Maine’s highest court hears arguments for public access to intertidal land case

MAINE MONITOR • October 10, 2024

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court heard oral arguments Thursday afternoon for a case regarding public access to intertidal land in Maine. The outcome of the case will determine public access at Moody Beach, and isn’t expected until sometime next year. But the ruling’s impact will extend beyond the battle over the Wells beach, since it may reverse current limits on public access to the land between high and low tides all along Maine’s coast put into place decades ago.

Letter: Trail cams should not be allowed in Maine hunting

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 10, 2024

The use of trail cameras by hunters, especially multiple arrays of “live” cameras, which can track game movements in real time and feed this information back to hunters who may be sitting at home watching screens, is not “fair chase” nor is it in any sense ethical. Trail cameras are great for recreational watching wildlife in its natural habitat, but I believe that reliance on them to locate, track and ultimately kill game is an abuse by individuals who should be out in the field “hunting” for their quarry. Any game harvested primarily by their use is a hollow achievement, and their use during the hunting seasons should be illegal in Maine as it is in an increasing number of states. ~ Jerry Stelmok, Atkinson

Maine’s environmental advocates awarded for their work

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 9, 2024

Natural Resources Council of Maine supporters gathered Sept. 25 in Freeport for an event called Protecting What We Love: A Celebration of Action for Maine’s Environment. The 2024 People’s Choice Award went to Buck O’Herin for his lifetime of dramatically increasing land conservation in western Waldo County, working for protection of critical habitat for federally endangered Atlantic salmon in the Sheepscot River, and leading the charge to create the Hills to Sea Trail. York High School seniors Maxine Adelson, Chloe Whitbread and Aiden Ring were recognized for their successful efforts to ban disposable plastic utensils in their hometown. Castine entrepreneur Kate Pilotte, who runs locally sourced meal kit company Farm and Fish, successfully advocated for legislation to allow local businesses to offer reusable containers to reduce waste. MaryAlice Mowry, of Patten, and Dan Kusnierz, water resource manager for the Penobscot Nation, were honored for their leadership in protecting clean water and healthy fish and wildlife in the Katahdin region. Enock Glidden, an adaptive climber from Albany Township, was recognized for his work assessing trails for accessibility throughout the state.

State clashes with utility companies in federal court over ban on foreign spending on elections

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 9, 2024

Attorneys for the state of Maine and two major utility companies argued in federal appeals court Wednesday over the legality of a state law passed by voters last year that bans foreign governments from spending money on state and local races and referendum campaigns. The U.S. District Court in Portland got it wrong when it granted a preliminary injunction preventing the law from being enforced, argued Jonathan Bolton, an assistant attorney general representing the Maine Commission on Governmental Ethics and Election Practices. The new law is important to prevent spending by foreign entities similar to what Maine experienced leading up to a 2021 referendum about whether to halt a controversial power transmission corridor, he told the panel of three justices in the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.

Pingree praises EPA for new lead pipe rules, funding to replace drinking water infrastructure

MAINE MONITOR • October 9, 2024

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat from Maine’s 1st Congressional District, praised the Biden-Harris administration Tuesday for a new rule requiring states to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years. As a ranking member of the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee, which oversees the Environmental Protection Agency, Pingree, along with fellow Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, has long pushed for such a rule.

Waterville board votes to approve plans for solar farm off County Road

MORNING SENTINEL • October 9, 2024

The Planning Board voted 7-0 Tuesday to approve a final plan for a solar farm on about 10 acres at 244 County Road. The 1.99-megawatt solar farm, to be developed by BD Solar Holmes Farm LLC, will be on land leased to the business by property owner Kevin Violette. One megawatt can serve power to roughly 1,000 homes, according to ISO-New England.

