‘The Silence is Deafening’: Advocates pan Sen. Collins’ inaction on Trump’s climate cuts

MAINE MORNING STAR • March 25, 2026

Sen. Susan Collins continues to back some climate and environmental efforts, but she has largely stood by during the Trump administration’s all-out assault on federal climate and clean energy policy. When the Department of Energy released a so-called “critical review” of climate science by five hand-picked climate skeptics—Collins did not speak out. Nor did she publicly oppose the EPA’s move to repeal the endangerment finding underlying all current federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. Or any of the administration’s many moves to block already permitted offshore wind developments, including in New England. “The silence is deafening,” said Jesse Lee, a senior advisor to the nonprofit group Climate Power.

Opinion: Land for Maine’s Future fund needs to be replenished

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 24, 2026

The Land for Maine’s Future (LMF) program was established in 1987 as the state’s primary funding source for protecting the outdoor spaces that we all love. By conserving over 650,000 acres of land and working waterfronts, supporting traditional industries like farming and fishing, and securing public recreational access, the LMF program works not only to protect the environment but also Mainers’ ways of life. Nearly all of the $40 million allocated to LMF in 2021 has been spent or obligated, yet there is still much land to protect in our state. Maine has experienced unprecedented development pressure since the pandemic, putting farmland at risk, limiting waterfront access and making it harder to enjoy the special places. ~ Jane Brekke, Sierra Club Maine

Snowmobiler who ran over trees at Dayton nursery subject of $2,000 reward

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 24, 2026

Officials are seeking information about a snowmobiler who caused more than $20,000 in damage at a York County nursery. Someone riding a snowmobile between Feb. 26 and 28 left a marked trail and went through a roped-off area before they ran over small trees and saplings at Pierson Nurseries in Dayton. About $21,000 in damages was caused, the department said, and a $2,000 reward is being offered in exchange for information that leads to the arrest of the person responsible.

Maine listened to farmers and confronted the PFAS crisis

MAINE MORNING STAR • March 24, 2026

“Inescapable: Facing Up to Forever Chemicals” (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2026) by F. Marina Schauffler reminds us that rural communities, often overlooked, can lead the way in confronting the defining environmental challenges of our time. People across the country have been poisoned by PFAS, also called “forever chemicals,” for decades. But one state has responded like no other. Farmers and communities in Maine—one of the most rural states in the country—have demonstrated unparalleled leadership in the forever chemical crisis.

Trump administration will pay $1B to block 2 offshore wind farms

MAINE MORNING STAR • March 24, 2026

The U.S. government will pay a French energy firm nearly $1 billion to cancel its plans to build a pair of wind farms off the East Coast, the Trump administration announced Monday in its latest move to stymie offshore wind. The French firm TotalEnergies will forfeit its leases for the projects, with the United States paying $928 million to reimburse what the company initially spent on the leases. Under the deal, TotalEnergies will reinvest that money into oil and gas projects.

Before Trump axed clean energy sector, report shows it was a boon for jobs in Maine

MAINE MORNING STAR • March 24, 2026

The clean energy sector in Maine grew in 2024 — employing more than 16,000 workers, making it New England’s fastest-growing clean energy workforce in recent years, according to a new state analysis. In 2024, the clean energy sector added 100 new businesses and 614 jobs. Those jobs represent a 4% increase from 2023, a higher rate than Maine’s overall job growth. The state’s clean energy economy contributed $3 billion in 2024. But since last January, the federal government has eliminated federal tax breaks for energy efficiency improvements to homes and businesses, and tax breaks for electric vehicles. There have been delays and court battles over changes to wind and solar programs — including the cancellation of $62 million to Maine as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Solar For All Program. 

Opinion: Maine can protect its lakes, farms and bottle bill all at the same time

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 24, 2026

The bottle bill works because regular people take part in it. Which is why the current debate in Augusta about LD 2141 is worth paying attention to. The bill would direct a portion of unclaimed, or unredeemed, bottle deposits to two things Maine desperately needs: protecting lake water quality and helping preserve working farmland. The proposal would invest in the Lake Water Quality Restoration and Protection Fund and the Maine Working Farmland Access and Protection Program. Even after those investments, at least two-thirds of the unclaimed deposits would still stay in the redemption system. But if you listen to beverage distributors, you’d think the whole system might collapse if a portion of that money goes somewhere else. ~ Russell Voss, Gray

