Commentary: New England won’t be sacrificed to Big Oil

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 24, 2025

Do you remember the shocking images from the Exxon Valdez or Deepwater Horizon oil spills? The oil-slicked birds, the wrecked beaches, the empty fishing boats, and worst of all, the stories of lost lives? The Trump administration wants to bring polluting and dangerous oil and gas offshore drilling back — including to our New England shores. Trump claims the U.S. is in an “energy emergency.” We’re not. In fact, we’re producing more fossil fuels than ever before. This isn’t about energy security. It’s about handing over our ocean to polluters. This flimsy justification won’t hold up in court, which is why we’ve joined Earthjustice and many other environmental organizations to challenge it. ~ Erica Fuller, Conservation Law Foundation

If Energy Star goes away, finding energy efficient appliances will be harder

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 24 2025

The Energy Star program claims that its blue seal of approval on efficient appliances saves households an average of $450 on their bills per year. Since its launch in 1992, Energy Star appliances have also prevented 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the main cause of climate change. But the program’s future is unclear. The Environmental Protection Agency has announced an agency reorganization plan that would eliminate its Energy Star offices. That would make it more difficult for customers to find energy efficient appliances.

Opinion: An important tool can protect Maine from damaging tariffs

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 24, 2025

Recent trade policies — notably, tariffs on Canada — would increase prices on gasoline, energy resources and daily groceries. All products except those that fall under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement are subject to 25% tariffs. Then there are tariff-related trade tensions, which could drastically reduce Canadian tourism to our state. Maine businesses rely heavily on tourist activity. However, we have a tool to help offset the adverse effect of tariffs: The U.S. Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) program provides businesses that engage in international trade with the means to decrease overall costs and increase supply chain efficiency. In these zones, domestic and foreign merchandise is considered outside of U.S. Customs territory, so businesses can defer, reduce or eliminate customs duties on imported goods. Maine has four active FTZs. ~ Jim Dinkle, FirstPark, Oakland, Maine

Letter: Our public parks should not be for sale

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 24, 2025

When Republican President Ulysses S. Grant created the first national park at Yellowstone after the Civil War, he acted to “bind up the nation’s wounds” by creating such a commonwealth in the spirit of democracy, owned by and open to all. I was blessed to grow up camping in national parks and forests, learning from them a citizen’s pride in our country and a desire to protect them. This led to my career in ecosystem protection and renewal. I’ve seen how our national park system is a model internationally. Our national parks and lands are not only the commonwealth of every citizen, but are economic engines for their neighboring communities. To “release” these to private industry would essentially be theft, a betrayal of trust that would wound the spiritual heart of America, diminishing our health and prosperity, our climate and environment, our unity as Americans, all while setting a disastrous example worldwide for those countries that still look to us for leadership. ~ Carol Kamala Kinsey, Stockton Springs

Opinion: Efforts to connect more Mainers to nature deserve our appreciation and support

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 24, 2025

As leaders of two statewide conservation organizations, we’ve been dismayed recently to see some pointed criticism of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s (DIFW) outreach initiatives. Breaking down barriers that have limited who partakes in Maine’s outdoor heritage is good, both ecologically and economically. DIFW has prioritized introducing more Mainers from all backgrounds to outdoor pursuits. Under the leadership of Commissioner Judy Camuso and her team, we have seen the effects of these efforts in many ways, in all corners of the state. While hunting license sales have declined nearly 10 percent nationally since 2018, they have jumped 7 percent in Maine over the same period. And while fishing license sales are stagnant nationally, they have increased over 6 percent in Maine. Maine boasts one of the nation’s highest participation rates of women in hunting and fishing. ~ Andy Beahm, Maine Audubon, and Kate Dempsey, The Nature Conservancy in Maine

Column: That loud bird is probably not a great blue heron

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 23, 2025

Somewhere in Maine, a few folks are about to get a big surprise. Nobody expects a sandhill crane to show up in their yard, until suddenly one does. Sandhill cranes are about the same size and shape as great blue herons. They both have long necks and long legs. The similarity ends there. Great blue herons nest in trees, often in colonies containing multiple nests. They feed almost exclusively on fish and other aquatic life. Sandhill cranes nest on the ground in marshy areas. They are omnivorous. Cranes fly with their necks straight out. Herons fly with their necks coiled in. Cranes stalk around fields. Herons pose motionless, waiting for unwary prey to approach them. As their population continues to grow, I expect them to keep showing up. Nonetheless, despite increasing numbers, sandhill cranes are still unusual in Maine. ~ Bob Duchesne

