Texas-based construction corporation acquires the owner of Thomaston cement plant

MAINE PUBLIC • December 2, 2024

Heidelberg Materials North America announced over Thanksgiving that it would acquire Giant Cement Holding, Inc. and its subsidiaries, which include the Dragon Products Company. Last fall, Dragon Products announced the Thomaston plant would stop operations and lay off 65 workers by 2025. Earlier this year, Thomaston officials said the plant would be used as a distribution and storage hub for cement that had been imported from Spain. It's unclear what the sale might mean for the Thomaston plant specifically, which has a long history of safety and environmental violations.

Watchdog wants more info from utilities about Mainers overcharged for electricity

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 2, 2024

Utility customers in Maine who sign up for competitive electricity providers continue to pay more than they would if they stuck with the state’s standard offer, a new report released Monday found. The findings from the Electric Ratepayer Advisory Council’s annual report for 2024 are part of the reason why the 13-member group and Public Advocate Bill Harwood are calling on lawmakers to authorize greater access to data that could reveal disparities in terms of lower-income consumers and communities paying more than they need to for electricity.

Electric buses continue to cause problems for Maine schools

KENNEBEC JOURNAL • December 2, 2024

Electric school buses supplied through a federal grant to several Maine school districts continue to have problems. The debate over the safety of the buses came up again at Winthrop Public Schools, which has four of the vehicles, after the Canadian manufacturer  Lion Electric recalled a part on the buses. It’s the latest issue the buses have had, as over the past year the Maine Department of Education urged the schools to sideline the buses. However, because of the conditions of the grant, the school district must continue using the buses or may be required to repay the grant amount.

Arrowsic residents celebrate new public water access

TIMES RECORD • December 2, 2024

Arrowsic residents are celebrating the town’s first and only public access to tidal waters: Packard Landing. Located at 31 Indian Rest Road, the site opened this fall, offering hand-carry access to the Back River tidal channel, which connects the Kennebec and Sasanoa rivers. It boasts a dock, ramp, float system, pickup/drop-off site, six-car parking areas and a privy. Jack Witham, an associate scientist at the University of Maine’s Center for Research on Sustainable Forests, emphasized that canoes and kayaks can now navigate a waterway with nationally significant habitat and wildlife value, along with acres of salt marsh and permanently protected uplands. 

100 New National Parks for America, Dec 4

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • December 4, 2024

People in most American towns still do not have ready access to a large public park. Potential future parks are being lost to resource exploitation and development. Michael Kellett, executive director of RESTORE: The North Woods, will talk about New National Parks, a campaign of 100 proposed new national parks — at least one in each state. Hosted by Walden Woods Project. On Zoom, Dec 4, 7 pm, free, preregister.

Opinion: Maine must take a balanced approach to packaging law

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 2, 2024

As the head of the Retail Association of Maine, I represent businesses of all sizes, from multi-state retailers to small family-owned shops that have served our communities for generations. While we fully support the goal of reducing waste and protecting Maine’s environment, Maine’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) law for packaging has left many retailers deeply concerned about its complexity, timing and potential costs. Maine’s retail sector is the backbone of our economy. This law risks burdening retailers with new costs and regulatory complexities at a time when many are still recovering from the challenges of the pandemic and grappling with shifts in consumer behavior driven by inflation and online competition. Let’s take the time to craft a program that works for all Mainers – one that helps our environment without jeopardizing the small businesses that are the heart of our communities. ~ Curtis Picard, Retail Association of Maine

Maritime officials fear ‘catastrophic’ outcome if mariner shortage worsens

MAINE MONITOR • December 1, 2024

A number of factors, including the pandemic, have left the United States with a marked shortage of merchant mariners, who largely work on commercial ships that at times transport weaponry and supplies to the U.S. military, provide disaster relief and support international trade. Many mariners have postponed retirement so the true magnitude of the situation has yet to be felt. A 2021 report forecast that there would be a need for an additional 89,510 officers by 2026 to operate the world’s merchant fleet. There were at the time 1.89 million seafarers operating over 74,000 vessels around the globe. Craig Johnson, interim president of the Maine Maritime Academy, said the industry knows it has to make life better for mariners, starting with connectivity, noting that most ships now have Starlink satellite internet.

