Letter: Clean the bay and protect whales

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 13, 2024

Days ago, another whale was found killed as a result of attempting to swim through the tangled mess of fishing gear that sits just beneath the surface waters of Casco Bay. Our congressional and state political leaders effectively nullified any opportunity we had to act with urgency to research solutions for the coexistence of fisheries in Maine waters and the health and survival of whale species therein, they therefore must now support NOAA and its efforts to finalize the vessel speed rule as soon as possible. Maine’s congressional delegation must support and defend the rule against those in Congress who wish to undercut it. All other roads lead to extinction for the right whale, and a catastrophically dangerous existence for the other whale species fighting for survival. ~ Sarah Perry, Falmouth

This bird is a historical helper in Maine apple orchards

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 13, 2024

As trees begin to bear fruit throughout the summer, growers start thinking about how to protect their crops from critters, pests and birds. But there is one species those with apple trees welcome: the Eastern bluebird. For decades, bluebirds in particular were a rare sight here, but populations are on the rebound. Once “so common in dooryards that it served as the New England symbol of spring — the common bird of late March and April that everyone knew.” As more aggressive house sparrows and Eurasian starlings were introduced in Maine, they crowded out bluebird populations. Habitat loss and other factors also contributed. The Audubon Society recommends placing bluebird boxes in open areas separate from other birdhouses and near a supply of insects for them to eat — like near fruit trees.

Look out for snapping turtles in Maine right now

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 13, 2024

I don’t hunt turtles, although it is legal in Maine to harvest up to two snapping turtles and their eggs for personal consumption. I am looking for them these days, much like I watch for deer that could leap out from the sides of the roads — defensively. Snapping turtles are emerging from every muddy swamp, pond or river in Maine right now, seeking sandy or gravelly soil to dig nests and lay eggs. I’ve never seen so many of them in such a short period of time. Not a lot of the young turtles that hatch in early fall survive predation from animals such as foxes, minks, raccoons and skunks, but some do. The species Chelydra serpentina has changed little in more than 40 million years, and it’s still thriving.

How you can help turtles crossing Maine roads this summer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 13, 2024

Now that spring is truly underway, you’ll be seeing more of Maine’s turtles on the roadways. The slow-moving animals tend to seek out the sandy shoulders of roads located near rivers and streams to lay their eggs, and in their journey to find a nesting spot, they often cross busy roadways. There are six types of turtles in Maine that are susceptible to becoming roadkill: the Blanding’s turtle, the spotted turtle, the painted turtle, the common snapping turtle, the wood turtle and the musk turtle. Turtles tend to seek out mates throughout May, and will typically lay their eggs in late May and early June. This is when they are typically seen on roadways. If you spot one of these reptiles crossing a roadway this summer, here are some ways you can help them out.

Opinion: Why Sears Island is the best spot for Maine’s offshore wind port

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 13, 2024

In March 2020, Gov. Janet Mills directed the Maine Department of Transportation to study the Port of Searsport to assess needs to support Maine’s offshore wind industry. The state has objectively and thoroughly considered proposals for Mack Point and found its physical and logistical constraints, need for significant dredging, and increased costs to taxpayers for land leasing and port construction would result in an expensive and inferior port for Maine compared to a versatile, purpose-built port on Sears Island. Sears Island is the best site for Maine to build an offshore wind port that can realize the considerable economic, environmental, and energy opportunities before us. ~ Matthew Burns, Maine Port Authority

These are Acadia National Park’s 5 best-kept secrets

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 12, 2024

With nearly 4 million visitors per year, you’d think people today know everything there is to know about Acadia National Park. Here are five little-known facts about Acadia.
• Somes Sound isn’t a true fjord
• There’s a hidden sea cave you can visit
• Cadillac Mountain is named for French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac
• Acadia National Park was once part of France
• The origin of the name “Acadia” is unknown

Commuter bus service between Portland, Lewiston-Auburn to start in July

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 12, 2024

The Maine Department of Transportation has awarded a $2.8 million contract to a Utah company, RTW Management Inc., to operate the 2-year pilot program. The announcement comes a month after the private bus company Concord Coach Lines announced it would end service between Portland and the Twin Cities in June.

