Proposed 96-unit development draws opposition in Scarborough

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 25, 2025

Opposition is mounting against South Portland Housing Authority’s proposed 96-unit senior and workforce housing development on Route 1 in Scarborough at the location of the former site of the Southern Maine Indoor Flea Market. The Marshview Apartments would consist of a four-story building containing 60 affordable units for ages 55 and older, plus three buildings with 12 workforce housing units each. A 114-space parking lot, playground and walking trails are also in the plans. Located on Route 1 near the Payne Road intersection, the proposal calls for a right-turn-only exit and a right-turn-only entrance on and off Route 1, providing no access to the southbound side of the road. That is a concern voiced by community members and abutters.

Trump administration stalls UMaine’s offshore wind project

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 24, 2025

The federal government has directed the University of Maine to halt activity on $15.8 million in offshore wind research projects, including a floating turbine that is over a decade in the making and weeks away from a final launch off the coast of Castine. The University of Maine System received a letter from the U.S. Department of Energy on April 11 saying it was suspending the projects for “failure to comply” with federal policies, but did not specify which ones. The notice came just hours after contractors had towed an important piece of the university’s major project, a 375-ton concrete floating hull, to Mack Point, an industrial port in Searsport, university spokesperson Samantha Warren said. And researchers and contractors were just weeks from finalizing the installation of the floating offshore wind turbine.

“As Maine Goes.” Updating a Consequential 1965 Photo Project

BOWDOIN COLLEGE • April 24, 2024

By 1965, John McKee, who was hired to teach French literature at Bowdoin, had fallen in love with photography and with Maine's beauty. Encouraged by Marvin Sadik, the art museum director at the time, McKee spent the summer driving along the state's ragged coast to take photographs. The black-and-white images revealed raw sewage flowing into the ocean, rusting hulks of cars lining beaches, a rash of “no trespassing” and ”keep out” signs, and commercial billboards blighting landscapes. Exhibited in the 1966 show As Maine Goes at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art and published in a catalog, his pictures lent visceral imagery to a swelling environmental movement. This semester, to commemorate and reflect on As Maine Goes, Chris Zhang ’25 and Bowdoin College Museum of Art codirector Frank Goodyear are taking their own road trips to retrace McKee’s footsteps. Their photography project coincides with an exhibition of McKee’s work at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art opening June 28.

Proposal for passenger rail to Bangor loses steam in committee

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 24, 2025

A renewed effort to restore passenger rail service from Portland to Bangor was soundly rejected Thursday by the Legislature’s transportation committee, following a similar failed attempt last year. The committee voted 9-1 against LD 487, recommending that it “ought not to pass” when the bill goes before the House and Senate in the coming weeks. The bill would direct the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA), operator of the Amtrak Downeaster, to apply for at least $500,000 in federal funding to develop a proposal for passenger service between Portland and Orono, just north of Bangor. Opponents say passenger service to Bangor would be too slow, attract too few riders and cost too much to establish and operate.

Proposed bill will provide resources to farmers affected by federal funding cuts

MAINE PUBLIC • April 24, 2025

A legislative committee heard testimony today on a bipartisan bill to provide resources to farmers affected by federal funding cuts. The bill presented by Senator Stacy Brenner, D-Cumberland, would modify the Agricultural Marketing Loan Fund to provide funding in the event of lost federal grants or loans or to recover in the event of a disaster.

Bangor named one of the best cities in the country for air quality

MAINE PUBLIC • April 24, 2025

The American Lung Association released their 2025 "State of the Air" report today. The report named Bangor one of best cities in the country for air quality in an otherwise bleak outlook for the country. Almost half the people in the U.S. live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution, according to the latest findings from The American Lung Association.

Renovations of Hearts of Pine’s new home field in Portland unearths contaminated soil

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • April 24, 2025

The City of Portland is taking steps to remove contaminated soil unearthed during renovations to Fitzpatrick Stadium, the future home of the Hearts of Pine professional soccer team. On Monday, the City Council will vote on whether to accept a federal Brownfields grant worth $205,000 to dispose of 850 cubic yards of contaminated soil currently fenced off near the field’s parking lot, according to a meeting agenda posted by the city. The soil was excavated last year as part of more than $2.5 million worth of upgrades to ready Fitzpatrick for the Hearts of Pine.

Cross-country dust is causing ‘dirty rain’ in Maine

ASSOCIATED PRESS • April 24, 2025

April showers are supposed to bring May flowers, but the light rain that fell across the region last Friday and Saturday brought dirt instead. Strong wind brought the dust from New Mexico to an altitude of around 10,000 feet (3,000 meters), he said, below the level of rain clouds.

New bill would ban floating camps from Maine waters

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 24, 2025

A new bill before the Legislature would ban floating camps and other nonwater-dependent structures from Maine’s inland or coastal waters. It also would establish a fine system ranging from $100 to $500 for violations, and make it legal for state, municipal or other enforcement authorities to remove, sell, destroy or keep the illegal structure. Floating camps, which resemble camps you see onshore but are anchored on the lake bottom or tied to a dock, are increasing in numbers. Some have decks and other on-shore amenities. Some are offered as rentals.

Fewer right whales born this year, scientists say

MAINE PUBLIC • April 24, 2025

At least 11 right whales were born this calving season, the New England Aquarium reported this week. The number is lower than what scientists hoped, as the critically endangered species faces threats from human-caused activities. Entanglements in fishing gear and boat strikes are the leading causes of death and injury to the population. Scientists say those injuries make it more difficult for right whales to reproduce and survive.