Janet Mills faces hecklers at Maine moose permit lottery drawing

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 23, 2025

Gov. Janet Mills was in her hometown of Farmington on Saturday to announce the winners of Maine’s annual moose hunt permit lottery, but the process became a bit testy when she encountered hecklers who booed and shouted at her. “We have daughters,” one member of the audience under a tent at the Farmington Fairgrounds shouted. “I have five daughters,” Mills said. “Stand up for them,” an attendee replied, as part of an apparent reference to Maine’s policies allowing transgender girls to compete in female sports that drew attention this year after President Donald Trump began targeting Maine over the matter.

Trump to rescind "Roadless Rule" which protects 58 million acres of forest land

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO • June 23, 2025

The Trump administration is rolling back a landmark conservation rule that prevents roadbuilding and logging on roughly 58 million acres of federal forest and wildlands including 6,000 ares in Maine in the White Mountains National Forest. The announcement rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule comes as the Forest Service is under orders by President Trump to increase logging.

Environmental advocates urge Congress to protect clean energy tax credits

MAINE PUBLIC • June 23, 2025

Environmental advocates are calling on Congress to preserve clean energy tax credits, which are facing severe cuts in the big, beautiful bill. Lucy Hochschartner with Maine Conservation Voters said uncertainty in Washington is already affecting Maine clean energy projects and jobs. "It targets wind, solar, battery and home energy upgrades that are helping millions of people save money and lower emissions here in Maine," she said. "Cean energy isn't just about climate. It's about jobs, it's about health and it's about keeping our energy dollars here at home." Hochschartner said the cuts would drive up Maine energy costs at a time when the state already has some of the highest energy prices in the country.

Portland voters may soon determine fate of huge coal pile along waterfront

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 23, 2025

A group says it has enough signatures to give Portland voters the chance to weigh in this fall on whether to limit coal piles in the city, targeting a 45,000-ton pile on a waterfront piece of land that has long raised complaints from neighbors. Coal Free Portland’s petition aims to bring “An Act to End Fugitive Coal Dust” to a referendum in November, which would allow city voters to decide on the pile removal. If passed, the move would require large coal piles to be permanently covered and eventually removed within the next few years. It would also seek to levy fines against entities or individuals not in compliance. Sierra Club volunteers who gathered signatures estimated that around 75% of voters they spoke to supported the petition, said David von Seggern, an outings leader who often walks by the pile in the West End.

Where in Maine are you most likely to get a dangerous tick bite?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 23, 2025

The epicenter of Maine’s tick problem is the Midcoast, according to researchers. In six years of operation, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension tick lab has tested more than 22,000 ticks from every corner of the state. They found ticks from Hancock, Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties are most likely to carry the pathogens that cause Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis — the three most common tick-borne illnesses in Maine. The Midcoast also has the most reported human cases of those illnesses and related hospitalizations.

Opponents want to buy the site of a rejected Blue Hill housing development

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 23, 2025

A group of Blue Hill residents opposed to a plan to subdivide and develop 38 acres of local blueberry barrens overlooking Salt Pond have come up with a plan to purchase the property. But it is not clear the developer is on board with the idea. Geoff Bowley, who owns the property and wants to convert it into nine house lots, submitted a proposal to the town last year, but Blue Hill’s Planning Board rejected his plan in April. A group of area residents called Save the Salt Pond Blueberry Barrens has opposed Bowley’s plans, citing the property’s scenic value and history of public access. A nonprofit development group said it has “reached an agreement” with Bowley to purchase the parcel for $1.8 million, which is roughly twice the amount that Bowley paid for it in 2023. The plan is to donate the land to Blue Hill Heritage Trust. The group’s goal is to raise $1.8 million over the next 18 months to repay the interest-free loan.

Maine braces for extreme heat as temperatures soar to season highs this week

CBS 13 • June 23, 2025

Maine will experience the hottest temperatures so far of the season over the next few days. An Extreme Heat Watch has been issued for parts of the state. This will go into effect Tuesday morning through Tuesday evening as high dew points and warm air temperatures combine to make it feel near 107 degrees.