By 1-vote margin, Dresden residents approve contentious quarry pit moratorium

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • June 12, 2024

A moratorium to temporarily stop mining and quarrying for 180 days in town narrowly passed by a single vote in Tuesday’s election. The Moratorium Ordinance Regarding Mineral Extraction Facilities and Operations, which was approved 241-240 in unofficial vote counts, enacts the pause on any new quarry or gravel pits but allows already-approved and working gravel pits to continue working. Under the rules, gravel pits cannot expand by more than an acre, which is effective immediately.

CMP bills to rise at least $10 a month; destructive storms blamed

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 12, 2024

Central Maine Power Co. ratepayers can expect monthly bills go up by at least $10 in July after regulators approved a rate increase on Tuesday. The 2024-25 rate hike will cover a $220 million tab CMP racked up while restoring power and cleaning up after destructive storms in 2023 and the second half of 2022. With climate change bringing more damaging and costly storms, the Public Utilities Commission said it will begin soliciting comments from the industry, consumers, environmentalists and others to look at ways to balance storm response with affordability.

Letter: Portland rezoning must not wreck public parks

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 12, 2024

This revision to ReCode means that a line of 65-to-90-foot buildings could wall off the southern edge of the Eastern Promenade Park and obstruct the 180-degree vista over Back Cove. The Eastern Promenade Park is an iconic public landscape that defines the Portland peninsula. Let’s have increased density, but not at the expense of our public parks. I hope the Portland Planning Board will recommend maintaining B1 zoning status on properties that border the Eastern Promenade. ~ Peggy Shaffer, Portland

State expects to reach 2045 carbon neutrality goal ahead of time

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 11, 2024

Maine has met the first of its four climate goals by reducing gross greenhouse gas emissions by 30% from 1990 levels, well ahead of its 10% goal by 2020, but it has a long way to go to meet a 45% cut by 2030 over the next six years. Unlike the emissions reduction goals, carbon neutrality can be improved from both ends: cutting greenhouse gas emissions, which trap the sun’s heat in the Earth’s atmosphere and cause warming, and increasing the sinks that absorb atmospheric carbon and store it someplace, like a tree’s roots.

Maine Arts Commission names new executive director

CENTRAL MAINE • June 11, 2024

The Maine Arts Commission named its new executive director, selecting a veteran arts administrator from New York. Amy Hausmann, who oversees a historic site in Hudson, New York, that was owned by artist Frederic Edwin Church, will take over in August from interim executive director Julie Horn, who will return to her prior position of assistant director. “Besides Olana, the only property that Frederic Church owned in his lifetime was a rustic camp on the shores of Lake Millinocket, and from that cherished spot, he sketched and painted Katahdin hundreds of times,” Hausmann said. “Church, like me and the millions who visit Maine each year, returned to this place because of an ardent and abiding appreciation of the landscape and the vibrant culture.”

Maine is exceeding its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals

MAINE PUBLIC • June 11, 2024

Maine is exceeding its emissions reduction goals, according to a new report from the state Department of Environmental Protection. The agency said Maine has reduced greenhouse gas emissions even as economic output increases. As of 2021, Maine's greenhouse gas emissions had fallen 30% below 1990 levels, according to the DEP's latest biennial emissions inventory released Tuesday. That puts the state ahead of schedule toward its goal of an 80% reduction by 2050, if current trendlines continue.

Whale pulled from Maine harbor last week likely drowned

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 11, 2024

 The dead humpback whale found wrapped in fishing gear off Cape Elizabeth on Thursday had congested lungs consistent with acute drowning, according to preliminary findings from a necropsy released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The preliminary information did not indicate what type of fishing gear the whale was wrapped in, where it may have come from or if it contributed to the whale’s death.