Four takeaways from Maine Monitor series on Maine dams

MAINE MONITOR • December 1, 2024

A three-part series recently published by The Maine Monitor explored the future of Maine’s deteriorating dams as they face growing threats from climate change and fall out of favor for public investment. With the average Maine dam built over a century ago, more and more dam owners have to confront what to do with these deteriorating structures, while state regulators have little power or funding to enforce their own rules. Here are four takeaways:
• Hydroelectric dams have been a linchpin of renewable energy in Maine
• Hydroelectricity is out, wind and batteries are in
• As dams deteriorate, safety enforcement lags
• Federal decisions on hydroelectric dams, and their environmental consequences, stand for decades, so addressing relicensing is a massive undertaking

State says it won’t intervene in Tripp Pond water flow issues unless more property damage occurs

SUN JOURNAL • December 1, 2024

It was another summer of discontent for residents of Tripp Pond that is stretching into winter. But unlike the summers of 2022 and 2023, when the water level was so high it caused severe flooding and $100,000 or more in estimated and real property damage, there was little to no flow this past summer. Now there are questions about whether humans may have enhanced the beaver dam by creating a beaver dam analog in order to artificially raise the water level in the pond.

Nuclear power is making a comeback in the U.S. But not in Maine.

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • December 1, 2024

Nuclear power is hot right now. Technology giants such as Google and Amazon are building plants to power data centers and fuel artificial intelligence. The Biden administration recently announced plans to triple nuclear capacity in the U.S. by 2050 by restarting defunct facilities and opening new plants. Splitting the atom that produces nuclear energy doesn’t emit carbon pollution, making it attractive to states looking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It also provides uninterrupted power, unlike solar panels and wind turbines that require sunlight or a breeze. But in Maine, where the sole nuclear power plant has been shuttered for nearly three decades, it’s a nonstarter – at least for now.

Outfitting New England’s highest peak to give a sneak peek at Maine’s weather

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • December 1, 2024

The network of automated weather stations that ring Mount Washington Observatory on New England’s tallest peak offers a detailed sneak peek of the storms that have made Mount Washington famous for having the worst weather in the world. Most roll in from the west, heading straight for Maine. That is why the addition of five new automated weather stations on the far side of a mountain in another state is good news for Maine. Storms bound for Maine hit the west side of Mount Washington first. Until last month, only the mountain’s east side had any weather stations. The expansion will do more than just fine-tune Maine’s forecasts, Broccolo said. Lessons they learn about how weather functions at high altitudes can be applied to Maine’s high peaks, like Katahdin and the Bigelow, which remain largely unmonitored due to conservation and funding restrictions.

Opinion: Maine’s environmental track record must be maintained

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • December 1, 2024

The new year will bring changes, with a new administration to Washington, D.C., and a new Legislature to Augusta. But regardless of who Mainers voted for, we can all agree that our natural environment binds us together, and makes our state such a special place to live, work and explore. We have a strong track record of standing up against polluters and passing laws that have set an example for the rest of the nation. We are buoyed by the rejection of a polluting mine that had been proposed for the Katahdin region. We can double down on our commitment to land conservation and protecting Maine’s North Woods while respecting the Wabanaki Nations and supporting our heritage farming and forestry industries. The best way to face our challenges is by working together on a foundation of honest, open dialogue founded in science and our love of Maine’s environment. ~ Luke Frankel, woods, waters and wildlife director, and Jack Shapiro, climate and clean energy director, at the Natural Resources Council of Maine

The plan to use hemp to solve Maine’s ‘forever chemicals’ problem hits a major snag

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 30, 2024

An Aroostook County tribe has found that industrial hemp plants will extract so-called forever chemicals from contaminated soil on land it owns at the former Loring Air Force Base. There’s one problem: no one can figure out what to do with the hemp. “There hasn’t been a way to get the PFAS out of the plants without it going back into the environment,” said Mi’kmaq Nation Vice Chief Richard Silliboy.

