Lewiston mill eyed for $300M AI data center

SUN JOURNAL • December 11, 2025

Lewiston officials will be asked next week to green light a $300 million artificial intelligence data center at Bates Mill No. 3. City Administrator Bryan Kaenrath said the project is a win for the city given the tax revenue, job generation and potential for the project to put the city “on the map” in the technology sector. Large data centers needed for generative artificial intelligence systems typically require enormous amounts of electricity, potentially straining power grids. As the demand for such centers has grown, so have public concerns over water usage needed to cool the system and the overall impact to electricity ratepayers. Staff and the development team agreed that a potential data center in the heart of the Bates Mill district “must not adversely impact water quality, water supply, or environmental conditions; (must not) create local or regional power shortages; nor generate excessive noise or other nuisances.”

Maine awards first round of funding for voter-backed statewide trail program

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 11, 2025

Maine awarded the first round of funding for a new statewide trail support program that voters backed in late 2024. The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry announced Thursday that $7.5 million was awarded for projects that will improve trails for hiking, walking, snowmobile riding and more. The 44 projects that will receive the funding are spread throughout nearly all of Maine’s counties. The money comes from Maine Trails Program grants, which support the design, construction, and rehabilitation of trails throughout the state for outdoor recreation and active transportation. In November 2024, Maine voters approved a $30 million bond to support the program. 

Skowhegan voters approve River Park lease

CENTRAL MAINE • December 11, 2025

Voters on Wednesday gave the green light for town officials to sign off on a lease agreement for the River Park project decades in the making. The lease delegates nearly all of the financial responsibility and liability for the project to Main Street Skowhegan, a local economic revitalization nonprofit that has long spearheaded planning and fundraising efforts for the River Park and expects to manage its operations. It is one of the last steps needed before construction, slated for early next year, can begin, according to project organizers. The first phase of the River Park includes an adjustable whitewater surf and kayak wave, an access road into the river on the south side, and the first 4,500 square feet of riverfront boardwalk.

Northern Forest Canoe Trail Issues 25th Anniversary Book

NORTHERN FOREST CANOE TRAIL • December 11, 2025

In celebration of 25 years, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail has published a special anniversary coffee table book: 25 Years of Trail Tales. This book explores the canoe trail's origins, the history of our organization, our stewardship work and, of course, stories by thru-paddlers, day-trippers, racers, volunteers and more, all accompanied by beautiful photos of the woods and waters of the Northern Forest.

Maine exports to Canada down nearly 20%, with forest products hardest hit by tariffs

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 11, 2025

Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration contributed to a decline in Maine exports to Canada and fewer northern neighbors coming to visit the Pine Tree State this year. Overall, exports from Maine to Canada are down nearly 20%, according to the Maine International Trade Center. Natural resources including pulp, paper, lobster and salmon are leading the decline, but there are also losses in manufacturing. Canadian tourism fell from 7% of all visitors to the state in 2024 to just 4% in this year. President Donald Trump has argued that one goal of the tariffs is to encourage domestic manufacturing and the purchasing of American-made products. A recent survey from Pan Atlantic Research found that nearly a third of Mainers believe that tariffs are bad for the state because they drive up costs and hurt businesses.

Letter: Boycott the new symbols of white privilege

SUN JOURNAL • December 11, 2025

The Trump administration is institutionalizing racism everywhere, even resorting to Jim Crow tactics. As recently reported (“National Park Service drops free admission on MLK Day”), no longer will there be free admission on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth. There will be free admission for Donald Trump’s birthday, however (June 14). Trump recently spent the weekend attacking Somalis with unhinged racism. All this follows his life of racist practices in real estate — all the way to the White House. On Trump’s birthday, let’s boycott national parks, the Kennedy Center and other institutions that have been reborn as symbols of white privilege. ~ Paul Josephson, Vinalhaven

Why some Maine towns decide to dissolve themselves

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 11, 2025

Two Maine municipalities are taking votes within the next week to continue the deorganizing process — Maxfield in Penobscot County and Highland Plantation in Somerset County. Deorganizing is the process to formally eliminate a town government and join Maine’s unorganized territory through 12 steps that can take up to two years to complete. When a town dissolves itself, the remaining services citizens receive are split between the county and the state. Many small towns across the state with low populations suffer from limited resident participation, both in filling positions and voting in local elections, which can make local government stagnant and ineffective. Thin budgets and escalating costs hurt local services while declining populations cannot raise enough money to keep them operating.

