The new plan to rein in the ‘runaway costs’ of Maine’s solar subsidies

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 9, 2025

Lawmakers have tweaked Maine’s controversial solar subsidy program several times since they launched in 2019, and they are divided over a bill expected to face votes in the next two weeks. The measure is drawing pushback from some solar firms and clean energy advocates who argue it will slash a program helping around 100,000 Mainers. But Rep. Sophie Warren, D-Scarborough, and Maine’s ratepayer advocate said it will protect small projects and ensure developers can still earn a fair return but limit steep rate hikes that Mainers have had to bear in recent years.

The man at the center of the high-stakes bet over a shuttered trash incinerator

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 9, 2025

Evan Coleman has been connected to about 10 projects. Some of them never came to fruition, such as strawberry greenhouses and warehouses, and some did, including four battery storage facilities in Maine and Rhode Island. Now, Coleman is at the helm of his biggest gamble yet: reviving the shuttered Orrington trash incinerator, valued at $16.1 million in 2024, that sits on the shores of the Penobscot River. The 32-year-old is the majority owner of Eagle Point Energy Center, formerly known as Penobscot Energy Recovery Co. He bought the facility in February 2024 but it hasn’t burned waste in more than two years, due in part to a fire that tore through the building in October 2024. Coleman’s latest estimate for reopening EPEC is more than a year away, and will require $25 million of improvements and equipment.

Kennebunk wildlife biologist killed in Alaska helicopter crash

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 8, 2025

A Kennebunk resident, wildlife biologist and former selectman was killed Wednesday in a helicopter crash in remote Alaska, where he was leading conservation work, along with the helicopter’s pilot. Shiloh Schulte’s death was confirmed Sunday in a statement from his employer, Manomet Conservation Sciences. “Shiloh was a deeply respected member of the Manomet Conservation Sciences team, whose passion for shorebird conservation and unwavering commitment to protecting our planet inspired everyone fortunate enough to work alongside him,” the organization said. Schulte and the helicopter pilot, Jonathan Guibas, were flying from Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay to a remote area in the North Slope region accessible only by helicopter, where Schulte planned to outfit shorebirds with recording devices.

His family has harvested alewives at the same Maine stream for a century

MAINE MONITOR • June 8, 2025

Thousands of alewives swim up the Nequasset Stream in Woolwich, Maine, from the sea each May, thrashing against the swift current, returning to the waters where they were born. The sleek, silver fish have undertaken the same mass migration, conquering the same rapids for the sake of their next generation, for millions of years. By comparison, Steve Bodge has only been harvesting alewives at Nequasset for 67 years, a mere blip in history but a span of time encompassing most of his life. He first learned the art of dipping for alewives with his stepfather at age 11, in 1958. Now a hale but slowing 78-year-old, Bodge isn’t sure how many more springs he’ll be able to operate the physically demanding alewife harvesting enterprise he runs for the town — which both his stepfather and older stepbrother ran before him. This year, for the first time, his daughter Jaime Burns, 45, is pitching in.

Hallowell volunteers survey ‘threatened’ Vaughan Brook watershed

CENTRAL MAINE • June 8, 2025

Hall-Dale High School senior Lily Drouin-Scease was one of four volunteers who inspected dozens of points along the Vaughan Brook watershed Thursday with the help of professionals from Ecological Instincts, an environmental consulting and planning firm. The goal was to identify places in the watershed where runoff could affect the quality of the stream — a requirement for securing long-term stream remediation funding. Vaughan Brook runs for about 3.7 miles through parts of Farmingdale and Hallowell, passing through Vaughan Woods before it empties into the Kennebec River. The stream drains about 5.9 square miles. Water quality testing in the Vaughan Woods portion of the brook over the past 13 years has repeatedly missed the state’s mark for supporting aquatic life. The brook is listed as “threatened” by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

A group of South Portland residents are aiming to plant more trees in the city — and are already doing so

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 8, 2025

A small group of South Portland residents, bonded by an interest in trees, has bloomed into ReForest South Portland whose mission is to improve the city’s tree canopy by planting more. Improving the city’s tree canopy comes with multiple benefits. Temperatures can be 25 degrees cooler under the shade of a tree, Barter said, which can lead to a decrease in air conditioning needs by 30%. “(Trees) make coastlines more resilient to the weather patterns increasingly common in a changing climate,” said Hillary Barter, a co-founder.