Man charged in shooting death of dog on North Yarmouth trail

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 30, 2024

A man accused of shooting and killing a domestic dog on a trail in Knight’s Pond Preserve in North Yarmouth trail Friday morning and then fleeing the scene turned himself in and is facing charges, according to the Maine Warden Service. Troy Hall, 51, of Windham, turned himself in to the Windham Police Department on Saturday morning. He was charged with one count of shooting a domestic animal, and may face more charges. People walking their dogs in the preserve on Saturday morning said the incident makes them worry about being in the woods during hunting season.

Opinion: There are things even Trump cannot alter

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 30, 2024

Trump has historically been a climate change denier. He plans to reverse efforts to mitigate these phenomena, characterizing them as a “green new scam”. He has stated “Starting on day 1, I will approve new [oil and gas] drilling, new pipelines, new refiners, new power plants, new reactors, and we will slash the red tape …” Trump’s full-throated embrace of fossil fuels ignores the overwhelming conclusion of scientists in all corners of the world, i.e., these fuels exacerbate and hasten global warming. Mother Nature (not Trump) will have the last word. Trump would roll back regulations if they increase the cost of end products. This ignores that time and again regulations were sustained when it was demonstrated that the dollar costs of pollution were greater than the costs of pollution control. Bravado is not enough, Mother Nature’s dictates and benefit/cost principles will almost certainly prevail. ~ Orlando E. Delogu, emeritus professor, University of Maine School of Law

Katahdin Woods and Water monument could get new entry pending Congressional approval

MAINE PUBLIC • November 29, 2024

A public lands bill that would improve access to the Katahdin Woods and Water National Monument recently advanced out of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee. If passed, the bill would allow the National Park Service to acquire almost 2,500 acres of land to provide southern vehicle access to the monument. Brian Hinrichs, Executive Director for the Friends of Katahdin Woods and Water, said old logging roads connect the Monument to Millinocket and opening them to the public will enhance the visitor experience.

National Park Service highlights work at the Tekαkαpimək Contact Station

MAINE PUBLIC • November 29, 2024

The National Park Service said it's trying to strengthen relationships with Indigenous tribes across the country. As part of that effort, it highlights a partnership at the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine as a positive example. The Park Service this month issued a Director's Order that outlines a process for acknowledging the authority of Indigenous narratives, consulting with tribes as early as possible and upholding tribal sovereignty. The agency is highlighting its work with the Wabanaki Nations in the development of the Tekαkαpimək Contact Station at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.

Maine Wardens offer $2K reward to find ‘cowardly’ man who shot dog

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 29, 2024

The Maine Warden Service is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a man who shot a domestic dog on a hiking trail in North Yarmouth on Friday. The incident happened at about 11 a.m. as three people were walking their dogs on a marked trail in the Knights Pond Preserve, according to the Warden Service. One of their dogs was shot about 20 feet ahead of them. According to the Warden Service, the shooter was described as a man in his 30s, with dark hair and scruffy facial hair. The owners of the dog had a brief encounter with the shooter, but he quickly fled the scene. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Judy Camuso said, “The incomprehensible and appalling act of one individual tarnishes the reputation of all of Maine’s 230,000 hunters.”

Aroostook legislators make plea to keep Presque Isle ski center open

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 29, 2024

Aroostook County lawmakers have asked Portland’s Libra Foundation and Pineland Farms of New Gloucester to reconsider their decision to close Presque Isle’s Nordic Heritage Outdoor Center. Libra announced the center would close on Dec. 1 and Pineland Farms would seek other uses for the 750-acre property, which includes a biathlon range, trail system, lodge and other buildings. The center’s closure affects local school cross-country ski teams as well as those who use the trails for hiking, biking and recreational activities. The news sparked an outcry from residents.

More than 70,000 without power following Thanksgiving storm

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 29, 2024

A Thanksgiving storm knocked out power to more than 70,000 homes and businesses across Maine. The storm, which rolled into the state Thursday morning, brought rain throughout the day to much of southern Maine before switching to snow later in the afternoon everywhere except the immediate coastline.