A grassroots approach to achieving climate justice

MAINE BEACON (Maine People's Alliance) • August 14, 2024

Talking with people who “don’t care about climate change” or who feel they can’t make a difference can be a challenge, but Lucy Hochschartner, the climate and clean energy director at Maine Conservation Voters, says it’s important to build relationships and trust to work towards a better future. Jordan Sligar, a canvasser with Maine People’s Alliance, said, “Grassroots organizing is a massive part of the puzzle. The corporations aren’t going to do this on their own, so we need to hold them accountable and we do that by organizing from the ground up.”

Andover committee seeking public comments on recreation park improvements

RUMFORD FALLS TIMES • August 14, 2024

A town committee applying for a federal grant to upgrade and add to the Andover Community Park on South Main Street is distributing a survey to learn what features residents would like to have. At the town meeting in June, residents voted against spending up to $147,000 to update and repair the tennis court at the park. The tennis court, basketball court, Grimaldi ball field and playground will be included in a federal grant application, town officials said in June.

Farmington to pay for contaminated well

FRANKLIN JOURNAL • August 14, 2024

The Select Board approved spending $17,680 for a new well and pump system for George and Erica Miller at 784 Farmington Falls Road. A letter provided from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to the Millers indicated the state will pay 90% of the cost and the town the rest.The property is at the base of the road to the Transfer Station, Town Manager Erica LaCroix said. She was first contacted in January regarding the PFAS, or so-called “forever chemicals” contaminating the well. “We have been buying him bottled water since January and will get reimbursed for that,” she noted.

Mainers are so scared of browntail moths they’re killing other caterpillars

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2024

Few things unite Mainers like browntail moth caterpillars. It’s difficult to find a resident or visitor to the state who does not support the eradication of the toxic hair-shedding larvae after last summer’s massive outbreak.That development has complicated life for the Eastern tent caterpillar that’s nesting in trees this time of year. While some people have no issues if the tent caterpillars are collateral damage in the fight against browntail nests, others view the tent caterpillars as innocent victims in the ongoing browntail control efforts.

Wildfire smoke from Canada affecting air quality in Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 14, 2024

Maine’s air quality index has been downgraded Wednesday as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to drift over the state. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection is reporting particle pollution as “moderate” for the most heavily populated southern and coastal regions of the state. Air quality in the northern regions of the state is classified as “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” Climate change is contributing to more wildfires in dry regions of Canada and the U.S., making poor air quality from wildfire smoke more likely to be a recurring event, experts have said.

State gives tense presentation on Sears Island wind port project

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2024

State transportation officials on Tuesday night held the first of what they say will be a series of public meetings about the controversial wind energy development port they’re working to develop on Sears Island. The total cost of the project is estimated at $760 million over the course of its development, which is higher than was originally planned. The construction phase of the project is expected to start no later than the end of 2026. Permits to commence construction must be obtained by that point. The construction is expected to generate 1,300 jobs, while operating the port would require an estimated 350 workers. Opponents of the project and activists hoping to preserve Sears Island are still not sold on the idea of transforming it into a wind port.

Project 2025 promises billions of tonnes more carbon pollution – study

THE GUARDIAN • August 14, 2023

The impact of Donald Trump enacting the climate policies of the rightwing Project 2025 would result in billions of tonnes of extra carbon pollution, wrecking the US’s climate targets, as well as wiping out clean energy investments and more than a million jobs, a new analysis finds. Should Trump retake the White House and pass the energy and environmental policies in the controversial Project 2025 document, the US’s planet-heating emissions will “significantly increase” by 2.7bn tonnes above the current trajectory by 2030, an amount comparable to the entire annual emissions of India, according to the report. Such a burst of extra pollution would torpedo any chance the US could meet its goal of cutting emissions in half by 2030, which scientists say is imperative to help the world avert disastrous climate change.

Rooftop solar has a fraud problem. The industry is working to build back trust

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • August 14, 2024

The solar power industry is booming and that growth helps the world meet its climate goals by replacing fossil fuels. But an emerging problem in the U.S. solar business that installs panels on homes risks slowing the effort to cut the country’s emissions. Customer complaints against the country’s residential rooftop solar industry have increased dramatically in recent years. Prosecutors are investigating high-pressure sales tactics and misleading financing arrangements. Some customers say they were victims of fraud and forgery. This threatens rooftop solar’s impressive momentum. Now, some solar companies are working to repair the industry’s reputation.

Tucked away on the slopes of Munjoy Hill, Portland’s largest community orchard is thriving

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 14, 2024

The Mount Joy Orchard, located on a little more than an acre of land between Washington Avenue and North Street, was created around 2013. In 2016, when a few extra fruit trees were left over, Jeff Tarling, the city arborist at the time, decided to plant them outside the school gates on the steep sloping hill that was then just an unmowed lawn. Aaron Parker and some others in the neighborhood talked with Tarling about planting more trees. Today, the city’s largest orchard has about 100 trees and more than 20 varieties of fruit. Seven regular volunteers now keep the place going. But around 100 people help out on bimonthly work days. Anyone can harvest as much as they need, as often as they need.

Letter: What about climate change’s positive effects?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 14, 2024

Mention of climate change in the Press Herald is usually preceded by the words “may,” “could” or “might.” Every one of those mentions is negative about the future effect of climate change in the world and Maine. The examples of the positive benefit of climate change on Maine are countless. Mainers saved millions on heating bills and drastically reduced Maine’s carbon emissions and pollutions this year. At the same time, municipalities saved millions on reduced salt use and the pollution it causes. ~ George Bentley, Kennebunkport

Editorial: Frances Perkins homestead worthy of national monument status

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2024

In late August 2016, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, then-President Barack Obama designated the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument near Baxter State Park. A second national monument in Maine is reported to be under consideration. The Biden administration is seeking to increase the number of cultural and historic properties managed by the National Park Service that honor and recognize women. We hope that when Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visits the homestead and meets with community members in Newcastle on Thursday, she sees why this Maine landmark — and the life and legacy of Frances Perkins — are worthy of this federal recognition.

