Climate advocates caution against rolling back Maine’s clean energy credit program

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 22, 2025

While legislative committees are winding down their work for the session, the Legislature’s Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee has yet to decide what it will do with a slew of proposals aimed at reforming or outright eliminating the state’s clean energy credit program. Meanwhile, clean energy advocates, including representatives from the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Maine Youth for Climate Justice, Maine Conservation Voters, and Maine Community Power Cooperative, gathered at the State House Thursday morning asking lawmakers to reject any attempts at rolling back or making retroactive changes to the net energy billing program. Activists, solar customers and laborers also roamed the halls talking with lawmakers about continued support for solar energy.

Pingree presses EPA on PFAS grant terminations

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 22, 2025

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree (D) of Maine pressed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on conflicting statements about why it cut grants for forever chemical research in Maine. Earlier this month, the EPA terminated all of the grants it had awarded for research into reducing PFAS in the food supply. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin publicly stated the grants were important and already congressionally appropriated when questioned by Pingree. But the EPA now says the Biden-Harris administration shouldn’t have forced their radical agenda of wasteful DEI programs and environmental justice.

This is where you’re most likely to hit a moose in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 22, 2025

When people come to Vacationland, they almost always hope to see a moose during their visit. But no one wants to hit one. The hulking animals can total your vehicle, and moose crashes are around 13 percent more fatal than deer strikes. See the data on where moose strikes are most likely to occur.

Dayton author tells tales of America’s greatest thru-hikes

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 22, 2025

Author Rand Clark spoke at the Windham Public Library about his thru-hikes of the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails, as well as about his forthcoming books highlighting the experience. Clark described the hike as a spiritual and healing experience, where the solitude and natural beauty deeply touches you. He mentioned that, since he got back, he has been simplifying his life, getting rid of unnecessary possessions, and becoming more intentional, deliberate and grateful. In between the major national trails, which took him around five months each to do, Clark has been hiking the 100 highest peaks in New England. In the coming months, he plans to tackle the highest peaks of New York state.

Hydro-Quebec shut off the spigots for New England power in March and hasn’t turned them back on. Why?

BOSTON GLOBE • May 22, 2025

Hydro-Quebec’s main transmission line into New England is considered the region’s largest potential source of electricity. But after reliably selling electricity into the New England market for years, Hydro-Quebec shut off the spigots in early March, reducing the flow to a trickle. The lack of Canadian hydropower isn’t a reliability issue for us yet. But the surprisingly long dry spell out of Hydro-Quebec should serve as a warning that the days of cheap, plentiful, low-carbon power from the north hitting the spot market are no longer guaranteed. A big power line under construction, dubbed New England Clean Energy Connect, was supposed to complement these existing imports, not supplant them. And scratch any thought of starting another one to Quebec anytime soon. The company says it simply can’t sell power profitably into New England right now, given the relatively low prices on the wholesale market.

Why it’s been raining every weekend in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 21, 2025

It has rained in Maine at least one day every weekend since the end of March. Through April and mid-May, most of the state has seen more precipitation than normal — an entire inch more than in a typical April. Since late March or early April, a cloud-causing low pressure system has tended to move through the Northeast every few days. That could be good news for farmers and gardeners who have faced drought conditions and occasionally dry wells in a handful of recent seasons. But too much rain has also challenged Maine growers as climate change causes swings between extreme weather conditions.

Unity Environmental University celebrates largest graduating class ever with Neil deGrasse Tyson

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 21, 2025

Once a small college struggling with declining enrollment, Unity Environmental University is bringing in astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson as its commencement speaker to help graduate its largest-ever class this Friday. The president of Unity Environmental University, formerly Unity College, says the school has evolved in response to the challenges of higher education and its 10,000-person student body is now mostly online. Unity is now the second-largest university in the state based on enrollment, behind only the flagship public University of Maine with 12,000 students as of this fall. On Friday, more than 1,000 students will graduate with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental fields.

Maine will aggressively encourage Canadian visitors, Mills assures business owners

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 21, 2025

Gov. Janet Mills reiterated a warm invitation to Canadian visitors this summer during a roundtable discussion Wednesday with local business owners, who shared with her both concern and cautious optimism as the start of tourist season fast approaches. “Maine has a brand, and I think it’s a good one,” Mills told a group of 10 Kennebunk-area business people. “We want to protect it.” Mills said that although President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canadian products and his dismissive rhetoric toward the United States’ northern neighbor have been damaging, that doesn’t mean the upcoming season will be a bust. She pledged to continue supporting businesses and encouraging visitors not to blame Maine — or boycott us.

PFAS bills introduced in Brunswick spill aftermath receive sweeping support, await funding

MAINE MORNING STAR • May 21, 2025

Though there are still funding details to sort out, a slate of proposals brought forward after 1,500 gallons of toxic firefighting foam concentrate spilled in Brunswick last August have been backed by the Maine Legislature. “Since August 19, 2024, hardly a day has gone by where our delegation hasn’t put work into an entire suite of legislation both to help Brunswick recover and, even more importantly, to make sure that what happened to us cannot happen anywhere else,” said Rep. Dan Ankeles (D-Brunswick) on the House of Representatives floor earlier this month. On Wednesday, the Senate passed the last of a package of three bills that Ankeles crafted in the aftermath of the spill.

Maine’s lobster industry broke records. Inflation tells a different story.

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 21, 2025

The value of Maine’s lobster fishery and the money lobstermen earn on the docks have hit new highs in the last five years. But the state Department of Marine Resources is highlighting a blind spot in that understanding of the lobstering economy. Adjusting dollar values and earnings to account for inflation dramatically shifts the outlook for the industry. And it challenges perceptions from the general public that lobstermen are financially thriving. Lobstermen have said rising costs of bait, fuel, gear and labor are leading to fewer trips on the water — and pose a threat to one of the state’s biggest economic engines.