Editorial: Maine farmworker wage proposal deserves to become law

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • June 8, 2025

The difference between the federal hourly minimum wage ($7.25) and the Maine state minimum wage ($14.65, and automatically increasing according to inflation) is $7.40 an hour. This gulf, endured by the people who labor in the state’s fields and barns, is what stands to be closed by a legislative proposal (An Act to Establish a State Minimum Hourly Wage for Agricultural Workers) that passed 74-72 in the Maine House of Representatives last Tuesday and 22-12 in the Senate last Monday. Farmworker labor shouldn’t be relied on to subsidize Maine’s farms, some of which say they won’t be able to manage paying the increased minimum hourly wage. Other farms say they’re already paying the state minimum, and would like to benefit from parity in the job market. Those farms deserve that guarantee, just as the workers deserve it.

Community garden sprouting in Livermore Falls thanks to 10-year-old boy

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 7, 2025

A community garden is taking root behind the police station, all because 10-year-old Liam Reed asked town officials if there was one and when told no, stated there should be one. There are four raised beds, each with two sections. “We made them so people of all abilities can work in them,” Austin stated. “There will be 11 pots for herbs. We will have chives, lavender, basil, thyme, dill, sage.” Someone might want to make pickles, use herbs for cooking or other things.

What you need to know to climb Katahdin safely

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 7, 2025

The deaths of two New York hikers this week offer a tragic reminder that attempting to summit Maine’s tallest peak is a high-stakes challenge for even experienced mountaineers. Sometimes underestimated, Katahdin’s combination of challenging terrain and unpredictable weather have contributed to the more than 60 reported deaths on the mountain since officials began tracking that data in 1933. Despite the risks, climbing Katahdin remains a bucket list item for many Mainers. Those interested in attempting to summit the 5,267-foot peak shouldn’t take the challenge lightly. Here’s how they can do it as safely as possible.

Opinion: Pope Francis’ words on climate change should guide Maine forward

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 7, 2025

Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si, a groundbreaking letter to the world addressing global warming and the unjust pillaging of our common home, inspired humanity to see climate change as far more than a fringe concern for environmentalists, but as the fundamental “life” issue of our time and an existential threat to humanity. While it remains to be seen how Pope Leo XIV moves the message of Laudato Si through his papacy, initial indications are encouraging. On May 22, the House of Representatives narrowly passed a budget bill that drastically cuts U.S. commitments to the working poor and hard-won progress on clean energy and climate. Mainers will suffer greatly under this legislation. ~ Peter Dugas, Portland is, Citizens’ Climate Lobby

Maine lawmakers try to thread the needle on forest protections

MAINE MONITOR • June 6, 2025

Late last year a team of ecologists came to a dire conclusion: without new conservation and management initiatives, half of the oldest forests in Maine’s unorganized territory could be gone in the next 35 years. A bipartisan bill aims to reverse that trend while also protecting Maine’s undeveloped lakes and ponds through prescriptive conservation measures. L.D. 1529 instructs state agencies to study and incorporate forest and lake protections in long-term management plans. It also instructs the Maine Bureau of Forestry to conduct research that follows the work done by Our Climate Future and sets a 2026 deadline for the DACF to compile statewide strategies to enhance conservation. The end result is a bill that the Maine Forest Products Council and environmental nonprofit Natural Resources Council of Maine both support.

Maine’s next wildlife protection plan will consider climate threats

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 6, 2025

Maine is in the middle of writing its once-a-decade wildlife action plan, a conservation blueprint that will guide funding decisions, science and protection efforts. And, for the first time, the plan will emphasize the critical role of habitat protection, and consider how climate change affects local plants and animals. The state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s 2025 plan will assess the health of Maine’s 1,500 native plants, in addition to Maine’s 15,000 native wildlife species. The 2005 and 2015 plans only considered animals species. The new plan will also make use of new climate science not available for past plans.

Albany property to be preserved

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 5, 2025

Two Maine families with deep ties to Western Maine have permanently conserved nearly 800 acres of forestland in Albany Township, protecting vital wildlife habitat, clean drinking water, and public recreational access in partnership with Mahoosuc Land Trust and a coalition of conservation partners. The conserved lands include the 85-acre Ralph and Alice Kimball Songo Forest, acquired through a bargain sale from the Kimball family, and a 720-acre tract formerly owned by Penley and Mills, Inc., now held by The Conservation Fund with an eye to future transfer to the White Mountain National Forest. The properties protect 3.5 miles of wild brook trout habitat, 61.5 acres of freshwater wetlands, 125 acres of rare species habitat, 387 acres of high-priority watershed land extensive pedestrian access, including hiking, hunting, fishing, skiing, and part of an important snowmobile trail linkage

