Maine joins coalition of states suing Trump administration for blocking wind energy development

ASSOCIATED PRESS • May 5, 2025

Attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., including Maine, are challenging an executive order signed by President Donald Trump during his first day in office, pausing approvals, permits and loans for all wind energy projects both onshore and offshore. They say Trump doesn’t have the authority to unilaterally shut down the permitting process, and he’s jeopardizing development of a power source critical to the states’ economic vitality, energy mix, public health and climate goals. They’re asking a federal judge to declare the order unlawful and stop federal agencies from implementing it.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills and northeastern governors invite Canadian premiers to summit

MAINE PUBLIC • May 5, 2025

Maine Gov. Janet Mills and five other northeastern governors are inviting six Canadian premiers to participate in a summit to discuss cross-border relations and President Donald Trump's tariffs. The invitation comes as the region's governors try to maintain their close relationship with Canada in trade, energy and tourism as the president pursues tough tariffs and threats of annexation not seen since President William McKinley. Canadian leaders have responded with a nationalist posture, boycotting American vacation destinations and discussing moving away from the U.S. as an economic partner. That's a big concern in Maine where Canada is the state's largest trade partner and where tourism officials are predicting a 25% drop-off for the upcoming summer season.

Maine bill would make oil companies pay into ‘climate superfund’

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 5, 2025

Lawmakers in Maine are looking to create a climate superfund that would collect fees from groups that extract fossil fuels and refine crude oil, then use that money to fund clean energy initiatives. Two states — Vermont and New York — have passed similar laws, and they are being challenged in court by businesses and the Trump administration. Maine is among 11 states currently considering bills to create similar climate superfunds. LD 1870, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Rep. Stacy Brenner, D-Scarborough, would be retroactive and apply to any fossil fuel extractor or crude oil refiner between Jan. 1, 1995, to Dec. 31, 2024. Brenner said the proposal is a matter of fairness, because greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels are causing increased storm damage and public health concerns, and the costs are being borne by state and local taxpayers.

Maine Coast Heritage Trust award recognizes land conservation efforts

TIMES RECORD • May 5, 2025

Maine Coast Heritage Trust has awarded the 2025 Espy Land Heritage Award to Niweskok: From the Stars to Seeds, a Wabanaki-led food sovereignty organization based in Swanville. The annual award recognizes those who are making contributions to land conservation and includes a $5,000 donation to a conservation effort of the recipient’s choice.

Senators press Trump administration on how it will protect endangered species

ASSOCIATED PRESS • May 5, 2025

Three U.S. senators are asking the Trump administration to explain how it analyzed a proposed rule to eliminate habitat protections for endangered and threatened species, whether industry had a hand in drafting it, and how the administration plans to protect species if the rule is changed. At issue is a long-standing definition of “harm” in the Endangered Species Act, which has included altering or destroying the places those species live—the No. 1 cause of extinction. Last month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service proposed a rule that says habitat modification shouldn't be considered harm because it isn't the same as intentionally targeting a species, called “take.” Environmentalists argue that the definition of “take” has always included actions that harm species, and the definition of “harm” has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Former Gov. Paul LePage will challenge Rep. Jared Golden for Maine's 2nd District

MAINE PUBLIC • May 5, 2025

Former Gov. Paul LePage announced Monday that he's running for Maine's 2nd Congressional District seat. LePage served two terms as Maine's governor and left office in 2019, the same year Democratic Congressman Jared Golden kicked off his first term.Now LePage is seeking to challenge Golden for a seat that the Democrat has managed to hold despite skewing conservative since President Donald Trump was first elected in 2016. He has often been described as a Trump prototype.

Maine bills would make oil companies pay for climate damages

MAINE PUBLIC • May 5, 2025

The world’s largest fossil fuel companies could be required to pay for climate change damage to Maine under proposals being considered by state lawmakers. Two bills to create a climate superfund are up for debate just as the Trump administration files lawsuits against similar state laws. The measures would make oil and gas companies responsible for at least 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution since the 1990s compensate Maine communities for storms and other harms made worse by a warming climate. Nicholas Janzen, director of policy and partnerships at Maine Conservation Voters, says, "The trump admin is really trying to bully states for their oil and gas buddies to not act on climate.”

Applying Wabanaki Wisdom to our Watersheds, May 27

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • May 5, 2025

Mihku Paul and James McCarthy will share stories about their relationship to the watersheds where they live and share photographs of ancestral Wabanaki places. At Topsham Public Library, May 27, 7 pm, free. Sponsored by Cathance River Education Alliance and Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust.

Former Gov. LePage announces run for Congress in Maine’s 2nd District

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 5, 2025

Former Gov. Paul LePage announced Monday that he is running to represent Maine’s 2nd Congressional District in Congress. The Republican served as governor from 2011 to 2019 before leaving office because of term limits. He ran again for governor in 2022, when he lost to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills. LePage was elected governor in 2010. He ushered in a new era of divisive politics with his election, proudly disavowing political correctness and openly clashing with environmentalists and others.

Maine lobsterman charged with illegal possession of certain lobsters

WMTW-TV8 • May 5, 2025

Officials with New Hampshire's Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division have charged a Maine man with several charges related to illegal fishing practices. Conservation officers say on April 23, they boarded the vessel "For the Win" operated by Rodney Genthner, of Friendship, Maine, in the waters off Portsmouth. The vessel had been monitored because Genthner did not have appropriate licensing and did not follow required equipment regulations. Genthner faces several state and federal charges after finding V-notched female lobsters, which are illegal to possess because they are supposed to be left alone to breed. He also allegedly possessed short lobsters and wolf fish, a state and federally protected species, and his vessel allegedly didn't have a vessel monitoring system, another requirement.