How an invasive plant is helping ticks survive

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 11, 2024

There are a lot of reasons to want to control the non-native plants that have invaded the state of Maine. But scientific research done on Japanese barberry adds one more big one to the list: the dense, thorny shrub actually creates a microclimate that is good for ticks. And that is bad news for people. “There are places in southern Maine where barberry has completely taken over the understory of the forest,” said Susan Elias, a research associate at the Lyme and Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute.

Wells officials want to form a group to seek compromise over public access at Moody Beach

MAINE PUBLIC • June 11, 2024

Town leaders in Wells say they want the community to try to reach a compromise over use of Moody beach. Following a public hearing Monday night that at times was contentious, select board members said they plan to form a group of beachfront homeowners and other community members to reach an agreement about public use. Waterfront homeowners say most are happy to share the beach with respectful members of the public, but they want to retain their rights. Maine law extends property rights to the low tide line. A lawsuit currently working its way through the courts challenges that law.

Opinion: Biden is wrong: We still don’t have enough solar

BLOOMBERG • June 11, 2024

The speed of the energy transition in recent years can easily make people underestimate the scale of the challenge that lies ahead. That could be a fatal mistake. We are still not building enough solar and wind farms, nor enough factories for the components they’ll use, to make the switch work. Yet President Joe Biden’s justification for doubling tariffs on imported solar to 50% is that, to the contrary, the world has too many production lines for green tech. He’s going to need all of those production lines if he’s to meet his target of decarbonizing America’s electricity grid by 2035. It’s worse still with wind. The turbines we need simply won’t get built. Reducing the cost of green power is the single best thing the world can do if we’re to escape catastrophic warming in our lifetimes. Chinese clean technology isn’t “artificially cheap.” It’s just cheap. ~ David Fickling

Commentary: California’s electric are rules are ‘unworkable’

CENTRAL MAINE • June 10, 2024

Regulations requiring EV sales are highly unpopular. California’s auto regulations aim to reduce total global carbon emissions, of which America’s share is 13%, but these rules may not succeed. 16 states and the District of Columbia signed on to California’s 2021 standards. Apple has withdrawn from developing an EV. Ford lost $100,000 per EV sold in the first quarter of this year and announced a pause in its delivery of the new F-150 Lightning, citing quality-control problems. Mercedes no longer plans to go all electric by 2030. General Motors has abandoned its goal of selling 400,000 EVs by June 2024. Dealers’ lots are overflowing with unsold EVs. Returning to the federal standard is in the best interests of the United States. ~ Diana Furchtgott-Roth, The Heritage Foundation

Commentary: The Oceans Court ruled that the seas are a hot mess. Why haven’t you heard about it?

CENTRAL MAINE • June 11, 2024

On May 21, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, in Hamburg, Germany, ruled that greenhouse gases are marine pollutants and nations must take action to “reduce, control and prevent” their effects. The tribunal was responding to a request from a consortium of small island nations disappearing under rising seas. The tribunal’s unanimous ruling will influence national and global court cases now being brought against the fossil fuel industry and its well-funded resistance to a carbon-free, renewable energy future. Donald Trump offered himself up to that resistance when he solicited a billion-dollar donation from oil executives by promising, if reelected, to reverse clean energy rules. Why isn’t climate change a major issue in the 2024 U.S. election? ~ David Helvarg, Blue Frontier, an ocean conservation group

Opinion: If you care about the ethical treatment of wildlife, say so

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 11, 2024

Recent tragic events in the U.S. have exposed the worst impulses of humans in their violence against animals. Our federal government wants to exterminate hundreds of thousands of barred owls, while Wyoming allows people to run down wolves using snowmobiles. Here in Maine, we witnessed the grotesque sight of three dead coyotes hanging from a buoy. How do we institute change for the good of wildlife and humanity today, before it gets even darker for us all? The line between egregious cruelty to animals and violent harm to women and children, especially, is paper-thin. Tell legislators you support legislation to protect all wildlife and that you care about the ethical treatment of wildlife, and that wanton killing for sport and prizes, especially, is unacceptable. ~ Gina Garey, Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy.