Pingree bill would aid coastal homeowners amid increasingly frequent storms

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 7, 2024

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree of Maine introduced legislation this week designed to aid coastal homeowners amid increasingly frequent storms. Pingree and U.S. Rep Greg Murphy (R-NC) put forward the Prevent Environmental Hazards Act on Wednesday.  The bill is meant to provide homeowners covered by the National Flood Insurance Program enhanced flexibility in the face of natural disasters. The bill allows National Flood Insurance Program payouts for buildings that have been condemned because of frequent erosion or flooding, permits advance payments for demolition or relocating of up to 40% of a home’s value or $250,000, caps payouts at 40% if an owner doesn’t act before a building collapses.

Maine households are worst offenders on food waste, according to DEP study

MAINE MONITOR • June 7, 2024

Close to half – 40 percent – of the solid waste stream in Maine is made up of organics, according to a study released by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in late May. Every year, we waste around 361,000 tons of food, the equivalent of more than 9,000 fully loaded semi-trailer trucks. Households are the worst offenders, accounting for around 35 percent of all the food waste in the state. Agriculture is next, at 25 percent, followed by food manufacturers, grocery stores and restaurants. 

The UN says more aquatic animals were farmed than fished in 2022. That’s the first time in history

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 7, 2024

The total global volume of fish, shrimp, clams and other aquatic animals that are harvested by farming has topped the amount fished in the wild from the world’s waters for the first time ever, the United Nations reported Friday. The U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, in its latest report on fisheries and aquaculture — or farming in water — says the global catch and harvest brought in more than 185 million tons of aquatic animals in 2022, the most recent year for which statistics are available.

On World Oceans Day, Midcoast leaders eye future of waters on which so many rely

TIMES RECORD • June 7, 2024

Word Oceans Day has Midcoast communities and industries that rely on the sea are weighing the future amid surging storms and warming waters. World Oceans Day on June 8 isn’t just about enjoying beaches, argued Harpswell Town Administrator, Kristi Eiane. “It’s about respecting marine resources and acknowledging how our choices make an impact,” she said. When the United Nations first announced the holiday in 2016, its main priority was to reach the “30 by 30” goal; to protect 30% of the earth’s land, water and seas by 2030. While that may seem like a lofty goal, Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association (MCFA) Director of Community Programs Monique Coombs hinted the key could be within reach.

Watch these rare triplet moose calves near Baxter State Park

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 7, 2024

Wayne Clukey of West Enfield couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw these three babies tagging along with their Mom near Baxter State Park on Wednesday. Triplet moose calves are very rare, at one in 105,000, according to National Geographic, and these three seem to be thriving. Calves stay with their mom for a year.

Alewives Abound at Benton Falls

NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • June 7, 2024

At the end of May we were lucky enough to join our colleagues on a field trip to the Benton Falls Dam on the Sebasticook River to see the alewife (river herring) run. Alewives spend the majority of their lives in the ocean and only follow freshwater routes to spawn in interior lakes and ponds in the spring. The massive alewife run in the Sebasticook, a tributary of the Kennebec River, is the result of decades of dedicated work by the staff at Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) who came before us and made an impact in the real world.

Sierra Club Maine Announces Initial Endorsements Ahead of State Primary

SIERRA CLUB • June 7, 2024

Active participation in primary elections is a critical way to influence the political process, to ensure the health of our democracy, and to make your voice heard by determining who will shape the future of your community and our state. By endorsing candidates running in primary elections, Sierra Club is working to maximize opportunities to elect a pro-climate, pro-environmental majority in the state legislature. State primary elections are Tuesday, June 11th. Sierra Club Maine is proud to announce initial 2024 endorsements in state legislative primary races:  

• Denise Tepler - Senate District 24 (Sagadahoc County: Arrowsic; Bath; Bowdoin; Bowdoinham; Georgetown; Perkins; Phippsburg; Richmond; Topsham; West Bath; and Woolwich)