Trump budget puts clean-energy spending in crosshairs

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 5, 2025

President Donald Trump’s budget request for the next fiscal year proposes deep cuts to renewable energy programs and other climate spending as the administration seeks to shift U.S. energy production to encourage more fossil fuels and push the focus away from reducing climate change. The budget proposes slashing $21 billion from the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law for renewable energy, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and other efforts to cut climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions. The request also targets climate research spending and initiatives meant to promote diversity.

Column: I’m a birder now (and other signs of aging)

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 5, 2025

It was about this time last year that I noticed blue jays and bluebirds, cardinals and robins. I asked a friend who’s a birder to help get me started, and we went for a walk around the Gilsland Farm Audubon Center in Falmouth. She introduced me to the Merlin Bird ID app, which can tell you what birds are around you by listening to their calls. This is one of the surprising things I’m learning about aging. I wasn’t prepared for my interests to suddenly change, opening up a whole new world of things I might like to do. ~ Leslie Bridgers

Public Hearing Today on Establishing a Climate Superfund to Make Polluters Pay

MAINE CONSERVATION VOTERS • May 5, 2025

Environmental advocates, municipal leaders, youth, and businesses will call on the Legislature to pass LD 1870, An Act to Establish a Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program to Impose Penalties on Climate Polluters. The legislation would mandate compensatory payments from multinational oil and gas companies based on their greenhouse gas emissions surpassing one billion metric tons. A public hearing will be held by the Maine Legislature’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee on May 5, at 10 am.

Maine DEP urges delay for climate superfund bill

MAINE PUBLIC • May 5, 2025

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has urged lawmakers to delay a bill that would make major fossil fuel companies compensate the state for damages from harmful climate change. Bills proposed by Rep. Grayson Lookner, D-Portland and Sen. Stacy Brenner, D-Scarborough, would establish a climate superfund to pay for mitigation and adaption projects that prepare Maine communities for violent storms, sea level rise and extreme weather. DEP Commissioner Melanie Loyzim said lawmakers should wait until next year to seriously consider a climate superfund measure. The department wants to wait and see how similar laws in Vermont and New York are enacted and how they fare against legal challenges from the fossil fuel industry and the Trump administration.

Without action, Old Town residents worry town will be ‘sacrifice zone’ to Juniper Ridge

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 5, 2025

More than 50 people joined a rally Sunday afternoon in Old Town to not only voice their concerns about expanding Juniper Ridge, the state’s largest landfill, but also to ask the lawmakers who represent them in Augusta to back bills that could address the contamination and injustice they feel local communities have endured. As opponents see it, LD 297 would complicate the definition of what constitutes waste generated in Maine, opening the door for more out-of-state waste that would fill the landfill even faster. Proponents argue this is necessary to bring in more bulky waste to stabilize the sludge that is disposed of at the facility. 

Get outdoors and take a walk — in every corner of Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 5, 2025

Spring officially starts in March, but Mainers know not to put the winter coats in storage until before the end of April. We’ve finally traded snow boots for hiking boots, and we can stretch our legs without freezing our toes. Maine has no shortage of trails and plenty of useful tools to find them. You can check out websites such as AllTrails and Maine Trail Finder for maps, basic info about parking and even recent trail conditions. Rebecca Goldfine started her blog Maine By Foot in 2012 and has posted about hundreds of trails of all kinds. We compiled 16 options for a nice stroll in nature — one in every county.

Opinion: Care about climate change? Protest

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 5, 2025

America is seeing a resurgence of protests in response to President Trump’s recent attacks on public health, national parks, abortion rights and immigration, to name a few. Over 10,000 people rallied across Maine last month — a big turnout relative to our population. And while many of the signs were both poignant and funny, I was struck by how few addressed the urgent need for climate action. Sadly, it seems we’ve lost our appetite for climate activism. But as the climate crisis accelerates, and our president derails our progress on the issue, it’s more important than ever to take action. Seventy-three percent of us think the government should be doing more to address climate change. We have the numbers to make serious political change. What’s needed is mobilization. ~ Violet Apodaca, Bowdoin College senior

Letter: Hold cruise lines responsible for pollution emissions in Portland

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 5, 2025

For the next seven months, cruise ships will be coming to Portland. It is time to be proactive. The majority of ships will utilize exhaust gas cleaning systems, also known as scrubbers. These devices reduce the appearance of air emissions by “washing” pollutants into the harbor — a practice that is being banned throughout the world. It is time to reduce air pollution and eliminate toxic scrubber wash discharge and time to create communication protocols for when ships have norovirus outbreaks. It’s time to encourage reporting of complaints from excessive noise, air pollution, charter bus emissions and passenger congestion. It’s time to determine if sales tax revenue is being collected onboard, and time to calculate the actual direct and indirect costs of hosting cruise ships. ~ Matthew Day and JoAnn Locktov, Portland Cruise Control

Trump administration says it will combat forever chemicals. Maine scientists are skeptical.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 5, 2025

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently released its much-anticipated steps to fight contamination by forever chemicals, but the scant information it provided raised more questions than answers among scientists and environment experts. Notably absent from the actions was information about whether the agency intends to go forward with the stricter maximum safe limits of forever chemicals that it announced last April. Those limits — the first national, enforceable drinking water standard on forever chemicals — are on hold by the Trump administration. Maine, which already has taken steps to curtail PFAS products in the state and to supply filtration systems for polluted private wells, scientists said.