This developer thinks sprawl is one of Maine’s biggest housing problems

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2024

Tom Landry has made housing his “life’s work.” Now the Portland-based developer, real estate agent and builder is writing down his take on Maine’s housing market. Last week, Landry released a short book called “Priced out of Portland.” It examines some of the root causes of the housing crisis and advocates for solutions that include doing away with inclusionary zoning and limiting sprawl by adding density to downtown areas.

800-acre hunting compound in rural Hancock County is selling for millions

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 14, 2024

An 800-acre hunting estate and lodge in eastern Hancock County is on the market for $4.5 million. The property, known as Fox Pond Estate, overlooks Fox Pond on Route 182 about 20 miles east of Ellsworth. It is surrounded on three sides by the state-owned Donnell Pond Public Land, which includes hiking trails and access to roughly a half-dozen ponds, Tunk and Spring River lakes, and to the mountains of Tunk and Schoodic, among others. “Get ready to immerse yourself in the Great Outdoors,” the listing webpage says. Vehicle access to the property is restricted by a secure gate. The property is located in Township 10, part of the state’s Unorganized Territory.

Maine is still building homes for seniors away from public transit

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 13, 2024

Even senior developments considered walkable by the state are set away from transit lines, prompting a nuanced debate in Maine’s housing policy realm between those who want the state to pay to make bus lines more flexible and those who want cities and towns to pay more attention to the locations of new developments. Even when housing projects are on a bus route, that doesn’t mean residents have around-the-clock access to transportation. To overcome that, Maine would need to send more funds to transit operators. More money for fuel, insurance, wages and benefits would allow routes to extend farther, more drivers to be hired and more buses to be purchased. This would be a short-term solution, leading critics to ask why Maine is still building housing developments away from transit routes and amenities.

Brewer park will get an amphitheater for outdoor performances

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 13, 2024

A 4-acre hillside park in Brewer is going to get an amphitheater to host outdoor performances. Brewer city councilors on Tuesday approved a $265,000 contract with a Veazie-based construction company to build amphitheater-style seating at Indian Trail Park. Ten Buck Theatre Company, for example, has used the park for various Shakespeare productions for years, but the space lacked formal seating for audiences. The area has its own parking and also connects to a trail system that overlooks the Penobscot River.

Resurrected ship a reminder of Maine’s once-thriving sardine industry

ASSOCIATED PRESS • August 13, 2024

An 83-foot motor boat that was one of the first refrigerated sardine carriers during the heyday of Maine’s sardine industry is going to be scrapped after a recovery operation to retrieve the sunken vessel. The Jacob Pike fell victim to a storm last winter. The 21-year-old great-great-grandson of the vessel’s namesake wants the historic wooden vessel to be preserved and formed a nonprofit that would use it as an educational platform. But the U.S. Coast Guard doesn’t have the authority to transfer ownership of the vessel. And any new owner could become responsible for repaying up to $300,000 for environmental remediation.

There’s a whole lot of shaking going on at Lost Valley Ski & Snowboard area

SUN JOURNAL • August 13, 2024

Contractors and employees have been digging, blasting and felling trees this summer at the Lost Valley Ski & Snowboarding Area, which is making a huge investment in its infrastructure. The investment by owners Scott and April Shanaman — between $750,000 to $1 million — is a testament to the determination of the couple, who bought Lost Valley in 2015, as it faced closure and a dismal start to the 2016 season due to a lack of snow. John Herrick and his team know that they have to make adjustments because climate change, he says, is the new norm. That’s why it’s critical to expand snowmaking — which produces more durable snow but is very expensive.

Maine land continues to be put up for sale without owners' knowledge

WGME-TV13 • August 13, 2024

The FBI recently warned that fraudsters are selling your land right from under you up and down the East Coast and attempts are continuing to happen in Maine. "It's beautiful," York landowner John Campbell said while looking at the plot of land where he plans to build his retirement home. Campbell and his wife, Peg, bought the property two and a half years ago with big dreams. But, they never planned for what came next. "Sunday I came up, and there was a for-sale sign on the land. So, I pulled the sign," Campbell recalled. Someone had been posing as Campbell with a fake license and reached out to unsuspecting realtors, hoping to sell the property from under his feet and make off with the cash. It’s part of a larger trend that the FBI recently warned about.

Opinion: The case for expanding the Juniper Ridge Landfill

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 13, 2024

We are as wasteful as ever. Mainers create about 1,375 pounds of waste on a per capita basis each year. Juniper Ridge is the only state-owned landfill operating. The DEP projects that waste generated in Maine will reach 2 million tons by 2034, long after Juniper Ridge is expected to close. And with only two of the state’s three trash-to-energy plants currently operating, we’re not even hitting our waste reduction goals. Four years is not much time to come up with an alternative; and expanding its current capacity is really the only option we have. The DEP is expected to issue its decision Aug. 23 regarding the public benefit of the proposed expansion. It should find that it is beneficial and Maine should grant the expansion. It buys us time. ~ Sen. Peter Lyford

Maine needs more technicians to install and repair electric heat pumps

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • August 13, 2024

Maine’s ambitious efforts to expand heat pump use to reduce carbon emissions from buildings are outpacing the supply of technicians needed to install and fix the equipment. Citing the state's aging workforce, employers and schools say they can't train enough workers to keep pace with the expanding demand, resulting in customers waiting weeks or even months to get an appointment.