Support for solar energy and offshore wind falls among Democrats and independents, poll says

ASSOCIATED PRESS • June 23, 2025

Americans’ support for green energy tax credits and renewable energies like wind and solar power has decreased in recent years, according to a new poll, driven by a softening in support from Democrats and independents. While Democrats remain the strongest supporters of these initiatives, the poll reveals signs of growing cynicism within their ranks. The poll results coincide with sweeping changes President Donald Trump’s Republican administration is making to regulations related to energy and climate change, including slashing the federal workforce in these departments. And although Democrats and independents have weakened their support for some green energy initiatives, there has not been an increase in support for Trump’s energy policies.

Commentary: Why Maine’s paradoxical approach to tribal sovereignty won’t work

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 23, 2025

Sweeping changes to the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act have failed. Instead, the governor, lawmakers and Wabanaki leaders have successfully made some targeted reforms. There’s a philosophical argument, known as Zeno’s dichotomy paradox, that essentially reasons if you are trying to reach a specific destination, and you go halfway there, again and again, you’ll never actually arrive at your end point. That seems to be the approach Maine officials are taking to tribal rights. Taking incremental steps toward sovereignty while refusing to step back and accept the totality of the landscape, tribal sovereignty for now remains an unreachable destination. 

Without explanation, EPA restores some grants for PFAS research in Maine

MAINE MORNING STAR • June 23, 2025

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency restored two of the three Maine-based grants for forever chemical research that it terminated this spring. Without explaining why, or first considering the researchers’ appeals, the EPA notified teams led by the Mi’kmaq Nation and the University of Maine that their grants have been reinstated this month, however the agency has yet to notify the Passamaquoddy Tribe about whether their grant will be restored. U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree said she was pleased to see the grants restored but that they shouldn’t have been terminated in the first place. “This is just one example of a much broader problem,” Pingree said. She pointed to other proposed cuts to environmental programs, such as a 55% funding cut to the EPA budget and the elimination of other PFAS grants that support cleanup and prevention efforts in vulnerable communities.

Maine solar company says tax credit changes could slow installations, force layoffs

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 23, 2025

Sam Zuckerman, owner of Brunswick-based Maine Solar Solutions, said the business has grown steadily over the last few years, buoyed in part by federal income tax reductions that cover nearly a third of a new residential solar system. Home systems can cost more than $20,000, meaning reductions can be five-digit sums. Those credits have existed for years and, under current law, aren’t slated to expire until the 2030s. But that could soon change with Congress’ budget reconciliation bill, which gives the incentives a new expiration date of about six months from now. Founded in 2013, the company now employs about 50 people. “We’re going to be facing layoffs,” Zuckerman said. “These are employees that we brought up and brought them into the trade.”

Letter: Demand that Maine’s senators protect Medicaid and clean air programs

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 23, 2025

As a retired asthma and allergy physician and a new grandmother, I am extremely concerned about a bill being considered in Congress that would devastate the Medicaid program and significantly cut programs that clean our air. All of the Medicaid policies that Congress is considering are cuts that will terminate health care coverage when people need it most. And cuts to clean air programs will worsen air quality, aggravating asthma attacks in kids. ~ Peggy Pennoyer, Scarborough

Deer and horse flies can ‘slash their way into your skin’

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 22, 2025

Emerging in full force mid-summer, deer flies and horse flies are among the most intimidating creatures in the Northeast. Their bites are painful, and once they’ve home in on a target, they’re nearly impossible to shake. When pest experts talk about these types of flies, it sounds like they’re discussing monsters or aliens from a Hollywood thriller. “Their mouthparts are described as knife-like or scissor-like,” said Jim Dill, a pest management specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. “They basically slash their way in[to your skin]. They have a saliva that acts as an anticoagulant. And when you start bleeding from the wound, they lap it up.” t’s only the female flies that bite.

I used to trap bears for research. Now I do it for meat.

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 22, 2025

In the spring of 2010, I walked up to sedate my first bear in a trap in Down East Maine. It was a 130-pound female that lunged toward me and woofed. It was intimidating, but thrilling. Today, 15 years later, it’s still exciting to see a bear in the woods. I love them all. The difference is that now when I walk up to a bear in a trap, it’s with my Henry .44 Mag, which I use to harvest that bear for meat. My respect for wildlife has only grown with time and exposure to their behaviors, habits and traits surrounding survival and reproduction. ~ Susan Bard