Opinion: Different thinking needed to restore Maine’s Atlantic salmon

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 30, 2024

In Maine, native anadromous fish species are able to effectively access less than 10% of their former range. On the Penobscot, the first two dams were removed over 10 years ago, yet salmon passage remains inadequate with fish unable to transit Milford Dam. On the Androscoggin, there has been dysfunctional fish passage at head of tide in Brunswick for the entire term of the current FERC license. On the Saco River, despite agreements that go back over 30 years, effective fish passage has yet to be demonstrated at the head of tide. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s record of supporting restoration of sea-run fisheries is abysmal, and a new impact statement proposes the same approaches for a critical part of the last Atlantic salmon population in the country. FERC must change its thinking. ~ Steve Heinz, Maine Council of Trout Unlimited

‘Forever chemicals’ aren’t slowing Maine’s hot real estate market

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 30, 2024

PFAS compounds found in wells around the state are causing concerns among home sellers and buyers in the state, but the presence of the “forever chemicals” has not slowed Maine’s hot real estate market, real estate experts said. While some potential buyers have expressed concern about PFAS, that has not stopped sales and rising prices in the Maine market, where inventory continues to be in short supply and demand remains high, real estate professionals selling property in known PFAS locations said.

Hike this remote mountain for one of the best views in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 30, 2024

I turned right, following white painted trail markers up the west ridge of Barren Mountain. Rising 2,670 feet above sea level, it’s one of the many peaks traversed by the AT, and an open ledge below its summit offers a breathtaking view of the region. Barren Mountain is the first major peak of Maine’s famous 100-Mile Wilderness, if you’re trekking from the south. The 100-Mile Wilderness is considered the most remote section of the Appalachian Trail.

Climate change likely to bring rewards – and risks – for Maine farmers

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 29, 2024

Maine farmers will most likely benefit from the warmer weather and longer growing seasons caused by climate change, but they also will face greater risks as our milder winters make conditions ripe for more harmful plant diseases and pests. Extreme weather brought on by climate change will pose additional risks, forcing farmers to prepare for the increased likelihood of drought and heavy rains within the same growing season, according to scientists who advise the Maine Climate Council.

Portland hosting New England Brownfields Summit this week

MAINE PUBLIC • May 29, 2024

Portland is hosting a New England Brownfields Summit this week, where hundreds of stakeholders are learning about programs to transform the blighted properties into economic engines. Brownfield grants and low interest loans can help communities clean up land and water contaminated by mills and military chemical storage. Thompson's Point in Portland was once a port for the railroad and shipping industries but by the 1940s was relegated to industrial manufacturing and storage. Mayor Mark Dion said a brownfields grant served as a catalyst to create the bustling event and business venue it is today.

Company behind controversial $500 million fish farm in Belfast suing city

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 29, 2024

In 2021, the Belfast City Council seized a parcel of mudflats in part to guarantee Nordic had access to Penobscot Bay amid disputes about whether the company owned the land in question. But in May, the council unanimously voted to withdraw its land seizure decision – a response to multiple lawsuits. Nordic Aquafarms has filed a lawsuit asking the Maine Superior Court to determine whether the City Council can reverse its decision to seize land the company needs to build its controversial $500 million fish farm in Belfast.

$4 million storm repairs for Prouts Neck road ‘a pretty massive project’

SCARBOROUGH LEADER • May 29, 2024

Repairs to Black Point Road on Prouts Neck, heavily damaged by storms in January, are “quite a ways out at this point,” likely starting in fall or early winter, according to Scarborough Town Manager Tom Hall. The necessary work, estimated at $4 million to be reimbursed by FEMA, is much broader than recent work at Higgins Beach to repair storm damage there, Hall said. The town is also working with state agencies to “restore as many natural systems as possible.”

