A year of extremes: 2024 was Maine’s hottest on record

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 28, 2025

Last year was Maine’s hottest on record, with midsummer and late fall heatwaves and record temperatures in the north driving the average annual statewide temperature 5 degrees above the historical average, records show. It was Earth’s hottest year on record, too, and the first time in recorded history that the annual average exceeded the climate threshold established in the 2015 world climate treaty. Across Maine, 2024 was also a year of weather extremes. It began with floods and ended with a drought.

Letter: A dangerous new era of climate disaster is here

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 28, 2025

Wildfires are burning hotter and moving faster. Around the globe, extreme weather and searing heat killed thousands of people last year and displaced millions. In Europe, extreme heat contributed to at least 47,000 deaths in 2023. In the United States, heat-related deaths have doubled in recent decades. When are we going to stop killing our planet from burning fossil fuels to power our homes, cars and industries? ~ Ron Sadler, Rangeley

Opinion: Solar power not to blame for Mainers’ rising electricity bills

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 28, 2025

Blaming solar power for rising electric bills is misleading and dangerous. The real culprits? The volatile cost of fossil fuels and the growing financial toll of climate-related damage. Yet, some legislators continue to target solar energy, proposing retroactive changes that would dismantle contracts and investments already in place. Retroactive policy would harm more than 80,000 program participants including Maine municipalities, schools, hospitals, small businesses and residents that have embraced solar to lower and stabilize energy costs. What can Maine do to address rising electric bills? 1: Double down on clean energy. 2: Reduce program expenses and better monetize benefits. 3: Scrutinize utility costs to ensure utilities are not overburdening ratepayers. 4: Support vulnerable populations by helping low-income households afford electricity. 5: Implement Solar for All. ~ Stanley Paige Zeigler, Montville, served as House chair of the Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee

Couple who fought off Belfast fish farm reflect on years-long saga

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 28, 2025

By the time Nordic Aquafarms announced this month that it was pulling the plug on its $500 million salmon farm in Belfast, the decision felt almost inevitable. Over seven years, the company had invested millions in the project, which had received necessary permits and once enjoyed enthusiastic support from city officials for the economic benefits it could have brought. But the fish farm also faced fierce opposition from local landowners and environmental activists, culminating in a string of legal defeats in recent years that had closed off any obvious path forward. For Judith Grace and Jeffrey Mabee, the local couple who played a key role in stopping the project, Nordic’s departure feels less like victory than an inevitable step in a bitter, David-and-Goliath fight they wish could have been avoided in the first place.

This mysterious worm’s population has plummeted in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 28, 2025

Mainers reported drastically fewer invasive “crazy worms” disrupting their soil in 2024 after an apparent population explosion the year before. Also known as Asian jumping worms or snake worms, they’ve been in Maine for more than a century but have been multiplying in recent years. Nearly impossible to stop, the fast-reproducing worms eat through organic matter in soil, making it harder to grow plants, and posing a big risk to the state’s valuable forests if they spread.

Fearing flight hazards, bill would end some habitat protections at Maine airports

MAINE MORNING STAR • January 27, 2025

A grasshopper sparrow has made itself a home at the Eastern Slope Regional Airport in Fryeburg. While the presence of that particular bird is precious given its status as an endangered species in Maine it’s also become a nuisance for the airport. Maine Sen. Rick Bennett (R-Oxford) said he considers himself a champion of the environment, but the situation with that sparrow has prompted him to propose certain wildlife regulations be rolled back because of the risk animals can pose to pilots and passengers at airports. The environmental community, on the other hand, worries the change would set a dangerous precedent for eroding conservation and environmental protection standards elsewhere in the state. 

UMaine awarded $1.8M to research tick mitigation through invasive plant removal

NEWS CENTER MAINE • January 27, 2025

Ticks and invasive species are plentiful nuisances in Maine. In pursuit of mitigation efforts, a joint team of researchers from the University of Maine and Vermont State University are exploring if both can be controlled with a single solution. The team received $1.8 million from the National Science Foundation to conduct five-year research spanning entomological, biological, and social sciences. The study builds on research suggesting that invasive plant species create prime habitats for ticks. Thickets create humid areas with stable temperatures favored by ticks. The theory is that removing the invasive plants will result in lower tick population densities. If true, this would be a win-win, Allison Gardner, associate professor and one of the project’s principal investigators, said.

