Letter: Hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate crisis

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 6, 2024

It’s obscene that the fossil fuel industry continues to receive billions in subsidies (i.e., taxpayer dollars) at a time when they’ve been reaping record profits and, more importantly, the use of their products is beginning to render the planet unlivable. While common sense would dictate stopping these subsidies, Big Oil controls many of our elected officials. A portion of the financial support fossil fuel corporations receive should be converted to funding for carbon dioxide removal technologies. Funding currently to prop up the coal industry and finance fossil fuel development abroad are two areas that could be diverted for this purpose. ~ Tom Berry, Kennebunk

Letter: Petrochemicals increasingly threaten our health

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 6, 2024

Many are unaware that air pollution from burning fossil fuels and the chemicals released by their use is a health threat. Since 1990, there has been a 28% to 150% increase in diabetes, chronic lung disease, cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders. Experts believe petrochemicals have contributed to these increases. Since the 1950s, petrochemical production has increased 15 times and is rising. Improve your chances of good health by telling legislators to support a price on carbon to energize a rapid transition to renewables. Also, ask legislators to regulate existing chemicals and research chemicals before they are released on the public. ~ Nancy Hasenfus, Brunswick

Dramatic rescues punctuated a busy June for Acadia rangers

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 6, 2024

Rangers at Acadia National Park have had their hands full. They received a larger number of calls this past June than they did in the same month last year, even though park visitation is down this year. Some of their most dramatic rescues stacked up in the later part of the month, including the rescue of a climber on South Bubble Mountain, hikers who separately suffered injuries three days later on South Bubble and Gorham mountains, and a truck that drove over a cliff on the Park Loop Road. The park also sent staff when a New Hampshire man drowned off Bar Harbor.

Rescue underway on Appalachian Trail near Caratunk

CENTRAL MAINE • July 5, 2024

State and local emergency personnel were responding Friday to the report of an injured 14-year-old hiker on the Appalachian Trail at a point between Pierce Pond and the Kennebec River west and north of Caratunk. Unconfirmed emergency reports say the hiker had been unconscious for two hours, and weather conditions were stormy.

Train derailment in Penobscot County spills about 1,200 gallons of diesel

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 5, 2024

Officials are cleaning up about 1,200 gallons diesel fuel that spilled onto the ground in Penobscot County this week after a train engine hit parked rail cars and ruptured its fuel tank. The collision happened Tuesday near the Mattawamkeag-Winn town line, the Lincoln Fire Department said. The crash caused one car to overturn and a second car to derail, puncturing the engine’s fuel tank and releasing 1,200 gallons of fuel onto the ground. A newspaper investigation published last year revealed widespread issues with freight rail operations in Maine, including poorly maintained lines, unreported accidents, and secrecy around the hazardous materials transported through the state.

Oosoola Park in Norridgewock gets new dock, self-service boat rentals

MORNING SENTINEL • June 5, 2024

The new facilities, installed in Oosoola Park at the end of June, are part of Norridgewock's ongoing efforts to promote outdoor recreation. The park stretches along the Kennebec River off U.S. Route 2.

Wilton man in critical condition after being thrown from personal watercraft on Wilson Pond

SUN JOURNAL • July 5, 2024

On Thursday, Bertrand Poisson, 47, was operating his recently purchased 2024 Ski-Doo on Wilson Pond at high speeds and in a back-and-forth serpentine fashion with little experience. As he was turning he was thrown and tumbled across the water at high speed about 5:30 p.m. Poisson immediately began yelling for help and several boaters and witnesses responded. They were able to pull him from the water and take him to the boat landing where emergency medical personnel performed lifesaving measures. “Speed, alcohol and marijuana appear to have contributed to the crash.”

With new efforts to improve fish passage, Maine is seeing a record number of river herring in 2024

MAINE PUBLIC • July 5, 2024

Scientists say many more alewives and blueback herring have made their way into Maine's waterways this year — a recovery they attribute to dam removals and habitat restoration. Sean Ledwin, the director of the Bureau of Sea-Run Fisheries and Habitat at the the Maine Department of Marine Resources, said more than 6 million fish have been counted at Benton Falls, along the Sebasticook River (a tributary of the Kennebec River) — far more than last year. More than 3 million have been counted at China Lakes. “Probably 15, 20 million alewives in that river system." Ledwin expects alewife counts to continue to grow, thanks to $70 million in new federal funds to remove more dams and improve habitat across the state.

Climate change, rising home costs converge to drive up insurance rates in Maine

MAINE MONITOR • July 5, 2024

Sea level rise, intensifying coastal storms and rising construction costs converged to drive up annual Maine home insurance rates by an average of 15 percent this year, a recent report found. That number is expected to balloon to 19 percent by the end of the year, the second highest increase in the country, behind Louisiana. Under this scenario, Maine would see average annual rates go from $1,322 to $1,571. And although Maine’s average rate is still one of the lowest in the country (the national average was $2,377 in 2023, according to Insurify), such a rapid rise demonstrates the vulnerability of Maine’s historically low rates to both the natural disasters occurring locally and the global and national trends hiking up insurance rates.

Legal experts say Chevron deference decision puts Maine’s reliance on federal partners at risk

MAINE MORNING STAR • July 5, 2024

The Supreme Court’s ruling ending the “Chevron deference” will directly impact Maine. With federal agencies’ power to implement and interpret laws diminished and open to challenges, it makes Maine’s reliance on federal partners risky, which ultimately could result in lack of services for Mainers. For example, the uncertainty about the EPA’s authority could directly affect Maine’s ability to enforce the federal Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. Since judges are not elected, the Supreme Court ruling also indirectly takes away some public voice in policy decisions.