Here’s why you might see photos of deer in Maine real estate listings

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 11, 2025

Many sellers and real estate agents include photos of wild animals — either from a game camera or photos the sellers captured — in online property listings. The practice is one method sellers use to make their Maine homes stand out and attract buyers who may come from urban areas and are looking for a more rural place. Having wildlife nearby and the photos to prove it can make a home a “lifestyle property.” Some people relocate to Maine because they want plenty of land and access to the wildlife that come with it. Wildlife can appeal to animal lovers. But photos of deer, moose, turkey or other game also can entice avid hunters.

Maine lawmakers hear from forest products industries on the impacts of tariffs on Canadian imports

MAINE PUBLIC • December 10, 2025

The effect of 10% tariffs on Canadian wood imports was the subject of a public hearing before the state's Maine-Canadian Legislative Advisory Commission Wednesday. Dana Doran, executive director of the Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast, says his members are struggling to stay afloat. Collin Beal, a Woodland Pulp mill contractor, says tariffs and a downturn in the overall global market contributed to a recent shutdown of the mill.

Public lands group files suit over new national park pass that features Trump

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 10, 2025

A public lands advocacy group sued the Trump administration in federal court Wednesday over the inclusion of President Donald Trump’s face on the forthcoming National Park annual pass. The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit that alleges the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture violated the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, which requires department officials to feature an image on the annual pass chosen from a public photo contest. CBD Executive Director Kierán Suckling said, “Blotting out the majesty of America’s national parks with a closeup of his own face is Trump’s crassest, most ego-driven action yet.” 

Trump administration tags $700 million for regenerative farming

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 10, 2025

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will spend $700 million to support regenerative agriculture as part of the Make America Healthy Again agenda, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Wednesday. The USDA pilot program for regenerative agriculture — a conservation management approach centered on improving the health of soil and increasing biodiversity — enacts part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s September “Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy,” which offered more than 120 recommendations for addressing childhood chronic diseases.  

American Forests gets $325,000 gift from Tom’s of Maine

MAINE ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS • December 10, 2025

The stated mission of the organization American Forests is to “create healthy and resilient forests, from cities to large natural landscapes, that deliver essential benefits for climate, people, water and wildlife. We advance our mission through forestry innovation, place-based partnerships to plant and restore forests, and movement building. Since our founding in 1875, we have been the pathfinders for creating healthy forests from coast to coast. For example, we championed the creation of the U.S. Forest Service.” American Forests has received a $325,000 gift from Tom’s of Maine.

As NOAA funding lags, a critical ocean weather system nears a breaking point

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 10, 2025

Years of underfunding and new delays in federal grantmaking threaten buoys and ocean monitoring assets run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that protect fishermen, cargo ships and endangered species across the country. With key grant deadlines now passed and new awards still pending, regional operators warn that some of those services could go dark at the peak of hurricane season. While the Gulf of Maine has lost a number of buoys, those that remain aren’t being serviced frequently enough. Buoys that should be serviced five times a year may see only a single visit.

Letter: Alarmed by EPA’s pesticide approvals

SUN JOURNAL • December 10, 2025

On Nov. 20, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the pesticide isocycloseram for use on foods such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, legumes, tree nuts, peanuts, coffee and sugar cane as well as for lawns and golf courses. Isocycloseram contains PFAS, a highly persistent chemical that is harmful to humans and extremely toxic to bees. EPA is also considering three more PFAS pesticides as well as cancelling the National Primary Drinking Water Regulations. Under President Trump, EPA’s pesticide office is now run by two former lobbyists for the American Chemistry Council — Nancy Beck and Lynn Dekleva — and one former lobbyist for the pro-pesticide American Soybean Association, Kyle Kunkler. ~ Kathy Kellison, Windsor

Maine Huts & Trails launches free guided winter outdoor programs

DAILY BULLDOG • December 9, 2025

As winter settles in, Maine Huts & Trails is inviting community members to embrace the season through a series of free guided winter outdoor programs designed to make nature accessible, enjoyable, and safe for everyone on the Maine Huts trail network. Beginning on January 3rd, the nonprofit organization will offer a rotating schedule of expert-led free outings, including snowshoeing treks, cross-country skiing, family-friendly nature explorations, and a fat bike ride.