• Seven Siegel - House District 109 (Part of Gorham)

Opinion: Hallowell must remove PFAS from its public water supply

CENTRAL MAINE • June 7, 2024

Hallowell’s public drinking water is contaminated with more than three times the federal safe level of toxic chemicals for human consumption. Despite the devastating impact of PFAS on human health, and despite that the Hallowell Water District has been aware of this problem, effective mitigation systems have not been implemented to deliver safe drinking water to Hallowell homes, its public elementary school, businesses, and restaurants. Hallowell must make it a priority to remove PFAS from its public water supply and commit to regular testing with transparency and accountability to the public. Anything less continues to put public health at risk. ~ Kristin Aiello, Hallowell

Letter: Farm Bill must include animal protections

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 7, 2024

Last week, the House Agriculture Committee voted to approve a Farm Bill that attacks state protections for farm animals, puts dogs in puppy mills at even greater risk, and fails to address the horse slaughter crisis. The House version of the bill includes language which would override existing state and local animal welfare laws and prevent new commonsense animal protection efforts. The House’s Farm Bill will subject millions of animals across the country to immense suffering. Join me in urging our representative, Rep. Pingree, to reject any Farm Bill that contains a version of the Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act. ~ Kim Schwickrath, Old Orchard Beach

Column: When birding and bears collide

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 7, 2024

A bear on the porch is where I draw the line. I’m willing to share the yard with the bear that has been marauding my neighborhood all spring. But when she came up onto the deck, I had to ask her to leave. She agreed. Bears aren’t the problem. Bears have lived in my neighborhood for 10,000 years. I’ve only been in this spot for a quarter century. Relocating bears is seldom necessary, and rarely done. It’s best if we all just get along. So far, my furry little friend seems OK with that. Maine has a lot of wildlife — I dare say, more than any other eastern state. Accordingly, we have many more interactions with wildlife. Wild animals are part of our lives, and we’re also part of theirs. Sometimes we must manage their behavior. Most times, we must manage ours. ~ Bob Duchesne

A new Maine facility will mass produce energy-efficient homes

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 7, 2024

A Belfast company that builds highly energy efficient homes is getting ready to open a new 16,000-square-foot facility that will use an assembly line process to manufacture the walls, floors and roofs needed to construct them. GO Logic says the facility will ultimately be able to make 25-50 of its environmentally friendly prefabricated homes a year, reducing the energy that’s required for building them and helping the region to cut its reliance on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change.

Dead humpback whale tangled in fishing gear pulled from Casco Bay

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 6, 2024

A dead humpback whale with fishing gear wrapped around its tail was hauled from Casco Bay into Portland Harbor on Thursday. Known as “Chunk” in the Gulf of Maine and North Atlantic humpback whale catalogs, the 40-foot female was alive when she was first spotted Wednesday off Cape Elizabeth, according to NOAA, which is investigating this incident. Concern over Chunk’s fate comes as regulators try to protect a dwindling right whale population from entanglements in lobster fishing gear.

Browntail moth caterpillar population in Maine has decreased, but some areas still see high numbers

MAINE PUBLIC • June 6, 2024

The browntail moth caterpillar population in Maine is down from its peak, but some areas are still seeing high numbers. Allison Kanoti, the director of forest health and monitoring with the Maine Forest Service, said the population has declined in Androscoggin County, but grown in Penobscot, Knox, Waldo, and Hancock Counties, and in the area around Casco Bay. The population peaked two years ago, when the state recorded 250,000 acres of defoliation. Last year it dropped to 47,000 acres, but the true number was likely higher because aerial surveys were hampered by rain. Hairs from the browntail moth caterpillar are toxic to humans and can cause sever skin rash and breathing difficulties.

