Brunswick legislators kickstart efforts to address PFAS contamination after foam spill

MAINE MORNING STAR • September 11, 2024

Brunswick Rep. Dan Ankeles submitted three bill titles to the Maine Legislature on Tuesday aimed at removing and better regulating forever chemical-laden firefighting foam following the accidental discharge of the toxic material in his district last month. One bill proposes a foam take-back program. Another calls for the immediate removal of the foam from Brunswick Executive Airport. The last is a measure to provide legislative authority to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to conduct a statewide inventory of the foam. In the Senate, Democrat Mattie Daughtry will be taking the lead on legislation to address the governance of the residential and business community integrated with the airport.

Column: The decline of the Unity park

CENTRAL MAINE • September 11, 2024

A few years ago, one of the huge windstorms that have been ramping up in frequency and fury lately toppled an enormous old pine tree standing on the shore of Unity Pond at the Field of Dreams park. For about 25 years, through changes in which Unity College reemerged as the owner, the park was kept trim and true every summer. When that old pine tree blew down, I figured the Unity students would take care of it. I was wrong. The students from the renamed Unity Environmental University never came. The tree is still there. There are hardly any students left. The management that took over has basically deserted the campus. You can’t learn about the woods in front of a computer. Unity College never made money, but it made a community. That value is drained away. It is a bitter betrayal of the community and its history. ~ Dana Wilde

Protecting What We Love: A Celebration of Action for Maine's Environment

NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • September 11, 2024

Join the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) at Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment for an evening of inspiring talks, engaging workshops, and hands-on activities all focused on protecting our beautiful Maine environment. This event is a chance to connect with like-minded individuals, learn about local conservation efforts, and take action to safeguard what we cherish. In addition to celebrating our collective action, we'll present our Conservation Leadership Awards to celebrate individuals who have done extraordinary work in their communities.

Outdoors groups push for passage of Maine’s first trail bond

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 11, 2024

Maine has always relied on volunteers and donations to build and maintain its trails, but advocates warn that weekend work parties and membership dues alone can’t design the kind of trails that will survive a changing climate and grow the state’s outdoor recreation economy. That’s why advocates from The Partnership for Maine Trails want Maine voters to approve a $30 million bond in November to hire the professional engineers, heavy machinery and laborers needed to design, develop and maintain hiking, bike, snowmobile, ATV and accessible recreational trails around the state. An approved bond would provide $30 million in competitive grants over four years to create, repair and maintain motorized, nonmotorized and multiuse trail projects across the state, including accessible paved trails. It is Maine’s first-ever trail bond.

Bangor marine biologist launches line of cookie dough made with seaweed

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 11, 2024

When Jessie Muhlin decided to start selling frozen cookie dough, she knew one had to contain seaweed. The first flavor the marine biologist developed was the Selkie Sea Biscuit, a lemon cookie with flakes of seaweed, almost like tri-color sprinkles. The cookie has a subtle seaweed taste, Muhlin said. “It adds, I think, an element of intrigue and nutrition because it does have nutritional qualities,” she said. The seaweed is harvested in Maine and sold by Maine Coast Sea Vegetables.

Rising seas increasingly threaten coastal Maine wastewater plants

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 11, 2024

Maine’s climate action plan estimated the cost of replacing low-lying wastewaterfacilities could reach up to $93 million. Moving Wiscasset’s wastewater treatment plant and demolishing the old plant could top $50 million. Residents of Bath approved a $25 million bond last year to upgrade their aging system, with work that will include upgrading the pump stations, some of which were at risk of flooding during the January storms. Municipalities continue to request state funding for wastewater facilities through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, created as a part of the federal Clean Water Act. But the aid provided has decreased. In 2021, 51 applicants requested a total of $235 million, and the state awarded $113 million. This year, the state was only able to award $67 million, despite getting 66 applications requesting a total of $392 million.