Coast Guard suspends search for missing Maine boater

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 5, 2024

The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended its search for a missing Maine boater. Edward Berke, 30, fell overboard from a recreational boat about 8 p.m. Thursday near Clapboard Island in Casco Bay, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Local, state and federal officials searched 350 square miles of water for Berke, but could not locate him. The search was called off mid-day Friday.

Editorial: Supreme Court sidelines experts who protect environment, public health and safety

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 5, 2024

Rather than agency experts, the conservative majority of the Supreme Court ruled last week that judges — who are trained in law, not science — should determine what Congress means when it directs agencies to take actions without specifying every technical detail. In reversing the Chevron doctrine, the court’s majority opinion said: “…agencies have no special competence in resolving statutory ambiguities. Courts do.” To say that agencies have no special competence, especially when it comes to highly technical details, has the potential to undermine thousands of federal rules. And it is just plain wrong. “The Supreme Court decision…is a disaster of scope that is difficult to describe because of its width and depth,” Forbes columnist Erik Sherman wrote last week. “It will affect everyone and everything, including consumers, corporations, the environment, and the rule of law.”

CMP electricity rates are going up. Here’s what’s driving it.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 5, 2024

Starting this month, Central Maine Power Co. customers are paying an average of $15.56 more a month – a 12.6% increase – for storm cleanup, renewable power, and incentives for electric heat pumps and electric vehicles. The higher rates were approved in separate cases by the Maine Public Utilities Commission in recent weeks, but to a large extent, the increased charges reflect public policy set by the Legislature. The largest share of the increased rate – more than $10 for the average customer – is to reimburse CMP $220 million for cleanup following destructive storms in 2022 and 2023.

Smiling Hill Farm’s historic legacy could foil Gorham Connector plan

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 5, 2024

The Maine Turnpike Authority has known for years that the farm was eligible for the National Register of Historic Places – but has never publicly disclosed that or its potential impact on the controversial highway project. Being eligible for or listed on the national register doesn’t automatically block development of the 304-year-old farm, according to preservation experts. But it does allow the Knight family to request a seat at the table when the Army Corps of Engineers reviews the authority’s application for a critical environmental permit. And it could give the federal agency fodder to force the authority to alter its preferred route for the 5-mile, four-lane spur.

Letter: No kicking the can on climate change

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 5, 2024

In his June 22 opinion piece, Roy Matthews gets one thing right: Mainers shouldn’t have to foot the bill for the state’s transition to carbon-neutral energy. But that’s the only part he’s right about. He says that because clean energy won’t stop the storms tomorrow, we shouldn’t bother doing the responsible thing: switching to wind and solar. Instead, he proposes buying the cheapest energy possible. No reasonable person thinks switching to clean energy today will stop climate change tomorrow. It’s not about us. It’s about our children and grandchildren. We have a chance now to curb the damage and leave something for the next generations. It’s going to be slow, but it’s worth it. ~ Michael Trombley, Windham

Letter: Investing in clean energy worth the cost

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 5, 2024

Reading Roy Mathews’ June 22 opinion piece on Maine’s green energy initiatives left me very concerned. Yes, rate hikes sting, especially considering today’s economic climate and government needs to reduce consumer hikes by placing more rate burden on fossil fuel producers. But dismissing the urgent need for a clean energy transition shows a disregard for the long-term survivability of our planet. Maine’s climate action plan is not just about today’s bill; it’s about future-proofing a state I love to visit against catastrophic climate impacts. We can’t afford to turn back now. Clean energy is an investment in a livable planet. ~ Marvin Berkowitz, Needham, Mass.

Why this unusual well design could be the future in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 5, 2024

The shallow well design, being researched and tested by state scientists on Maine farms, could provide the water storage and quality needed as drought seasons become more frequent. The patented design is 50 to 75 percent cheaper to install than a drilled bedrock well and is newly licensed for distribution. Maine farmers typically don’t have water storage infrastructure because they haven’t historically needed it, but with droughts becoming common, researchers say it’s time to use more backups.

Column: Watch for baby birds leaving their nests

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 5, 2024

In the bird world, there’s a sharp transition between spring and summer, between baby-making and child-rearing. It’s hard to see, but easy to hear. Often, it’s what you don’t hear that matters, like when the chickadees go silent or a warbler stops singing. Roughly two dozen warbler species nest in Maine. Each has its own timetable for when it sings and when it doesn’t. In early summer, songbirds sometimes ignore my pishing sounds. Just one week later, they may charge right in to see what the pishing threat is all about. How they react is often a clue to where they are in the breeding cycle. How did I miss this drama for so many years? ~ Bob Duchesne

Daggett Rock in Phillips is an awe-inspiring natural wonder, easily accessible

FRANKLIN JOURNAL • July 4, 2024

Daggett Rock, the largest glacially transported erratic in Maine is an awe-inspiring natural wonder located in Phillips. Daggett Rock measures 80 feet long, 30 feet wide and 25 feet high and is estimated to weigh 8,000 tons. This massive granite boulder with feldspar crystals likely originated from the Saddleback Mountain area. Geological evidence shows that Daggett Rock split when it was deposited where it now sits thousands of years ago. It is easily accessible via a short, rocky trail with an incline from Wheeler Hill Road.