Cranky Column: Policy Ronin Report

MACHIAS VALLEY NEWS OBSERVER • June 5, 2025

Ronin are samurai without masters. Thirty years ago, I left the King administration, returned to the University of Maine at Machias and Washington County, and became a policy ronin — an independent, skilled, and potentially dangerous policy warrior. During this session, I submitted testimony on four bills (LDs 183, 495, 252, and 1593) that I was asked to submit and on five others (LDs 32, 375, 499, 1373, and 1494) that I had an interest in. This ronin has mostly gotten his policy ass kicked. LD 183, An Act to Cap Publicly Owned Land Area at No More than 50 Percent of Any County, was voted unanimously out of committee “ought not to pass.” ~ Jonathan Reisman

World Environment Day 2025 mobilizes commitment, action to end plastic pollution globally

UNITED NATIONS • June 5, 2025

Communities, civil society, businesses, and governments around the world today marked World Environment Day under the theme #BeatPlasticPollution. Plastic pollution permeates every corner of the planet. By 2040, plastic leakage to the environment is predicted to grow by 50 per cent, and that pollution creeps into our bodies through the food we eat, the water we drink, and even the air that we breathe. World Environment Day 2025 calls for collective action to tackle plastic pollution. It comes exactly two months before countries resume negotiations towards a global treaty to end plastic pollution.

Soaring Skies Soiree supports Kennebunk Land Trust endeavors

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 5, 2025

Kennebunk Land Trust announced its fourth annual summer celebration, the Soaring Skies Soiree, will take place on July 10 at 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Kennebunkport’s Colony Hotel. Patrons are invited to an evening of drinks, bites, and celebration, all in support of land conservation. The soiree is also the culmination of the trust’s Nature’s Canvas: Unveiled art auction. The online auction for those pieces will go live on Monday, July 7, closing on July 10 at 7 p.m.

FEMA was starting to fix long-standing problems. Then came the Trump administration

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • June 5, 2025

Under the Biden administration, Under the Biden administration, the goal at FEMA was to make sure every disaster victim got what they needed to recover and be protected against the next disaster. Now, some of those efforts have been canceled, while others face an uncertain future. President Trump has repeatedly said that he believed FEMA should not exist. He has also moved to eliminate so-called equity programs meant to ensure that the federal government serves Americans from all economic, geographic and ethnic groups. The agency has cut billions of dollars of programs and lost hundreds of staff.

Third electric gate of Thompson Lake dam in Oxford installed

ADVERTISER DEMOCRAT • June 5, 2025

OXFORD — Bancroft Contracting has wrapped up installation of the western fish gate, the third and final gate to be replaced, in Thompson Lake dam at the old Robinson Woolen Mill. Releasing more water ahead of rainstorms will help maintain an overall appropriate level and save the dam from being compromised or failing. Adding a fish screen is one of the final pieces of rebuilding the dam over the last five years. The next phase to rehabilitating the Thompson Lake dam is rebuilding the retaining wall in the outlet channel that feeds into the Little Androscoggin River.

Letter: Maine’s senators must protect clean vehicle standards

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 5, 2025

As a nurse practitioner, I see firsthand how pollution from the vehicles on our roads harms people. I see patients with asthma exacerbations frequently at the local urgent care where I provide care. Pollution from gas- and diesel-powered vehicles causes asthma attacks in kids and a host of other health harms, and people who live and work near roadways are at particular risk. Unfortunately, the U.S. House just voted to improperly use a tool called the Congressional Review Act to effectively overturn three state vehicle pollution programs. Unfortunately, Rep. Golden voted “yes.” The good news is that the Senate hasn’t voted yet. I’m calling on Sen. King and Sen. Collins to vote “no” on these unlawful Congressional Review Act resolutions. I hope they vote “no” to protect kids’ health. ~ Samantha Paradis, Caribou

UMaine scales back offshore wind turbine testing after federal cuts

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 5, 2025

A new wind turbine platform will still float off the coast of Castine for the next 18 months, despite a sudden loss of millions in federal funding to the project and resulting layoffs to the University of Maine research center behind it. But to keep the project going, researchers will have to reduce their analysis of the data, and they won’t be able to come up with a plan to bring the technology to commercial uses that they say would have many applications beyond ocean energy. Almost $50 million in federal funding to the university system has been suspended or threatened this year by President Trump. The federal agency had already put $9.3 million toward the current floating project.