Sen. Angus King formally announces reelection bid

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 29, 2024

Sen. Angus King formally announced his intention to seek a third term as U.S. senator. King’s campaign announced Wednesday that the two-term senator submitted more than 5,000 signatures and qualified for the fall elections. The former two-term, Independent governor is facing three challengers in a race that will be decided by ranked-choice voting. In addition to serving on the intelligence and veterans affairs committees, King also serves on the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where he leads the Subcommittee on National Parks.

Maine regulators reject proposed settlement providing refunds to Electricity Maine customers

MAINE PUBLIC • May 29, 2024

Maine energy regulators have rejected a proposed settlement that would have provided refunds to thousands of customers of Electricity Maine. The company offers an alternative to the state's "standard offer" for electricity supply. Two years ago, it allegedly switched customers from a fixed rate to a variable rate, without their knowledge, and significantly increased prices, resulting in some bills increasing by hundreds of dollars per month. The company and staff at the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) had reached an agreement in which eligible customers would have been provided refunds and given an opportunity to change service. But the commission rejected the stipulation on Wednesday, with commissioners saying that it didn't adequately consider the fact that the company has repeatedly violated state law.

Federal court denies request to halt Bar Harbor cruise limits

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 29, 2024

A federal court has denied a request by businesses and river pilots for an injunction to temporarily suspend local cruise ship restrictions that are currently under appeal. If it had been granted, the injunction would have stopped the town of Bar Harbor from pursuing those cruise limits until after the decision on the appeal. The request is now likely headed back to federal court. The new rules in the town’s ordinances and operating procedures cut cruise ship visitations to 1,000 disembarkations a day.

Aroostook town approves tax deal for new potato chip factory

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 29, 2024

Limestone residents voted Tuesday night to approve a tax incentive agreement to help an Aroostook potato chip company bring a $55 million plant to town. Taste of Maine Potato Chip Co. founders Bruce Sargent and Jim Pelkey of Presque Isle announced plans in February to build an 80,000-square-foot potato chip plant at the Loring Commerce Centre. The company will bring about 75 jobs to the area, possibly expanding to 100 as production ramps up. It’s the first Aroostook County venture to join a group of businesses poised to revitalize the former air base.

Opinion: The global climate crisis and the presidential election

CENTRAL MAINE • May 29, 2024

When we consider the climate crisis, the evidence is clear and frightening: Conditions are becoming shockingly worse for the world, the United States, and Maine. Killing heat waves, rising sea levels, raging wildfires, and spreading diseases: “global weirding’s” impacts make headlines nearly every day. In Maine we’ve become all too familiar with more frequent severe storms that cause flooding, coastal devastation, and mass power outages. Worldwide, 2023 was the hottest year ever recorded; so far, 2024 is even hotter. Will our future be more secure and livable under either presidential candidate? President Biden’s commitment to combat global warming stands in stark contrast to the the previous Trump administration. The contrast between presidential candidates could not be more stark than in climate strategy. ~ David Vail, Professor of Economics emeritus at Bowdoin College and a member of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby Economics Research Network

3 new murals coming to downtown Bangor this summer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 29, 2024

Hammond and Main streets in downtown Bangor will welcome three new pieces of art this summer. A 3,400-square-foot mural will run along the shoulder of Hammond Street from the intersection of Central Street and end just after the U.S. Post Office. Katahdin will be depicted in front of the U.S. Post Office, and a flowing water design, representing the Penobscot River, will be painted between Central and Franklin streets. Native fish and wildlife will be scattered throughout the mural. The Maine Discovery Museum and Bangor Area Stormwater Group launched a contest for K-12 students to design a mural to go around a storm drain on the sidewalk outside the Main Street museum. The voting period will end on June 12, and the winner will be announced at an event for the museum’s “River in Our Backyard” exhibit. A two-story mural is coming to the side of 116 Hammond St. The mural, funded by grants, sponsorships and donations, will show the Maine forest floor in spring, including a vernal pool and native flora and fauna.

