Opinion: Maine is choking its future. It’s time to loosen the grip

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • September 28, 2025

Maine’s regulations are some of the tightest in the nation. Look at zoning, which jacks up housing costs, or environmental rules that, while well-meaning, make it near impossible to build anything new. When our renewable energy mandates drive up electricity bills and slow down development, we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. We’re stuck leaning on lumber and seafood — great industries, but we’ve lost more than we’ve gained over the years. Why? Because it’s too damn hard to innovate here. Other states are building tech hubs and industrial parks while we’re tangled in permits and debates over lot sizes. We need to streamline permitting, cut back on zoning rules, offer tax breaks for small businesses. ~ Theo Daikh, Portland

9 hikes with the best fall foliage views in Maine

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 27, 2025

The black flies and mosquitoes are gone, along with summer vacationers. The air is crisp and fresh; and leaves are turning magnificent hues of red, orange, gold and yellow. Autumn is the perfect time to hike in Maine. So, wrap yourself in hunter’s orange (just to be safe). Pack some extra layers of clothing and a thermos of hot cider. And check out some of these particularly beautiful trails this fall. ~ Aislinn Sarnacki
• Tumbledown Mountain, Weld
• Walden-Parke Preserve, Bangor
• Blue Hill Mountain, Blue Hill
• Ferry Beach State Park, Saco
• Schoodic Mountain, near Sullivan
• Sanders Hill, Rome
• Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park, Freeport
• Green Lake Nature Trails, Ellsworth
• Precipice Trail, Acadia National Park

2 tons of wood pellets fall on man at Strong manufacturing plant

SUN JOURNAL • September 26, 2025

A man was injured late Thursday night when about two tons of wood fuel pellets fell on him at Lignetics of Maine at 30 Norton Hill Road in Strong. He was taken by ambulance to a Farmington hospital. The Lignetics plant can produce 93,000 tons of wood fuel pellets a year,

Fayette taking action against invasive plant threat

LIVERMORE FALLS ADVERTISER • September 26, 2025

Local officials have been working with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the 30 Mile River Watershed Association to prevent invasive swollen bladderwort from spreading from Tilton Pond to other lakes and ponds in the region. Swollen bladderwort (Utricularia inflata) forms dense floating mats, crowds out native species and has been spreading in Maine’s lakes and ponds.

Acadia National Park removes educational signs about climate change, Indigenous history

MAINE PUBLIC • September 25, 2025

Educational signs at Maine's Acadia National Park containing information on climate change, ecology and Native American history have been removed. The information had asked hikers to help protect the fragile ecosystem by staying on trails and not picking berries, detailed how rising seas and intense storms due to climate change impact the park, and encouraged visitors to help avoid emissions by using the park's Island Explorer bus. Others explained the cultural and spiritual significance of Cadillac Mountain for the Wabanaki people. When reached for comment, Interior Department Deputy Press Secretary Aubrie Spady called the removed signage "brainless fear-mongering rhetoric used to steal taxpayer dollars."

Column: Purchase of Kennebec dams is worth celebrating

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 25, 2025

News that The Nature Conservancy will purchase four Kennebec River dams to restore free-flowing water and Atlantic salmon habitat is certainly historic. Whether it merits celebration depends on variables not yet known. The $168 million deal with the dams’ owner, Brookfield Renewable, announced Tuesday, is complex and, due to myriad federal regulations on decommissioning and numerous concerns about how dam removal will actually proceed, will not be consummated for years. It’s a breathtaking prospect, to be sure. Even with doubts and question marks, the initiative is worth at least two cheers. It represents hope for a better future, something in extremely short supply just now. And it’s part of a great Maine tradition to live off the land, but to live with it as well. ~ Douglas Rooks

Letter: Maine’s leaders need to put people ahead of polluters

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 25, 2025

Here in Maine, our most common climate disasters will be heavy rain, stormwater and coastal flooding, and increased electricity and fuel costs for heating and cooling. Families are also facing higher insurance premiums, soaring food costs and mounting health bills. Meanwhile, the fossil fuel companies driving this crisis are raking in record profits — without paying a dime toward the damage they have caused. It doesn’t have to be this way. The Polluters Pay Climate Fund Act in Congress would require Big Oil to contribute just a small share of profits to a federal fund. That climate fund would help rebuild communities after disasters, protect frontline neighborhoods and invest in resilience so we’re better prepared for the next storm, flood or fire. ~ Kate Jackson, Portland

Governor's office launches Maine's new Department of Energy Resources

MAINE PUBLIC • September 24, 2025

Wednesday marks the official creation of Maine's new Department of Energy Resources. Maine joins over 40 other states across the nation with a department specifically dedicated to energy planning and sourcing. The new cabinet-level department will be a permanent continuation of the work done by the Governor's Energy Office. Current office director Dan Burgess will lead the department as Acting Commissioner. Supporters of the move say this new authority will help the state move faster to pursue clean, cost-effective energy sources.

5 takeaways on the Kennebec River dam sale

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 24, 2025

While the Nature Conservancy and Brookfield Renewable Energy agreed to a sale earlier this month, it’s not expected to be finalized for 10 to 12 months. The Nature Conservancy still needs to raise about $30 million to fund the purchase price, transaction fees and the establishment of a new nonprofit, the Kennebec River Restoration Trust, to administer the decommissioning and removal of the four dams. The Nature Conservancy is buying the four dams to decommission and remove them, with the aim of restoring those sea-running fish populations. The Nature Conservancy said it was “100% committed to developing a solution with Sappi that fully addresses the Somerset Mill’s long-term water system needs,” and that any dam removal scenario would protect the mill’s future. A day after The Nature Conservancy’s announcement, much remains unclear about the sale and its wide-reaching impacts.