Maine AG praises ruling declaring Trump’s offshore wind halt unlawful

MAINE MORNING STAR • December 9, 2025

A federal judge on Monday agreed with more than a dozen states that early actions from the Trump administration to halt offshore wind development were unlawful. On day one of his second term President Donald Trump issued an executive order that froze permitting for offshore wind and asked for a federal review of the process. That order was challenged in court by seventeen states, including Maine. The states argued they would be harmed by the pause because of the investments their governments had already made into wind developments and the potential to jeopardize future energy supply. In a statement Tuesday, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said he was grateful the court agreed that the Trump administration overstepped with the executive order. “Whatever the federal administration’s position is on wind power, it does not have the right to arbitrarily ban development of this sustainable energy resource,” Frey said,.

Falmouth to pay for half of new land trust parcel

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 9, 2025

Forty-two acres of woods and wetlands in Falmouth near Highland Lake are on track to be preserved. On Monday, the Falmouth Town Council unanimously authorized the town to allocate $192,000 toward the Falmouth Land Trust’s acquisition of a parcel off Babbidge Road, called Babbidge Woods. Falmouth last helped the land trust acquire property a decade ago with the purchase of Hurricane Valley Farm. Both the Town Council and Plavsic noted that as the years pass, conserving land in Falmouth becomes more challenging. In 2007, Falmouth voters approved $5 million in appropriations for open space acquisition and has since spent $2 million on land conservation.

Letter: Thanks for Susan Collins for voting to protect ANWR

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • December 9, 2025

I would like to extend a sincere thank you to Sen. Susan Collins for voting to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In a vote on Thursday, she broke ranks with her party to vote “no” on H.J.Res. 131. This resolution stripped away protections for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, America’s largest wildlife preserve. While the bill did pass, 49-45 (6 did not vote), I am proud to say that the only Republican senator to break rank, to try and protect my interests, is from my state. ~ Clayton Wilson, Searsmont

Maine Calling: Getting Outside in Wintertime

MAINE PUBLIC • December 9, 2025

As cold as it gets in Maine, there are still plenty of reasons to get outdoors and embrace the season. There are activities for all ages, from snowboarding to birdwatching. Plus, just being outdoors in the brisk, fresh air has benefits for overall well-being. Even taking a quick dip in icy water can be good for you. Panelists: Courtney Holub, executive director, WinterKids; Jeff McCabe, director, Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation; Dr. Tony Owens, attending physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Maine Medical Center; longtime participant in the Polar Dip & Dash. VIP Callers: Brian Lenberg, donor and events manager, Maine Adaptive; Jill McMahon, program manager, Teens to Trails.

Opinion: Short-term thinking is not the approach we need on climate change

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 9, 2025

We feel frustrated, angry, powerless and “stupefied” by the chaos surrounding climate change: hostile politics, coverups, lies, misinformation and conversations stymied by disagreement. Cutting through the noise can help us leave confusion behind, bypass roadblocks and solve our climate problems. We have the necessary knowledge (climate data and scientific consensus on causes, effects and solutions) and technical tools (alternative energy sources, mitigation and adaptation technologies and systems thinking). Moreover, we — as individuals and as a species — can capitalize on our untapped abilities and capacities for successful climate action. We think about our long-term future (but only sometimes), make wise decisions (when we really try), collaborate (when seeing the need) and make changes that forge better futures than the ones we’re heading toward (when we initiate action and keep eyes on the prize). ~ Tom Bateman, Rockport, professor emeritus, University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce