Maine seeks new operator to revive Rockland Branch rail line

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 10, 2024

The Maine Department of Transportation is seeking a new operator to restore freight service to the Rockland Branch rail line – and possibly fulfill a yearslong effort to extend Amtrak Downeaster passenger service from Brunswick to Rockland. The freight line has been without an operator since Midcoast Railservice announced in June that it would terminate its lease on the 57-mile, state-owned railroad after its primary customer, Dragon Cement in Thomaston, ceased production.

Maine’s high court hears oral arguments in beach access case

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 10, 2024

It’s divided neighbors and sparked heated debates throughout the state. But does the conflict behind a legal effort to expand public access to Maine beaches deserve a new ruling from the state’s law court? The Maine Supreme Judicial Court considered that question Thursday during a traveling session at Lewiston High School as the justices heard more than an hour of oral arguments about whether the intertidal zone, the area between the high and low tide lines, should be public.

Jared Golden wants to designate Leonard’s Mills as national logging history museum

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 10, 2024

U.S. Rep. Jared Golden wants to designate Leonard’s Mills as a national museum dedicated to forestry and logging history. The 2nd District Democrat introduced a bill Thursday that would designate the Maine Forest and Logging Museum as the National Museum of Forestry and Logging History. The museum, located in Bradley northeast of Bangor, was incorporated in 1960 to celebrate Maine’s forest heritage. It now encompasses more than 450 acres around Blackman Stream. Its centerpiece is Leonard’s Mills, a living history site that re-creates a 1790s logging and milling community.

Maine Coast Heritage Trust hires new senior director of stewardship

TIMES RECORD • October 10, 2024

One of the state’s largest land conservation organizations has announced a new senior director of stewardship to succeed Jane Arbuckle, who held the position for 28 years. Maine Coast Heritage Trust has selected Freeport resident Amanda Devine. Devine has been with the organization for 14 years as stewardship manager for Maine’s southern region. She will lead a team of 24 full-time land stewards who care for over 320 conservation easements and 150 preserves from Kittery to Lubec. Devine assumes the role during a time of significant environmental impacts brought on by rapid climate change, increased pressure on housing and community development, and the influx of invasive plant and animal species threatening Maine’s natural resources.

Dixfield high school students learn canoeing, hiking skills

RUMFORD FALLS TIMES • October 10, 2024

Dirigo High School teacher Kaitlyn O’Connor and students Phoenix Lee and Savannah Tuell spoke about their experiences with the school’s Summer Outdoor Learning Program during the Regional School Unit 56 board meeting at the school Tuesday. Six girls and one boy participated in the three-week hiking and canoeing program that included daytime activities and two overnight trips. Students learned how to control their emotions and be more confident in their choices.

Republican House candidate from Augusta claims government created recent hurricanes

MORNING SENTINEL • October 10, 2024

A Republican candidate for the Maine House of Representatives says the government is creating hurricanes to seize land and punish voters in conservative states. Wendy Lee MacDowell of Augusta amplified conspiracy theories and made a number of false claims about recent hurricanes in a series of posts this week to both her personal and campaign social media pages. Her posts alleged that the government is manufacturing “weaponized weather” to target conservative states with intense storms and seize their land for lithium mining, mirroring false claims from national politicians and social media ideologues about Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. Both hurricanes were made more intense by human-caused climate change, scientists say, not secret government technology.

Portland exploring ways to reduce carbon emissions of cruise ships docked in port

MAINE PUBLIC • October 10, 2024

The City of Portland is exploring ways to reduce the carbon emissions of large cruise liners while docked in port.The city asked Central Maine Power to study the feasibility of creating a transmission system that would allow 3 cruise ships to get power off the grid and shut down their engines. CMP'S Meg Sullivan told members of Portland's Sustainability and Transportation Committee meeting Wednesday that its existing transmission system could not accommodate the required 25 megawatts of power. But she said the company is finalizing a grid upgrade that could handle shore power and increasing demand in the area.

Developers granted preliminary permits for tidal power project in Cobscook Bay

MAINE PUBLIC • October 10, 2024

The federal government has granted a preliminary permit to developers for the construction of a controversial tidal power dam in Cobscook Bay. Pembroke Tidal Power Project LLC, a subsidiary of a company known as Nestar Energy, said the dam could eventually generate 87,000 megawatt hours of electricity a year. But the project faces opposition from more than 60 Pembroke residents and the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point, who filed formal complaints and motions to intervene. They detailed concerns about the potential impacts on fishing, marine life, recreation, tribal resources and the Cobscook Bay environment. The National Marine Fisheries Service and Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife also filed intervention notices.

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.