Opinion: Maine’s climate lawsuit is not a real solution to lower energy prices

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 24, 2025

Last November, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey filed a lawsuit accusing major oil and gas companies of misleading the public about climate change. In doing so, he joined a well-funded campaign aimed at ushering out fossil fuels faster than our markets can accommodate. With Maine households relying on heating oil and propane for home heating more than any other state in the country, his action raises a troubling question: Why is Frey investing taxpayer dollars into a legal campaign with little chance of success and a high price tag for Mainers? ~ Jacob Posik, Maine Policy Institute

Column: I made a big mistake with my backyard bird feeder

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 24, 2025

I love all wildlife. Well, maybe not bears on my porch. Word had come down earlier. A bear and its two yearlings were visiting houses along my quiet, rural road after dark. Neighbors were urged to take precautions. I didn’t. Maine has the largest black bear population in the lower 48 states. It’s inevitable that we’ll bump into each other now and then. When bears are active, take your feeders down at night and bring them indoors. Secure trash cans in the garage or shed. DIF&W even suggests using an electric fence around the trashcans, if indoor storage isn’t possible. Bring grills and pet food indoors. Secure and clean. The best solution is to make your neighborhood unbearable. ~ Bob Duchesne

Livermore Falls seeks input on vulnerability to natural hazards

LIVERMORE FALLS ADVERTISER • April 23, 2025

Livermore Falls Selectmen are looking for feedback from residents on the town’s vulnerabilities and will be handing out surveys as part of a partnership with the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments. The partnership provides up to $50,000 grants for potential projects ranging from heat pump installation to environmental assessments to increasing the overall building envelope and window upgrades. The state funded program requires no matching funds.

Trump administration pulls funding from UMaine wind project

MAINE PUBLIC • April 24, 2025

The Trump administration has suspended a $12.5 million award for University of Maine’s floating offshore wind program. The funding interruption leaves a partially constructed test array docked on the coast in limbo. In an April 11 letter, the U.S. Department of Energy alleged that Maine failed to comply with the terms of the award for a quarter-scale demonstration of offshore turbines it is developing. It did not cite any specific violation by the university. "No costs incurred during the suspension period will be allowable," the department said. The department did not respond to a request for comment.

Maine labor supporters press Congress to save clean energy incentives

MAINE PUBLIC • April 23, 2025

Maine workers and labor organizers are urging Congress to preserve clean energy tax credits they say create local jobs. The Investment Tax Credit and Production Tax Credit return up to 30% of costs for large-scale renewable and clean energy projects. The credits are being reconsidered as federal lawmakers debate an extension of 2017 tax cuts. Chad Ward, an ironworker from Thorndike said the incentives let him to keep working in Maine and hopefully help his son join the ranks of skilled workers in the state. The Investment Tax Credit and Production Tax Credit were expanded through the Inflation Reduction Act passed during the Biden administration. Solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, battery storage, hydropower and carbon capture developments can qualify for the credits.

Maine approves rules to restrict solar development on farmland

MAINE PUBLIC • April 23, 2025

Solar developers will need to obtain permits and pay fees to build on high value agricultural land according to new rules enacted by state regulators. Under the rules, developers of solar projects up to 20 acres have access to expedited permitting. But larger projects will have to pay compensation for displacing valuable agricultural soils and receive more stringent review. That compensation could include fees or mitigation such as conservation easements on similar land elsewhere. The regulations were required under a state law intended to balance Maine's goals of expanding clean energy and boosting local food production.

Proposed Maine legislation would require permit to bait coyote

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • April 22, 2025

A public hearing on a bill that would require hunters to have a permit to hunt coyote over bait in the fall will be held Wednesday. There already is open season on coyotes in Maine, and baiting is allowed with certain restrictions.LD 937, An Act to Establish a Permit to Hunt Coyote Over Bait, presented by Rep. Richard Mason, R-Lisbon, targets certain wildlife management districts and establishes penalties for violations. The idea is to support deer wintering areas in targeted districts.

Amid political turmoil Maine youth remain committed to climate action

MAINE PUBLIC • April 22, 2025

According to a study in The Lancet, around 70% of people ages 16-25 are extremely worried or very worried about the climate. In Maine, that commitment to acting on climate change was on display at two events this month. In Augusta, at least 100 high school students from across the state spilled out on a plaza behind the statehouse for a rally last week. The students waved signs and chanted slogans like "no more coal, no more oil, leave our carbon in the soil." The Day of Action organized by Maine Youth for Climate Justice was a chance to mobilize some of the state's youngest activists. And bring their priorities to the lawmakers that represent them. There was an even bigger turnout in early April when 300 high schoolers joined their teachers, students from the University of Maine and members of the Maine Climate Council for a day of speakers and workshops.

New Maine law directs millions of dollars to climate resilience

MAINE PUBLIC • April 22, 2025

A new law directs tens of millions of dollars to help Maine communities prepare for future storms made more extreme by climate change. Governor Janet Mills signed the bipartisan bill into law Tuesday after it received overwhelming support from lawmakers. The measure "will allow Maine communities, homeowners, businesses, emergency response leaders and others to prepare for the extreme weather events of the future and make Maine a safer place to live in the process," the Governor said. Under the law, homeowners will have access to a $15 million grant fund for improvements to protect against severe weather damage and to lower insurance costs. The law also directs $10 million for the state's required match to federal disaster relief funds.

Belfast conservation group moves to buy land once slated for fish farm project

MAINE PUBLIC • April 22, 2025

A conservation group in Belfast is purchasing a 54-acre parcel of land at the center of a years-long dispute over a proposed salmon farm. Nordic Aquafarms dropped its bid to build the on-shore aquaculture facility in January, after multiple rounds of legal challenges. Upstream Watch, a local group that pushed back on the project for years, is now under contract to purchase the property. Interim executive director Pete Nichols said the goal is to preserve the site.