Maine hazmat teams simulate mass decontamination in training at SMCC

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 6, 2024

The Maine Army National Guard’s Civil Support Team and the Maine Emergency Management Agency led a full-scale disaster training exercise at Southern Maine Community College on Thursday, which helps first responders prepare for hazards such as weapons of mass destruction, terrorist attacks, chemical releases and other disasters. They’re hosting a series of similar training sessions across the state this week.

Winthrop schools may have to pay if district doesn’t use electric buses that came riddled with problems

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 6, 2024

Winthrop Public Schools may be required to pay for faulty electric buses obtained through a federal program if the district decides not to put the buses back in service. The buses came to the district through the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program but almost immediately began showing problems before they were taken off the road, at the urging of the state Department of Education, in Winthrop and two other Maine school districts. EPA staff could not provide a clear answer on the problem buses, other than that the district may be obligated through its contractual agreement to pay for not using the buses.

State will post signs about quicksand at Popham Beach after woman sinks in up to her hips

MAINE PUBLIC • June 6, 2024

The state said it will post signs at Popham Beach warning the public about saturated sand, or quicksand. A woman from the town of Poland reported on social media that during a walk on the beach Saturday she suddenly fell into the sand up to her hips and had to be pulled out by her husband. Jim Britt, spokesperson, for the Maine's Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, said saturated sand is actually quite common. "Anywhere in Maine, up and down river banks, near favorite and fishing holes, etcetera, where you're going to find this unstable sand, you will sink and easily be able to relax, lean back, and wiggle yourself out," he said. Contrary to depiction in movies and TV, Britt said people who step into quicksand are not completely swallowed by it. He said the saturated sand at Popham is due to severe storms that caused erosion along the Morse River, changing its course.

Officials warn of quicksand conditions on Maine beach

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 6, 2024

Maine officials are warning of quicksand-like sinkholes that could form at Popham Beach State Park, after a handful of people have gotten their legs stuck in them. Sean Vaillencourt, who manages Popham Beach for the state Bureau of Parks and Land, told the station that the conditions were caused by a river heading into the coastal park changing course last fall, so that it now flows through the beach rather than around it. That has destabilized its sand enough that people can sink a couple feet into it.

Maine isn’t buying this sales pitch for a new offshore wind port site

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 6, 2024

Sprague Energy is throwing more weight behind a campaign to get the state to reconsider its preferred site for a $760 million offshore wind port, but Gov. Janet Mills’ administration is continuing to shoot down the idea. In February, the state selected the undeveloped Sears Island in Searsport as the best site for the 100-acre port that would be operational by 2029. It beat out the neighboring Mack Point, which is owned by Sprague. Those fighting the selection of Sears Island run the gamut from offshore wind opponents such as Republican lawmakers to conservationists who want that site protected. The Maine Coast Heritage Trust holds roughly 600 acres of the island under a 2007 conservation easement.

Debate heating up over the site of Maine's future wind port

MAINE PUBLIC • June 6, 2024

The debate over where the state of Maine should site a Midcoast port facility to serve a floating offshore wind project is expected to ramp up this summer. Maine officials are preparing permit applications for a wind port on Sears Island. But Sprague Energy, which owns the nearby Mack Point terminal in Searsport, is making its own major push. Sprague developed a new plan last spring that it believes shows how the Mack Point terminal could be repurposed to accommodate the port facility — and addresses the concerns that the state had previously flagged with the site.

Energy company wants Maine to use its port instead of Sears Island for offshore wind hub

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 6, 2024

An energy and port services company is pitching its Mack Point industrial site for an offshore wind port as an alternative to nearby Sears Island preferred by the state and opposed by local residents. Sprague Operating Resources LLC on Thursday released details of its plan for Maine’s offshore wind project in Searsport. It says its site will be less costly than the Sears Island location and spare that area the disruption caused by port construction, a key issue that locals have criticized. Mack Point has already been dredged to accommodate ship traffic and the plan proposes a launching dock, assembly area for wind turbines before they’re dispatched to the Gulf of Maine and a recently updated rail yard.