This midcoast preserve is a fantastic fall foliage hike

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2025

The forest at the Richard S. Hodson Preserve and Rheault Trail in Camden is filled with red oaks, bigtooth aspens and sugar maples. But what makes it a truly great foliage spot is the trail that travels through blueberry barrens to the top of Howe Hill. Blueberry plants turn bright red in the fall. And the hilltop offers open views of nearby Bald and Hatchet mountains, as well as Camden Hills State Park. The property is owned and managed by Coastal Mountains Land Trust.

Who’s responsible for maintaining the road to Tumbledown Mountain?

SUN JOURNAL • September 23, 2025

Questions still linger over who is going to maintain Byron Road in Township 6 north of Weld, which is the gateway to Tumbledown Mountain, a popular hiking area in Franklin County. The road, which local officials say features a large and expanding hole, is in the unorganized territory but responsibility to fix it has fallen to Franklin County. However, the county does not have a single taxpayer living on the road, so commissioners have asked the Bureau of Parks and Lands to help maintain it.

Historic sale of dams clears the way for salmon to return to the Kennebec River

MAINE MONITOR • September 23, 2025

The Nature Conservancy on Tuesday announced a landmark investment worth $168 million to purchase and oversee Brookfield Renewable’s four hydroelectric dams on the lower Kennebec River, paving the way for their eventual removal. The sale all but guarantees unfettered access for endangered Atlantic salmon and other seagoing fish from the Gulf of Maine to their historic spawning grounds upstream on the Sandy River for the first time since the Kennebec River was permanently dammed more than a century ago. The four dams are located in and between Waterville and Skowhegan and are the last impediments between the mouth of the Kennebec River and its confluence with the Sandy River near Norridgewock. 

The Ecology School in Saco launches statewide program to bring learning outside

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 23, 2025

The Outdoor School for All Maine Students program launched last week at The Ecology School in Saco, hosting seventh-grade students from Sanford Middle School for a three-day outdoor learning program. Drew Dumsch, president and CEO of The Ecology School, said the school’s goal is to provide outdoor learning to 14,000 students a year. “Our goal is that every kid in Maine gets to come to an outdoor school program,” Dumsch said. Outdoor School for All Maine Students is an initiative that allows Maine schools to send their students to overnight programs at outdoor schools across Maine.

Large data center could come to Wiscasset

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 23, 2025

Wiscasset officials are considering whether to allow the construction of a large data center near a shuttered nuclear energy plant. A site assessor approached the town about the possibility of building a center on town-owned property next to the former Maine Yankee Atomic Energy Plant, but the idea is in “its earliest stages,” the town said Tuesday. The town has not named the assessor or the company behind the potential development.

4 Kennebec River dams to be sold to Nature Conservancy

CENTRAL MAINE • September 23, 2025

The Nature Conservancy has announced plans to buy four Kennebec River dams from Brookfield Renewable Energy in a move that could reshape the ecology and economy of one of the state’s largest watersheds. The environmental group and international energy heavyweight announced Tuesday they signed sale agreement Sept. 15, totaling $168 million. The Nature Conservancy has already raised $138 million for the sale and plans to collect the remaining funds to close the sale within the next 10 to 12 months. The Nature Conservancy plans to form a nonprofit, the Kennebec River Restoration Trust, to administer the dams and oversee their decommissioning and removal over the next several years, in partnership with local leaders. TNC plans to restore the Kennebec River to its pre-dam state.

Trump Cancels Trail, Bike-Lane Grants Deemed ‘Hostile’ to Cars

BLOOMBERG • September 22, 2025

The Trump administration canceled grants for street safety measures, pedestrian trails and bike lanes in communities around the country this month, each time offering a simple rationale for yanking back federal aid: the projects aren’t designed for cars. President Donald Trump has made no secret of his quest to undo the policies of Joe Biden, including rescinding funding for projects involving electric vehicle charging and clean energy. But the wave of cancellations issued Sept. 9 by the DOT demonstrates just how determined the administration is to promote the use of single-occupancy vehicles in cities and towns – and to thwart local governments’ attempts to develop other ways for residents to get around.

UMF continues to help grow Maine outdoor recreation economy and workforce

RANGELEY HIGHLANDER • September 23, 2025

The University of Maine at Farmington, in partnership with Maine Outdoor Brands, is inviting members of the public to an afternoon of free outdoor recreation career information and networking opportunities. The UMF “Ascend to Your Career Summit” events will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 1, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in The Landing in the UMF Olsen Student Center. Students and members of the public will be able to speak directly with representatives of Maine’s four-season outdoor recreation employers.

Before loss of federal incentives, Maine regulators greenlight new hydro, solar energy projects

MAINE MORNING STAR • September 23, 2025

Amid federal efforts to scale-back clean energy incentives, utility regulators in Maine approved five new renewable energy projects. Details about the projects, including the name of the bidder, will be announced in the coming weeks after contracts are finalized, the commission said.

Letter: Maine’s farmers’ markets should put farmers first

CENTRAL MAINE • September 23, 2025

I recently applied to participate in the Brunswick winter farmers market. To my surprise, I was denied entry — not because my farm products failed to meet any quality standards, but because decisions were made based on personal popularity rather than agricultural contribution. A bakery was selected over a working farm, and it became clear that farmers were not being prioritized at a farmers market. If we want to preserve family farms, protect farmland and ensure the next generation has access to real, local food, we need to make sure farmers markets put farmers first. Otherwise, we risk turning them into little more than weekend social clubs, while those of us in the fields and barns continue to struggle unseen. ~ Amie Flesh, Brickhouse Farm, Buckfield