Avangrid sues NextEra, claiming it sabotaged power corridor through western Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 14, 2024

Avangrid Inc., the parent company of Central Maine Power Co., has sued NextEra Energy in federal court, accusing the energy giant of causing more than $350 million in business damage as it tried to sabotage the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line project. It’s the latest round in a yearslong legal dispute over the $1.5 billion line in western Maine intended to bring hydropower from Canada to the New England electric grid. NextEra delayed the transmission line with “baseless challenges to and appeals” of permits that were ultimately approved, Avangrid said.

Judge rules in Popham Beach property access case, but questions remain

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 14, 2024

Two longtime neighbors suing each other over access to their neighborhood beach in Phippsburg have gotten some answers about who is allowed on what property, but a judge couldn’t decide what to do with some of the contested areas. Justice Thomas McKeon ruled Thursday that the beach’s intertidal zone – the area between the ocean’s high and low tides – is open to all subdivision owners for recreational purposes. But he wouldn’t rule on other disputed areas, such as the land above the high-tide line and between the Tappen and Hill cottages, which are separated by two empty lots.

Editorial: Trump should listen to Exxon on climate policy reversals

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 14, 2024

Darren Woods, the CEO of Exxon Mobil, has urged the next president not to overturn all of the Biden administration’s climate policies. He also urged Trump not to pull the U.S. out of the 2015 Paris agreement on climate, which Trump did during his previous term in the White House. Woods, one of the only energy company executives to attend COP29, United Nations global climate negotiations currently happening in Azerbaijan, repeatedly noted that delaying action to reduce greenhouse emissions would only make it harder to address the challenges brought by our changing climate. Woods also discounted Trump’s pledge to expand oil and gas production in the U.S. Oil production is at a historic high in the U.S. and there is no current demand for more production. Trump should listen to Woods, an energy expert, when it comes to energy and climate policy.

Topsham scrap metal company fined $42,000 after alleged Clean Air Act violation

TIMES RECORD • November 14, 2024

A Topsham scrap metal shredding facility will pay $42,613 to settle a dispute with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA announced Tuesday. The EPA alleges that Grimmel Industries, Inc., violated the Clean Air Act because it didn’t have the correct air emissions license for its shredder, which limits the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may be released into the air, and failed to meet “technology requirements.” Additionally, EPA alleged that the company failed to get a Clean Air Act Title V operating permit.

Maine Calling: Native Plants

MAINE PUBLIC • November 14, 2024

It may not be planting time, but it’s planning time. Adding native plants to your yard or landscape is best carried out with some thoughtful preparation. Learn how to successful nurture more native plants in your surroundings, which plants suiti what environment, what can be done between late fall and springtime, and what “slow gardening” is all about. Panelists: Andrew Brand, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens; Heather McCargo, Wild Seed Project; Cathy Rees, Native Gardens of Blue Hill. VIP Caller: Tara Roberts Zabriskie, videographer; producer, “The Buzz on Native Plants,” Moosey

Drifting pesticide plumes, dousing the wrong lawn: Maine looks to crack down on errant spraying

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 14, 2024

The board regulating pesticide use in Maine is considering stiffer penalties for companies that repeatedly violate pesticide rules. Mosquito Squad of Southern Maine more than once has sprayed the wrong lawn. Previous violations included employees not spraying correctly, keeping incomplete records and pesticides drifting onto others’ property due to wind and misapplication. More than 6.2 million pounds of yard care pesticides were brought into Maine in 2007 — a sevenfold increase since 1995 that coincided with the explosion of yard care companies in Maine, according to the most recent figures from the pesticide board. The trend fell to 5.7 million pounds in 2011 when Mainers turned to more organic lawn care companies, according to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Additional pressure to cut pesticide use is coming from a 2021 law in Maine forbidding pesticides containing intentionally added per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, from being sold in Maine starting in 2030.

Maine-based solar power developer lays off 40 workers

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 13, 2024

A slowdown in the U.S. solar energy market has forced the Maine-based developer ReVision Energy to lay off about 40 workers, representing 8 percent of its staff, according to company officials. Founded around 2008, ReVision now has offices in Montville and South Portland, as well as in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. It installs solar arrays, heat pumps, backup batteries and water heaters for residential, commercial and municipal customers, according to its website. It had 484 employees in 2023.

President Biden is a lame duck, too. And we have a to-do list for him

NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION • November 13, 2024

Before President-elect Trump takes office, President Biden has a couple more months to continue protecting and enhancing our national parks. At the top of NPCA’s list is the opportunity to establish new national monuments through the Antiquities Act. In Maine, Biden could turn the Frances Perkins Homestead into a national monument that would interpret the life and legacy of the first female U.S. Cabinet member. As Secretary of Labor under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt from 1933 to 1945, Perkins formulated policies and programs that bolstered the economy and helped working people across the country. The protections she secured for American workers are cornerstones of our society today, including Social Security, a minimum wage, unemployment insurance and a ban on child labor.

Penobscot Nation and Conservation Law Foundation appeal to stop Juniper Ridge Landfill expansion

MAINE PUBLIC • November 13, 2024

The Penobscot Nation and Conservation Law Foundation have filed an appeal in Superior Court to stop the expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town. In October the state concluded that the expansion was in the public's interest and set several conditions that Casella Waste Management must meet to move forward with the project. Alexandra St. Pierre of the Conservation Law Foundation said the expansion runs contrary to the state's waste management goals, which prioritize reduction of waste volume and using landfills.