Letter: Offshore wind proposal worth embracing

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 9, 2024

I write to express my wholehearted support for the offshore wind turbine proposal for Maine. Supporting renewable energy projects like this one is not just about environmental responsibility; it’s also about enhancing national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Let’s harness the power of wind not just as an energy source but as a symbol of progress and unity for all Mainers. ~ Cassie Nedwell, Cape Elizabeth

For 8 years, Brunswick Landing hangar inspections often found deficiencies

TIMES RECORD • October 8, 2024

About two-thirds of the inspection and and testing reports for Brunswick Executive Airport hangars showed deficiencies in fire suppression systems, according to records the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority submitted to the Town of Brunswick on Friday. The trove of documents, released to the public today, included a packet of over 30 inspection reports dating back to 2016 for Hangars 4, 5 and 6 — all of which are MRRA-owned — showing deficiencies in many of the reports. The revelation comes nearly two months after 1,450 of highly toxic aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons of water spilled in Hangar 4. The system was later revealed to be out of date and had multiple deficiencies in its latest inspection from 2023. The foam spill was Maine’s biggest in 30 years.

Mexico middle school closed immediately because of poor air quality

SUN JOURNAL • October 8, 2024

Mountain Valley Middle School will be closed the remainder of the week due to the air quality, Regional School Unit 10 Superintendent Deb Alden wrote in a letter to staff, parents and families. The issue is “forms of mold spores,” Alden said Tuesday. “This is the third (test) we’ve had done and each time it was different areas that showed problems. This time it was really bad,” she said. “There is a reason we’re building a new school,” she said.

Versant fined $90,000 for missing customer service targets

MAINE PUBLIC • October 8, 2024

State regulators have fined Versant Power $90,000 for failing to meet customer service standards last year. The Public Utilities Commission said the power company did not meet targets for answering calls within 30 seconds. Commissioners denied Versant’s bid to exclude several days of poor performance following a powerful storm in December 2023 from its overall service quality record. The company said it had 97,000 customers without power and its call volume was five times higher than other times in the year.

For 8 years, Brunswick Landing hangar inspections often found deficiencies

TIMES RECORD • September 8, 2024

About two-thirds of the inspection and and testing reports for Brunswick Executive Airport hangars showed deficiencies in fire suppression systems, according to records the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority submitted to the Town of Brunswick on Friday. The revelation comes nearly two months after 1,450 of highly toxic aqueous film-forming foam — or AFFF — concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons of water spilled in Hangar 4. The system was later revealed to be out of date and had multiple deficiencies in its latest inspection from 2023. The foam spill was Maine’s biggest in 30 years.

Opinion: More must be done to protect Maine’s environment

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 8, 2024

Our air, water and soil support an $11.7 billion agricultural sector, and our 17.5 million acres of forest support an $8.1 billion forest products sector. The marine products sector contributes $3.3 billion to our economy annually, and together these assets support a $7 billion tourism industry. Maine ranks in the top five states for outdoor recreation as a percentage of GDP. Yet the state agencies charged with protecting the well-being of Mainers, visitors, wildlife and the land and water resources that define Vacationland remain stretched too thin. Gov. Mills should ensure that the Maine Drinking Water Program and departments of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Environmental Protection, Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and Marine Resources have the staff and funding to meet the moment before us. ~ Cathy Breen, Maine Conservation Voters, and Sarah Woodbury, Defend Our Health Action.

Former owner of trash incinerator in Orrington files suit against Eagle Point Energy Center

MAINE PUBLIC • October 7, 2024

The former owner of the trash incinerator in Orrington is filing suit against the company that bought it at a foreclosure auction. Penobscot Energy Recovery Company, or PERC, argues that Eagle Point Energy Center bought only the physical assets of the incinerator, not the contracts with cities and towns that pay to have their waste processed. PERC also said Eagle Point has taken possession of $2 million worth of spare parts and other gear were not part of the sale. In a statement, Eagle Point said the allegations are "baseless" and that the company is committed to remediating the fire that started at the Orrington plant last week, and eventually, resuming operations there.

