What causes earthquakes in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 27, 2025

Since 1997, there have been more than 150 recorded earthquakes in Maine. Those tend to be weak movers and shakers ranging from magnitude 0.7 to 2.8. You may not even feel many of those. What causes earthquakes here isn’t well understood. It may be stress released along zones of weakness. Maine State Geologist Ryan Gordon said that the movement of tectonic plates may be causing cracking and the occasional rumbling we feel. Or it could be the ground rebounding from the last ice age. But, without a doubt, there aren’t any active faults near Maine.

Boothbay’s Bigelow Laboratory expands to spur future of marine science

TIMES RECORD • January 27, 2025

Successful conservation and discovery efforts require an all-hands-on-deck approach. 

With this in mind, the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences has appointed its first marine educator, Aislyn Keyes, to oversee its burgeoning suite of educational programs and to inspire the next generation of scientists. Charting the course, Bigelow embraces an education expansion — a new 25,000-square-foot wing — and plans to reach more students and educators statewide.

New Cumberland ordinance bans harmful turf materials

FORECASTER • January 27, 2025

Earlier this month, the Cumberland Town Council voted unanimously to adopt a new rule that restricts future turf installations from using synthetic infill materials. Recent studies reveal that synthetic infill materials contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called “forever chemicals,” which persist indefinitely in the environment and are linked to serious health problems in humans. After adoption, Cumberland will become the first town in Maine to restrict infill materials for artificial turf installations following a wave of similar legislation across towns in the country and the European Union. Maine will institute an official ban on the sale of artificial turf materials, which include PFAS, in 2029.

3.8 magnitude earthquake felt across southern Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 27, 2025

A rare 3.8 magnitude earthquake shook Maine on Monday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake occurred at 10:22 a.m. and was reported at a depth of 13.2 km and centered 10 km southeast of York Harbor. People reported feeling shaking across York and Cumberland counties that lasted 20 to 25 seconds. It was felt as far north as Skowhegan and as far south as Boston.

3.8 magnitude earthquake rattles Maine and is felt far beyond

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 27, 2025

A 3.8 magnitude earthquake occurred at 10:22 a.m. and was reported at a depth of 8.2 miles (13.2 kilometers) and centered 6.2 miles (10 km) southeast of York Harbor. People reported feeling shaking across York and Cumberland counties that lasted 20 to 25 seconds. It was felt as far north as Bangor, as far south as New York City and as far west as Albany, New York. While it’s not as common for Maine to experience an earthquake as strong as the one Monday, State Geologist Ryan Gordon said, “it’s exciting when it happens.”

Court ruling delays action on aging Ellsworth dams

MAINE PUBLIC • January 27, 2025

A prolonged dispute over environmental violations at aging hydropower dams in Ellsworth remains unresolved after the Maine Supreme Court declined to rule on the matter. Activists worry the decision will delay overdue improvements to water quality and fish passage on the Union River watershed.

Portland landowner balks at Downeaster train station proposal

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 27, 2025

The proposed site for a new passenger train station in Portland has hit a snag with a key property owner saying he’s not on board. Bill Black, who owns a commercial office and warehouse building at 172 St. John St., said the concept plan pitched by Amtrak Downeaster officials would require a lot more of his land than he’s willing to give up. “I’m not against the station,” said Black, standing outside his 57,000-square-foot blue metal building. “I’m against the way they’re trying to take more of my land.”

Letter: Gardening coverage should not be pruned

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 27, 2025

Reading there would be changes to the Food & Dining section of the newspaper in 2025, brought me hope that you would begin featuring more gardening articles or bring back a full gardening section. But, to my dismay, instead you are doing away with the only gardening writer you have. Gardening has always been strong in Maine and gardening, during COVID-19, exploded, with people growing their own food, putting in fruit trees, creating flower gardens and creating outdoor spaces as a way to get through the pandemic. There is so much to gardening that could be written. More eople are growing their own food to ease the pain of high food costs as well as all the additives in our food. People want healthier options. Gardening is a way to achieve that. ~ Priscilla Kennie, Dayton

A new threat emerges at Superfund sites in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 27, 2025

The federal agency has found forever chemicals at several Superfund sites in Maine that could require new scrutiny. The EPA had not tested for the man-made forever chemicals, known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, until the past five years, and regulations at the time did not mandate that the toxic chemicals be cleaned up. That changed last July when a new federal regulation designated two of the most studied and commonly used PFAS as hazardous substances, requiring them to be remediated if they exceed federal standards.

Donald Trump’s wind order puts Maine’s energy future in question

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 27, 2025

President Donald Trump has called wind turbines costly and ugly. With a stroke of his pen, he also added a new roadblock to Maine’s quest to meet its climate goals. By signing a first-day executive order that halts offshore wind lease sales and pauses permitting for both onshore and offshore wind projects, the new president has potentially upended Maine’s statutory target of using 100 percent clean energy by 2040. The state’s plan to do so relies on installing 3,000 megawatts of offshore wind by that same year.

Lawmakers to propose bills this legislative session that address toxic firefighting foam

MAINE PUBLIC • January 26, 2025

The spill of firefighting foam containing PFAS at the former Brunswick Naval Air station last summer has lawmakers developing bills for this legislative session that address toxic foam remaining at the spill site, and also PFAS concentrate in storage across the state. Lawmaker Dan Ankeles represents Brunswick Landing where the spill occurred. At a meeting with Friends of Casco Bay on Friday, he said one bill will ensure that the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority on the site can no longer store any firefighting foam on property it owns or leases. A second bill, he said, would create a statewide inventory of PFAS concentrate of 5 gallons or more, while a third would establish a take-back collection and disposal program for that inventory.