Make sure this invasive plant isn’t hiding in your holiday wreaths

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 13, 2024

If you make or buy local wreaths this season, watch out for a vine plant with bright red berries. It may be Asiatic bittersweet, which is classified as severely invasive in Maine and can spread through holiday decorations. They look striking, but turning them into decorations can invite the quick-spreading, hard-to-remove plant to quickly take over your yard and strangle your trees to death. It’s also illegal to sell the vines in Maine or bring them into the state.

Opinion: Old Town landfill expansion violates environmental justice rule, lawsuit says

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 13, 2024

A landfill in Old Town should not be allowed to expand because a Maine agency did not properly consider environmental justice during the approval, a lawsuit says. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, alleges the landfill expansion puts people’s health at risk and threatens the cultural practices of the Penobscot Nation. It is the first test of a 2021 state law that says all people have the right to be protected from pollution and “to live in and enjoy a clean and healthful environment.” Penobscot Nation and the Conservation Law Foundation are also concerned there is nothing in the plan to address the PFAS in water that exceeds the levels the state deems safe.

Nordic Heritage Outdoor Center in Presque Isle to close by December

MAINE PUBLIC • November 13, 2024

After 25 years, the Nordic Outdoor Heritage Center in Presque Isle said it's closing by the end of the month. The venue has miles of trails for cross country skiing, mountain biking, and hiking, as well as a disc-golf course. The Center has also hosted the Biathlon World Cup. It's owned by the Libra Foundation and Pineland Farms, and operated by the Presque Isle Recreation and Parks department, where Andrew Perry is deputy director. Perry said although the center is beloved by the community, it's difficult to maintain.

How popcorn could help save the bees

ENVIRONMENT MAINE • November 13, 2024

Bees are nature’s most effective pollinators. Because of their hard work buzzing from flower to flower, they are responsible for about one third of the entire globe’s food production. Neonic pesticides are supposed to protect crops, but what they actually do is kill agriculture’s best animal allies. To protect bees from these toxic pesticides, we need some of our biggest corn buyers, including popcorn makers, to step up. That’s why we’re calling on Orville Redenbacher to commit to buying popcorn from farmers who don’t use neonic-covered seeds. 

Opinion: With federal support, conservationists and timber companies find common ground

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 13, 2024

Here in Maine, land owners and conservation organizations have found common ground when it comes to our state’s greatest natural assets. Protecting the health of Maine’s forests and the waterways that keep them thriving is something both of our organizations can get behind. For The Nature Conservancy, it’s because healthy forests are vital for people and the planet. For Baskahegan, it’s because thriving forests mean jobs and growing local economies. For both of us, addressing the outdated dams and undersized culverts on forest roads that block passage of native fish like Atlantic salmon and brook trout is a top priority. Nearly $25 million in federal funding is coming to Maine to support private landowners who want to make these improvements to road-stream crossings on their property. ~ Eileen Bader Hall, The Nature Conservancy in Maine; Kyle Burdick, Baskahegan Co.

Penobscot Nation, conservation group file appeal to stop Juniper Ridge Landfill expansion

MAINE MORNING STAR • November 13, 2024

The Penobscot Nation and Boston-based environmental organization Conservation Law Foundation filed an appeal on Tuesday to stop the expansion of the Juniper Ridge Landfill. The suit comes a little more than a month after the Maine Department of Environmental Protection issued a ruling that opened the door for the site to increase its capacity, despite continued objections from local residents and advocates that doing so could worsen environmental hazards. “Challenging this decision is not just about protecting our environment,” Alexandra St. Pierre, director of communities and toxics at CLF, wrote Wednesday.

Southern Maine experiencing very high fire danger

MAINE PUBLIC • November 13, 2024

The Maine Forest Service said the southern half of the state is experiencing very high fire danger, from the western mountains to Bangor to islands just south of Bar Harbor. Crews from Wales battled a brush fire near the Oak Hill High School on Wednesday. Wildfires fueled by dry conditions and wind also broke out Tuesday in Hollis, Sanford, Bath and Damariscotta. The state said the northern part of Maine is experiencing high fire danger.

Federal money fuels Maine’s clean energy and climate goals. Could Trump pull the plug?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 13, 2024

A lot may be on the line for Maine’s energy policy in a second Trump presidency. From federal money supporting electric heat pumps and electric vehicles to expanding a network of chargers and building a wind port on Penobscot Bay, the state looks to Washington for millions of dollars to advance its clean energy and climate goals. Starting in January, the federal government’s executive branch, which controls billions of dollars in energy funding, will be headed by President-elect Donald Trump, who favors fossil fuels over zero-carbon energy he calls a “green new scam.” The greatest threat from the Trump administration to Maine’s energy and climate policies could be to its offshore wind initiatives.

Northern Forest Center housing project to proceed

PISCATAQUIS OBSERVER • November 12, 2024

The Northern Forest Center purchased five acres of land in downtown Greenville off Spruce Street and plans to build housing to serve the local workforce. The housing project plan seeks to develop 29 units of new housing that incorporate a mix of multi-family buildings, duplexes, and single-family homes to be built over three years.The Northern Forest Center Center hopes to use the project to demonstrate the environmental and economic benefits of utilizing mass timber construction. 

$4,000 reward offered for information about illegal deer killings on Mount Desert Island

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 12, 2024

The Maine Warden Service is offering a reward up to $4,000 for information about two deer that were illegally shot at night on Mount Desert Island. The first deer was killed late on the night of Oct. 5 or early in the morning of Oct. 6 in the town of Mount Desert, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife said in a statement Tuesday night. The buck was left to rot and was discovered by a local resident. The second deer, also a buck, was shot during the early morning hours of Nov. 6 in the town of Tremont, which also is on MDI. The head was cut from that animal and the remainder was left to rot, the department said. Hunting is prohibited on the island that is home to Acadia National Park and night hunting is illegal across the state.