Hiring freeze could worsen staffing shortfalls at Acadia this summer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 27, 2025

A federal hiring freeze put in place by the new administration of President Donald Trump could make it even harder for Acadia National Park to fill seasonal positions, officials said Monday. The recent reports that Trump has put a hold on hiring new federal employees has raised concerns that Acadia will again be understaffed this summer, even as visitation remains historically high.

Wabanaki Alliance: Trump comments on birthright citizenship 'extremely troubling'

MAINE PUBLIC • January 27, 2025

To defend its executive order ending birthright citizenship, the Trump administration is citing a 19th century law that once excluded Native Americans from holding that status. Attorneys for the Justice Department raised a nearly 150-year-old case that claimed that tribal members were not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and therefore constitutionally ineligible for citizenship. Maulian Bryant, executive director of the Wabanaki Alliance, said though the Trump administration's birthright order has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge, Bryant said it's unfair to use the status of indigenous people to promote a policy agenda. Wabanaki leaders say they're debating whether to revive a 2022 legislative proposal to allow tribal nations in Maine to benefit from future federal laws.

Delays to CMP project in Maine will cost Massachusetts ratepayers more than $500M

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 27, 2025

Political and legal disputes in Maine that delayed construction of the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line will add more than $500 million to Massachusetts ratepayers’ bills, Bay State regulators said Monday. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities announced a settlement between utilities, which approves higher costs brought on by project delays and does not include legal fees related to the challenges. More than 34% of construction is completed, and the project is expected to come on line in 2026. Advocates say the NECEC contract will reduce overall rates because a new source of electricity being delivered to the region will bring down the market price.

Maine could be hit with bill for New Hampshire power line

MAINE PUBLIC • January 27, 2025

Maine electric customers could shell out $40 million dollars to finance a major power line upgrade in New Hampshire over the objection of consumer advocates. Maine Public Advocate William Harwood said a $400 million electric transmission development by energy company Eversource is unnecessary and too expensive. The company plans to upgrade a 49-mile power corridor with metal poles and other improvements. But the New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee overseeing the development ruled Harwood's office had no place in the matter since the committee has no authority to set electric rates. Harwood said that Maine consumers should have a voice in whether the development is prudent and reasonable. New England states share the cost of transmission lines under rules from the regional grid operator.

Nature-based Shoreline Rules Protect Maine’s Waterways

NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL OF MAINE • January 27, 2025

Historically, riprap, retaining walls, and other hardened structures have been the dominant means by which erosion has been controlled along the shorelands of our lakes, rivers, and ocean waters. Although effective and necessary in some cases, these structures can have unintended consequences such as intensifying erosion next to the structure, degrading habitat for plants and animals in the important riparian zone, and inhibiting natural processes like sediment transport that are foundational to a properly functioning ecosystem. The rise of nature-based shoreline stabilization techniques in recent years has provided a practical alternative to these traditional hardened structures that minimize negative impacts while still providing the same erosion control benefits.   

The 12 strongest earthquakes in recorded Maine history

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • January 27, 2025

The Maine Geological Survey keeps a record of all quakes recorded since 1997, when state records began to be widely available. Earthquakes prior to 1997 are also noted, though the data on them is less reliable. Earthquakes that occurred prior to seismological equipment being set up in the northeastern U.S. in the 1970s are only estimates. The largest earthquake that is believed to have occurred in Maine in recorded history happened in March 1904, with the epicenter believed to have been somewhere near Eastport. The quake was believed to be around 5.9 on the Richter scale, and caused widespread damage throughout eastern Maine. These are the 12 strongest Maine earthquakes for which we have accurate data or reliable historical information.

Here’s what the latest global climate assessment means for Maine

TIMES RECORD • January 27, 2025

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services is releasing a new global assessment outlining a path toward a sustainable future. Dr. Kanae Tokunaga of the Gulf of Maine Institute was one of two experts from the U.S. chosen to contribute. Here’s her take on what ‘transformative change’ could mean for working waterfronts. It’s “groundbreaking” because it confronts capitalism, colonialism, neoliberalism and globalization, and “chips away at the persistent relations of domination over people and nature,” she said. 

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.