Column: A breached dam on Green Lake could threaten Arctic charr

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 10, 2024

Next year the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will rule on the licensing of a private hydro dam at the outlet of Green Lake. According to Burr, the likely scenario is that the commission will require the installation of fish ways in the dam, the cost of which would force the closure of the hydro facility and the eventual removal of the dam. Green Lake is one of only 14 Maine waters that hold native arctic charr, which the state has pledged to protect at all costs. How does this jibe with the Maine’s Department of Marine Resources’s alewife priority? ~ V. Paul Reynolds

Portland geese deformed by ‘unnaturally high-calorie diet’

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 10, 2024

Geese in Deering Oaks park were spotted with deformed wings on Monday, Portland’s Parks Department said Monday. Some geese are suffering from a condition called “angel wing,” which is a malformation of their wings caused by an “unnaturally high-calorie diet (bread),” the department said. The condition usually results in a twist in the last joint of a bird’s wing, causing feathers to protrude from its body, according to the Maine Audubon. The condition, which is fatal, prevents the geese from being able to complete their usual migration patterns. “You all can help by not feeding the birds in our parks,” the department said.

Keurig to pay $1.5 million over false statements on K-Cups’ recyclability

ASSOCIATED PRESS • September 10, 2024

Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. will pay $1.5 million to settle charges that it made inaccurate statements about the recyclability of its K-Cup single use beverage pods, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Lisbon Water Department addresses water quality concerns

SUN JOURNAL • September 10, 2024

Water commissioners explained in greater detail Tuesday evening their process of dealing with an arsenic-rich sludge that made its way into the Lisbon Water Department’s filtration plant last week. When a customer complained of dirty water around 5 a.m. Sept. 4, the department’s lone water operator isolated the issue, discovered elevated levels of arsenic and flushed the water system until 2 a.m. the next morning. During do-not-drink order, the town and its emergency response team set up a water distribution system for residents without access. Shellie Reynolds, water district interim general manager, admitted the methods — alerts via social media, notification of local media and use of the town’s emergency response system — were not enough to alert everyone.

Outdoor groups launch ‘Yes on Question 4’ campaign

MAINE PUBLIC • September 10, 2024

Outdoor groups on Tuesday launched the “Yes on 4” campaign in support of the $30 million trail bond question on the November ballot. If passed, the bond would administer the money for trail repairs and construction over four years, through grants to towns, organizations and clubs. Supporters said the bond will support Maine’s growing outdoor recreation economy, by repairing existing trails and building new ones.

Road bicycle accident at Acadia National Park leaves man in critical condition

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK • September 10, 2024

On  September 9 just after 1:00 p.m., park rangers responded to an accident involving a 70 year-old male who fell off his road bicycle on the Park Loop Road near the Cadillac North Ridge Trail crossing. The man, an experienced road bicyclist, lost control of his bike after his foot dislodged from a clip-in pedal. The individual wore a helmet, but suffered significant injuries after he fell head-first off his bike. Park rangers arrived on scene minutes later and performed life saving measures. The Bar Harbor Fire Department transported the patient to downtown Bar Harbor where he was transferred by the LifeFlight of Maine helicopter to the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. The patient remains in critical condition. 

Mainers aren’t buying enough local food

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 10, 2024

Maine shoppers, restaurants and institutions spent $432 million on food and alcohol from New England in 2022 — but it still only made up 3.4 percent of all the food and alcohol they bought, a new report estimates. To meet the state’s goals, that number needs to increase to 30 percent by the end of the decade. The report was released this week by the New England Food System Planners Partnership.