Editorial: Maine is a casualty of Trump opposition to offshore wind energy

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 26, 2025

President Trump’s executive order temporarily halting offshore wind lease sales in federal waters and pausing approvals, permits or loans for onshore and offshore wind projects is bad news for Maine. The first victims of this sweeping decision are the commercial leases for floating turbines in the Gulf of Maine. The second hit lands on Sears Island, the state’s preferred site for a terminal at which to build turbines for offshore wind energy. The third project is the plan for a cluster of as many as 12 floating turbines over 15 square miles that promises to give a number of parties an opportunity to study offshore wind in practice. This executive order was signed by President Trump without a care for the economy of the future or the creation of thousands of jobs for more than one generation of workers. We’ll save the climate change argument for another day.

Letter: Maine’s shoreline should be open to all

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • January 26, 2025

When Maine gained statehood 200 years ago, the opening of the founding documents declared that Maine and its citizens owned from “high water” out 200 miles, and thus secured control and access to those natural resources for the benefit of Mainers. Somehow, about 40 years ago, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruledthat recreation on beaches in front of homes lucky enough to have a beach was the preserve of the owner of the house. Walking along the shore at low tide should be a right worth protecting. ~ George Seaver, Waldoboro

Want to give Maine wildlife a hand? Here’s how.

SUN JOURNAL • January 26, 2025

Next month, Mainers will be able to sign up for a project that has elements of kid-pleasing science, life-saving data collection, protect-the-Earth environmentalism and the kind of eww factor common whenever cars and frogs meet. For the eighth year, registration will take place in February for Maine Big Night: Amphibian Migration Monitoring, a statewide, after-dark affair that runs from March 15 to May 15. The project is an outdoor-based three-fer, giving Mainers a chance to learn more about their environment while providing important information to the state and possibly saving the lives of both humans and wet wildlife. And those involved say it’s a good time too.

Maine’s offshore wind ambitions: Big ideas tempered by setbacks and competition

MAINE MONITOR • January 25, 2025

Maine’s formal interest in developing ocean wind energy dates back to 2008, when former Gov. John Baldacci created an Ocean Energy Task Force to devise a strategy. In 2012, there was a $120 million plan from Statoil to float four, 3-megawatt wind turbines in state waters off Boothbay Harbor.  But the political climate changed when Republican Paul LePage was elected governor. Frustrated by the maneuvering, Statoil pulled the plug on its project. Meanwhile, Principle Power, an American company that also once considered Maine but abandoned the effort in 2010 after complaining it was edged out by UMaine, christened a 48-megawatt floater off Scotland in 2021, the Kincardine Offshore Windfarm.

Once poised to lead on offshore wind, Maine has stumbled

MAINE MONITOR • January 25, 2025

News reports last week detailed President Donald Trump’s efforts to derail offshore wind energy in the United States. But in an undisclosed location in Trenton, contractors are putting the finishing touches on a 375-ton concrete structure aimed at putting Maine back in the global race to design cost-effective platforms for the next era of ocean energy — commercial, floating offshore wind farms. Trump’s order to pause federal offshore wind leases and permits won’t stop this effort. If all goes as planned, researchers from the University of Maine will launch the 52-foot wide, quarter-scale concrete hull, with a turbine blade reaching 108 feet above the waterline, later this year off Castine. But Maine and the United States have been passed by other countries that have full-scale floating projects at sea and by developers that are ahead in advancing their designs.

Guidebook highlights 100 wonderful places

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 25, 2025

Florida Lake is an oasis of tranquility just a few miles north of the hubbub of the downtown Freeport shopping district. The 167-acre, town-owned property features a large, shallow lake (it just so happens to be shaped like the state of Florida, hence the name), wetlands, woods and a figure-eight hiking loop that measures just over 3 miles. The preserve at Florida Lake is just one of many in Southern Maine Trails, which features 100 wonderful saunters suitable “for any season, any age, any ability.” The colorful guide was created by Jill McMahon of Portland, and includes a wide variety of trails in 20 towns across the region ranging from Topsham to Wells and Windham to Cape Elizabeth.

Maine is a proving ground for commercial chaga farming

SUN JOURNAL • January 25, 2025

Three years ago Justin and Nikki Triquet set out to help others heal through the use of medicinal chaga and to prove to the naysayers that commercial chaga farming, not foraging, is not only possible, but sustainable. The Triquets have refined their techniques and routine since then. The couple is planning for more farms and a future of turning fungi found naturally in Maine into a key and sustainable agribusiness — the first of its kind in North America.

Snowmobilers rescued after falling through ice on Moose River

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 25, 2025

Three snowmobilers were rescued Friday afternoon after falling through the ice at the mouth of Moose River, which empties into Moosehead Lake. According to Rockwood Fire and Rescue, at about 2:30 p.m. they received a call that the snowmobilers had ended up in the water. Rescue crews were able to immediately rescue two men, but a third snowmobiler was missing. That person was later found safe.

Opinion: Coastal living may endanger your life

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 25, 2025

Coastal living is a dream for many Americans, but the effects of climate change are making it increasingly risky. Rising sea levels and stronger storms are just the beginning; the threat to public health is growing and millions living on the coast are already feeling the impact. At the forefront, the threat to coastal living is climate change. Sea levels are quickly rising due to melting glaciers and expanding warm oceans, putting coastal areas at risk. Storm surges are becoming more intense, and high-tide flooding now occurs up to 900% more often than it did 50 years ago. Environmental changes affect public health, too. As the environment continues to change and storms grow stronger, we must prioritize protecting coastal communities and preventing disaster. ~ Kristina Carvalho, MSW, policy analyst, Boston University School of Public Health, Scarborough