting ban runs afoul of the amendment now enshrined in the Maine Constitution that states “all individuals have a natural, inherent and unalienable right” to harvest and consume the food of their own choosing, so long as they aren’t trespassing, stealing or violating other laws. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court disagreed. “We hold that the right to hunt for food created by the amendment does not extend to illegal hunting, and therefore Maine’s long-standing Sunday hunting ban does not conflict with the Maine Constitution,” the justices wrote.

The state of Maine is under a flood watch

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 28, 2024

As heavy rain persists throughout the evening and into Friday, much of Maine is under a flood watch following an intense spring storm that dumped more than a foot of snow across the state. The melting snowpack, along with 2 to 3 inches of rainfall, will likely overwhelm many of Maine’s waterways, as well as areas with weakened infrastructure due to December and January’s storms.

In Maine's North Woods, some bird species are increasingly abundant. Scientists aren't sure why

MAINE PUBLIC • March 28, 2024

Amid the bleak reports about a precipitous loss in numbers and types of birds around North America and the rest of the world is a glimmer of hope in Maine's North Woods. A new study has found something unexpected and scientists aren't yet sure how to explain it. 33 out of 47 species showed an increased abundance over 30 years. This is in sharp contrast to findings in the Breeding Bird Survey during the same timeframe. Those showed 35 of the same species declined regionally and across the continent. Despite the widespread increases, 14 bird species show a decline in abundance in the study area.

High Peaks Alliance names new director of engagement

SUN JOURNAL • March 26, 2024

The High Peaks Alliance has named Amanda Laliberte its new director of engagement. She aims to create awareness of the alliance’s ongoing projects, promote membership, and liaise between the community and the association.

State lawmakers consider new mining rules that could open door to lithium mining

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 25, 2024

Environmental groups are divided over proposed new rules that could open the door to lithium mining in Newry. The Board of Environmental Protection adopted provisional rules last month that would allow applicants to get around the state ban on open-pit mining if they can prove to the state’s satisfaction that the mineral extraction they want to do won’t threaten human or environmental health. The Natural Resources Council of Maine told a legislative committee Monday that the preliminary testing requirements and long-term water quality monitoring built into the proposed exemption offer adequate safeguards against contamination. But a previous NRCM lobbyist, Evelyn deFrees, told members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee that the provisional rules don’t go nearly far enough.

A major European nature protection plan stumbles at the final hurdle

ASSOCIATED PRESS • March 25, 2024

A major European Union plan to better protect nature in the 27-nation bloc and fight climate change was indefinitely postponed Monday, underscoring how farmers’ protests sweeping the continent have had a deep influence on politics. The member states were supposed to give final approval to the biodiversity bill on Monday following months of proceedings through the EU’s institutional maze. But what was supposed to be a mere rubber stamp has now turned into its possible perpetual shelving. The Nature Restoration plan is a part of the EU’s European Green Deal that seeks to establish the world’s most ambitious climate and biodiversity targets, and make the bloc the global point of reference on all climate issues.

Plan to extend turnpike through farmland gets slammed before first public meeting

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 25, 2024

Opponents of the planned Gorham Connector gathered at Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook on Monday to voice their objections to the proposed highway spur in advance of the Maine Turnpike Authority’s public presentation on the project starting at 4:30 p.m. Monday in Gorham. Abby King, who lives in Gorham, said, “The Gorham Divider would be an epic mistake that will change the character of Gorham forever.”

Nearly 173,000 Maine customers without power after storm coats the state in ice

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 24, 2024

Nearly 173,000 customers across Maine were still without electricity Sunday afternoon after a powerful storm covered the state in ice. Nearly 200,000 had been without power Sunday morning, but service was restored to some. The early spring snowstorm Saturday – and the ice that accompanied it – brought down trees and power lines in all 16 counties.

Letter: Gorham connector not worth the cost

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 24, 2024

Smiling Hill Farm was founded 44 years before the town of Gorham and 94 years before Westbrook. Only 187 dairy farms remain in Maine. In 1954 there were almost 4600. I know the proposed connector will go through the western portion where SHF harvests hay. I am not against progress, unless said progress does not honor the past. We are at a place in this state, as well as in this entire country, when we need to ask ourselves who we are and who we want to become. A Gorham connector will change traffic patterns. I disagree that this is worth the cost. ~ Debra Bickford, Buxton

Maine lobstermen struggle to adapt to new electronic reporting rules. Their licenses are on the line.

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 24, 2024

Over the last several years, state and federal regulators started requiring more fishermen to report what they caught, and where. A few years ago, only a portion of harvesters needed to submit that information, and it could be sent in on a piece of paper. Now, all fishermen who harvest 15 species of fish – pogies, scallops, lobster, halibut, mussels, eels and others – have to file their landings electronically. Fishermen in Maine are gradually learning what they’re supposed to do. For lobstermen, adjusting has been particularly hard.

Column: ‘The Green Tunnel’ podcast explores history, culture of Appalachian Trail

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • March 24, 2024

The Appalachian Trail is the most famous and perhaps the most beloved long-distance trail in the world. Affectionately called the “Green Tunnel” for its dense, leafy green forest canopy in spring, summer and early fall, countless hikers from far and wide flock to the trail for recreational enjoyment. Many visit for a few hours, others for several days and even weeks, while some trek the entire 2,198-mile distance between Georgia and Maine over many months. Mills Kelly, a professor of history, is an enthusiastic hiker with a particular affinity for the Appalachian Trail and its rich history, a topic he has researched and written about since 2016. In 2019, Kelly’s investigative work led to developing “The Green Tunnel” podcast, now one of the most popular digital audio programs in the U.S. ~ Carey Kish