Opinion: Massive corporate energy deal requires great scrutiny

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 10, 2024

In Maine, there have been years of public debate about the ownership of Central Maine Power, which once upon a time was a local company, rated one of the best-run utilities in the country. But alas, CMP now consistently ranks as one of the worst-performing utilities in the nation. The global energy giant Iberdrola has petitioned for a free pass from the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in its bid to become the sole owner of Central Maine Power’s parent company, Avangrid. This should not be granted. ~ Sen. Rick Bennett

What to expect at this year’s Common Ground fair

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 10, 2024

The 48th Common Ground Country Fair at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association’s headquarters in Unity will be held Sept. 20-22, and organizers are expecting another busy year with attendance close to 60,000. More than 1,000 exhibits and events are planned, including 550 educational events, two organic farmers markets and 40 family-friendly activities, fair director April Boucher said. This year will feature more events on Sunday and new vendors in the prepared food and farmers market areas. Keynote speakers will address the challenges of farming in climate change conditions and keeping dairy farms in operation, reflecting the concerns of today’s Maine farmers.

Casco Bay Estuary Partnership awards resiliency grants

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 9, 2024

Casco Bay Estuary Partnership has awarded $112,726 in grants to projects in seven Maine nonprofits and communities. The funding, provided through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, was granted to projects supporting community resilience, ecosystem resilience and environmental data collection in the Casco Bay watershed. Casco Bay Estuary Partnership promotes the health of Casco Bay by collecting environmental data, educating and involving citizens in protecting the bay, restoring marshes and supporting projects with public and private partners.

Ecomaine plans $25 million recycling center upgrade

MAINE PUBLIC • September 9, 2024

One of Maine’s largest recyclers, Ecomaine, a community-owned corporation, plans to spend up to $25.2 million on state-of-the-art sorting equipment at a new recycling plant near its Portland headquarters. CEO Kevin Roche said the new automated sorting machines use imaging technology to separate mixed recycling such as paper, cardboard, plastic, glass and aluminum. The equipment will replace the company's current machines, installed around 2006. Back then, newsprint made up most of the recycling Ecomaine handled. With a boom in online shopping and home delivery, however, cardboard has become the top material it handles. The market for recyclables has rebounded from a slump after China stopped accepting most U.S. solid waste about seven years ago.

Midcoast volunteers to gather for coastal cleanup on 9/11

TIMES RECORD • September 9, 2024

Each September, thousands of volunteers gather on the shores of Merrymeeting Bay, the Kennebec River and lakes, streams and ponds across the state. Local environmental groups lead them to clean the shores and document the litter collected. The effort is part of a larger International Coastal Cleanup. In 2022, 2,530 pounds of marine debris were disposed of, and in 2023, the amount increased to 5,578 pounds. This year, Sarah Madronal, outreach manager at the Nature Conservancy, hopes to raise the bar. She will steer a cleanup at Basin Preserve in Phippsburg on Sept. 11. 

New lead tackle ban aims to protect loons

MAINE PUBLIC • September 9, 2024

Maine is expanding a ban on lead fishing lures to protect loons from fatal poisoning and conservationists are willing to buy up shops’ leftover inventory. A new law makes it illegal to sell little painted hooks called jigs. Lead fishing gear was the leading cause of death for loons in Maine until lawmakers banned bare sinkers and jigs ten years ago, said Laura Williams a biologist with Maine Audubon. Since then fewer loons have died from eating fishing gear, but lead poisoning is still a major cause of mortality. "So we have seen improvements and that’s why we continue to limit the use of small size lead tackle," Williams said. The conservation group is offering to pay local tackle shops cash for any lead jigs still in stock. Anglers will be prohibited from using the gear staring in 2026.

Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs are popular in Maine but could hammer key industries

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 9, 2024

Former President Donald Trump’s preference for heavy tariffs on foreign-made goods may play well in Maine, where bipartisan opposition to free-trade deals has been a decades-long theme. The Republican is looking to greatly expand on the tariffs that he put into place during his first term and that President Joe Biden’s administration has mostly kept them in place. But the Trump-era tariffs prompted a trade war that at least initially hurt lobstermen, wild blueberry farmers and others in legacy industries that enjoy solid support from politicians here.