Column: Go see the alewives as they migrate up Maine rivers — and hurry

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 21, 2025

Mother Nature has surprised me lately, exceeding my expectations with her natural phenomena: First, there was last year’s total eclipse, then the Northern Lights and now, the alewives, which, if you hurry, you can still see making their way up Maine’s rivers and streams. Dams, pollution and other impediments in Maine’s rivers led to the species’ disappearance from some bodies of water for as many as hundreds of years. Recent recovery efforts — such as removing dams, installing fish passageways and stocking lakes — have worked so well, however, that they can now be fished in greater numbers. Make a point to get to your nearest alewife viewing site or make a plan to do it next spring. The perseverance of this fish, in the face of both physical and ecological hurdles, is something to behold. ~ Leslie Bridgers

Coastal communities celebrate National Bike Month

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 21, 2025

With the weather in Maine getting warmer and the sun starting to shine more often, May is the perfect month to start getting outside. May also happens to be National Bike Month, established in 1956 by the League of American Bicyclists. This year, Biddeford and Saco each declared May to be celebrated as National Bike Month in the twin cities, encouraging residents to use the month as an opportunity to get on their bicycles. Bike month is a “powerful opportunity” to highlight the role of walking and bicycling in building vibrant, healthy and connected communities, Bicycle Coalition of Maine Executive Director Andrew Zarro said.

Opinion: Maine needs a climate superfund

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 21, 2025

We must urge our state lawmakers to pass the Maine Climate Superfund Act. This measure will hold polluters accountable and ensure that Mainers are not left responsible for fixing a crisis they did not cause. Maine’s youth are leading the charge because we refuse to accept the status quo — one where we and our neighbors bear the environmental and financial burdens of a crisis created by fossil fuel corporations. Now is the time for bold, fair and necessary action. We cannot accept complicity. Our future depends on it. ~ Jackson Chadwick, Maine Youth for Climate Justice

Browntail moth caterpillars are out in force in Brewer

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 20, 2025

According to a recent update from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, browntail moth caterpillars are thriving in Brewer. The report states that, of the surveyed and monitored areas across the state, the invasive browntail moth caterpillars sampled in Brewer are developing faster than caterpillars at other monitoring sites. According to the state agency, the caterpillars sampled from the Brewer sites are roughly 20 percent larger than the caterpillars at other sites. The accelerated development means that the Brewer area is likely to see mature browntail moths earlier than other locations around the state.

Westbrook to host ‘Paddle the Presumpscot’ canoeing trips this summer

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 20, 2025

Just imagine paddling on a pristine section of the Presumpscot River that historians say the long-ago Wabanaki Chief Polin loved. Discover Downtown Westbrook is recreating the thrill with a fun-filled and educational series of canoeing events available beginning in June. The program is titled “Dusk to Dark: A Paddle on the Presumpscot.” The series is a community tourism venture to promote Westbrook.

Maine Calling: Maine's Land Trusts

MAINE PUBLIC • May 20, 2025

Maine's 80-plus land trusts serve multi-faceted roles, from creating nature trails to hosting workshops to growing food. These charitable organizations work with property owners to ensure that land is managed for the public good. We learn about the range of programs and goals of Maine's diverse land trusts. Panelists: Angela Twitchell, Maine Land Trust Network; Jordan Kelley, Great Works Regional Land Trust; Stacy Brenner, Maine Farmland Trust. VIP Callers: Colin Brown, Downeast Coastal Conservancy; Steve Walker, Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust; Matt Markot, Loon Echo Land Trust.

America's Top Hunting Destinations

24/7 WALL STREET • May 19, 2025

As of 2023, the latest year of available data from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, only about 15.6 million Americans were licensed hunters. Every state has a unique ecology and regulatory environment. Any number of factors related to hunting — ranging from bag limits and available hunt-able public land to diversity and abundance of game — also vary across the 50 states. Ranked on the number of hunting licenses, tags, permits, and stamps issued to out-of-state visitors in 2023, Maine is listed at #36.

Maine resilience projects face yet another funding setback

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 19, 2025

Just a month after the Trump administration canceled a popular grant program and millions of dollars for local Maine climate resilience projects along with it, Maine municipal officials are facing yet another potential federal funding setback. This time the administration is downsizing the Hazard Mitigation and Grant Program, a multibillion-dollar program that states have long used to protect vulnerable homes and infrastructure from floods and other disasters,

Officials say Bucksport fish farm is still moving forward

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 19, 2025

Seven years after it was proposed and amid growing doubts about its future, the backers of a land-based fish farm in Bucksport say they are still discussing a project there. Whole Oceans, which initially planned to produce 20 metric tons of Atlantic salmon annually on the site of the town’s former paper mill, let its local building permits expire last year. Since then, there has been skepticism about whether a facility will still be built and if the company will stay in town. Local officials recently said they were preparing for the possibility of the company selling its property or scaling down the proposal significantly. But Whole Oceans says it is not departing Bucksport and it still plans to build in town.

Maine man dies after falling from fishing boat

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 19, 2025

Chadd Brewin, 33, had been fishing on Cobbosseecontee Stream in West Gardiner with his father-in-law, 67-year-old Claude Latouche on Monday when Brewin fell over the side of the boat. His father-in-law held onto Brewin while steering the boat back to shore. When Latouche got close to the shoreline, the boat capsized and he also fell into the water. Latouche was able to get both himself and Brewin to shore, before calling 911. Brewin was still alive when emergency medical services arrived and provided medical aid. Brewin was transported to Maine General, where he later died.