Maine’s rural lake camps are seeing historic interest

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 29, 2024

Buyers looking at lakefront camps in Maine used to be able to get good deals in rural areas, but real estate agents like Mallett say that is happening much less in today’s crazy real estate market. Skyrocketing prices in southern areas have sent prospective buyers north, sending prices soaring and squeezing some buyers out. In Piscataquis County the average home sales price has skyrocketed from $227,000 in March 2020 to $382,000 at that time in 2024. That’s a 68 percent increase in four years, and reflects a surge in demand for little inventory.

It’s best to leave young animals alone if you find them in the woods

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 29, 2024

Human intervention should be a last resort. The state relies on volunteer wildlife rehabilitators, who can easily be overwhelmed by large numbers of animals being transported to their facilities. Only the animals with the best chance for survival should be transferred, and only after an adequate amount of time has gone by in the field. They can’t all be saved, particularly when an injury is involved. The best course of action, initially, is no action. Allow the adult females adequate time to reunite with their young. This would include the first overnight period.

Opinion: We Can Turn a River in Maine Into a Paradise for Salmon

NEW YORK TIMES • May 28, 2024

In his 1937 book, “Kennebec: Cradle of Americans,” the poet Robert Tristram Coffin called Maine’s sprawling river a “paradise for fish.” But pollution and dams that block spawning runs for Atlantic salmon, sturgeon and shad put an end to that world. The Kennebec River now runs mostly clean, thanks to laws that reduced pollution. Yet four hydroelectric dams, two built in the early 20th century and the other two in the 1980s, remain on the lower reaches of the 150-mile-long river and continue to prevent endangered salmon from reaching their single most important spawning tributary, the Sandy River. Now a confluence of factors makes this the time to right this wrong. ~ John Waldman

How a simple fix could double the size of the U.S. electricity grid

WASHINGTON POST • May 28, 2024

As developers rush to install wind farms and solar plants to power data centers, AI systems and electric vehicles, the nation’s sagging, out-of-date power lines are getting overwhelmed – slowing the transition to clean energy and the fight against climate change. But experts say that there is a remarkably simple fix: installing new wires on the high-voltage lines that already carry power hundreds of miles across America. Just upgrading those wires, new reports show, could double the amount of power that can flow through America’s electricity grid.

Angus King impressed by Wales farm operated by Somali farmers

SUN JOURNAL • May 28, 2024

As the first seedlings began to spread their roots at the Somali Bantu Community Association’s Liberation Farms on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Angus King stopped by to see how things were going. “I like this on every level — the food, getting back to the land and the community,” King said. Founded in 2001, Cultivating Community is building a movement through programs that provide joyful outdoor educational experiences, fresh culturally important foods grown by and for immigrants and communities of color, and community growing spaces.

Animal control officer reports ‘a lot of goats’ in Livermore Falls

SUN JOURNAL • May 28, 2024

The Livermore Falls Select Board has tasked the Planning Board with possibly developing an ordinance governing livestock in the village area. Animal Control Officer Kenneth Pelletier told selectmen at their May 21 meeting that in the past 90 days he received 45 to 55 complaints, six of them about goats. “We have a lot of goats,” he said. In addition to the goats, there are complaints about chickens and pigs, and about odors. There are state laws on the “Right to Farm” and an amendment to the Maine Constitution addressing the “Right to Food” which the Planning Board will need to consider.

A call for sludge regulation

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 28, 2024

Eight years ago, Maine uncovered the edge of a vast agricultural problem when PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) surfaced on a third-generation dairy farm. The toxic fluorinated compounds in the farm’s water, soil, pasture grasses and milk traced back to wastewater sludge spread on fields more than a decade earlier. In 2022, Maine became the first state to ban land application of sludge and the sale of compost containing sludge. No such protections exist for the larger U.S. food supply. To force faster adoption of federal regulations governing PFAS in sludge, MOFGA announced last week its intent to join a lawsuit against the EPA.