Letter: Republicans need a reckoning on climate change

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 6, 2024

There are no longer any credible climate change deniers in the scientific community, but the Republican Party stubbornly refuses to acknowledge reality. Trump ridicules global warming as a “hoax.” Regardless of our politics, we need Republicans to accept that climate change is real and to engage in a sustained bipartisan effort to meet the difficult challenge of halting additional global warming. The only way I can see this happening is if Republicans are soundly defeated in November, from the local level to the national. We need to force a reckoning upon them that is harsh enough to provoke an abandonment of this reckless disregard of science and reality. ~ Nigel Calder, Newcastle

How rockweed harvesting got tied up in a lawsuit over public beach access

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 4, 2024

A sprawling lawsuit to expand public access to intertidal land in Maine was filed in Cumberland County Superior Court in 2021 against more than a dozen private property owners, some of whom had called Maine Marine Patrol on alleged trespassers picking rockweed from their shores. The plaintiffs are asking the justices to declare that all intertidal land in Maine should be considered public, undoing a 1989 decision in which the court held the land could be privately owned. The lawsuit has garnered most publicity for the questions it raises on recreational access to sandy beaches. But the effort also seeks to undo a Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruling from 2019, in which the court unanimously ruled that the public does not have a right to harvest rockweed on privately owned, intertidal land.

Maine's new land bank authority is officially up and running

MAINE PUBLIC • October 4, 2024

A statewide land bank that's intended to help communities revitalize blighted properties is officially up and running. The Maine Redevelopment Land Bank Authority launched Friday with its first project in East Millinocket. The land bank, which the Legislature created two years ago, is intended to help communities repurpose old mills and former commercial and residential properties into productive use. Tuck O'Brien, the land bank's first executive director, said Maine Redevelopment will work with all-volunteer group that has been trying to revitalize the former Great Northern Paper Mill as its first project. The town had purchased the property back in 2020, and a number of projects have been proposed for the 215-acre site.

It's Time for a National Monument to Labor Hero Frances Perkins | Opinion

NEWSWEEK • October 4, 2024

During her 12 years as secretary of labor, Frances Perkins transformed work in the United States. She advised President Franklin D. Roosevelt on creating a public works program that put unemployed Americans back to work building critical infrastructure across the country. She was the powerhouse behind many of Roosevelt's New Deal programs, establishing a federal minimum wage and overtime pay and banning child labor exploitation. And she was the chair of the committee, which created the blueprint for Social Security. As the first woman to lead the AFL-CIO, the nation's largest federation of labor unions, I am deeply inspired by the example that Secretary Perkins set. President Joe Biden has an opportunity to recognize her remarkable legacy by designating the Perkins Homestead in Newcastle, Maine, as a national monument. ~ Liz Shuler, president, AFL-CIO

Letter: Quarry expansion in Gorham must not go unchecked

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 4, 2024

The town of Gorham has two rock quarries and one asphalt plant close to the center of town. Quarries affect air quality, increase health risks, create noise pollution and water contamination, cause habitat destruction, decrease property values and challenge structural integrity of surrounding residences. Yes, we need quarries. However, quarries can be regulated in such a way to decrease the impact on the neighbors and surrounding environment. The Gorham quarry regulations are inadequate, and no asphalt plant regulations exist. Gorham should place a moratorium on all quarry expansions, limit the size of blasting and the amount of aggregate and traffic leaving the quarries each month while monitoring air emissions 24/7. ~ Charles Hamblen, Gorham

New state community affairs office in the works to help towns better plan for big challenges

MAINE PUBLIC • October 3, 2024

A handful of state planning and community resilience programs will be reorganized under a new, standalone office in the Maine executive branch to better serve municipalities. The Legislature approved the idea for the Office of Community Affairs earlier this year. Gov. Janet Mills announced Thursday that Samantha Horn, a former science director for The Nature Conservancy of Maine and a former official with the Land Use Planning Commission, will serve as the office's new leader. The new office will help towns with limited resources apply for climate resilience grants and address local housing shortages.