Opinion: Running out of options for wastewater sludge

TIMES RECORD • March 23, 2026

Maine has a sewage sludge problem. A byproduct of wastewater treatment, sludge has to be disposed of somehow. However, our sole disposal option is quickly becoming untenable and we have no backup plan in place. Until recently, most of Maine’s nutrient-rich sludge was destined for land application. Following the discovery that this practice was contaminating soil and water with PFAS, Maine banned land application in 2022. Therefore, landfilling is Maine’s single sludge-disposal option. This is deeply problematic. Long-haul transportation is expensive. Rotting sludge emits the potent greenhouse gas methane, accelerating climate change. PFAS-laden, wet sludge may leach contaminants into local soil, groundwater and water bodies. And we are fast running out of in-state landfill space. We need a sustainable plan of action. ~ David Conwell, Citizens’ Climate Lobby

Northport to vote on banning RV parks in response to controversial blueberry barren development

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 23, 2026

Amid concerns that a scenic blueberry barren could be turned into an RV resort, Northport’s Select Board voted Monday at an overflowing meeting to put to a town vote a 180-day moratorium on new commercial campgrounds and RV resorts. A Massachusetts couple, Michael Ruggiero and Ariel Savitz, want to build the resort on a piece of land on Beech Hill Road that is popular with hikers, stargazers and photographers. The resort could eventually include up to 80 sites, glamping domes and spaces for wellness retreats. The moratorium would give the town time to draft regulations, which would then need to be approved at a future town meeting.

Maine renews attempt to expand state landfill

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 23, 2026

Maine regulators have once again cleared the way for an expansion of the state-owned landfill, the latest chapter in the legal tug of war that pits Maine’s waste disposal needs against the environmental rights of the Penobscot Nation. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection issued its revised public benefit determination Monday, approving a 61-acre expansion of the Old Town facility that is 2 miles from the Penobscot Reservation at Indian Island. The move follows a legal challenge that saw a Penobscot County Superior Court judge temporarily halt the project in January, ordering regulators to “more thoroughly” consider the cumulative environmental impacts on the tribe.

DEP again gives initial approval for Juniper Ridge Landfill expansion

MAINE MORNING STAR • March 23, 2026

For the second time, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection has found that expanding the Juniper Ridge Landfill would benefit the public. The department issued a second positive public benefit determination Monday after a judge struck down the first determination earlier this year. “The court couldn’t have been clearer: look at the full picture – the pollution, the history, the cumulative harm,” Nora Bosworth, a staff attorney at Conservation Law Foundation, said in a press release after the decision. “Instead, DEP has once again treated environmental justice as a checkbox rather than a commitment to the people the law was meant to protect.” 

Juniper Ridge Landfill can expand, state says again after judge orders reconsideration 4

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 23, 2026

The Juniper Ridge Landfill can expand, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection decided for a second time — but a judge must sign off first. A new public benefit determination allows the Old Town landfill to expand, the Conservation Law Foundation said Monday. The foundation and Penobscot Nation sued the Maine DEP in November 2024 over the proposed expansion. The department had to reconsider allowing the expansion after a judge ruled in January that the Maine DEP did not complete “critical” fact finding during the public benefit determination. The Maine DEP decided Oct. 2, 2024, there is a public benefit to the expansion and expanding the landfill is not inconsistent with environmental justice.

Service restored after Lewiston water main break causes flooding, boil order

SUN JOURNAL • March 22, 2026

A water main break Sunday morning in Lewiston on Orange Street has caused flooding of the streets and residential homes and prompted the city to issue a boil water order. As city officials worked to address the break, school in Lewiston on Monday has been canceled. The main was fixed and service restored, according to a city press release sent around 8 a.m. Monday. Water quality was tested Sunday night, and more information should be released Monday afternoon, the city said.

Five fun things to do in South Portland

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 23, 2026

Hannah Holmes once wrote a book about her South Portland backyard. “Suburban Safari: A Year on the Lawn” was a study in urban ecology — very close to home. A science writer-turned-real estate agent, Holmes understands why so many of her clients want to live there. She recommended things to do in South Portland. “Spring Point is such a cool spot. It’s so atmospheric. There’s these huge granite block fortifications right on the water, and you can peek out the little gun slips and look right into the ocean. It just takes you back in time. There’s a little beach there where dogs can jump in the water to cool off in the summer, and there’s the breakwater that goes all the way out to Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, so without a boat, you can really get right out into Casco Bay.”

Opinion: The time to support Land for Maine’s Future is now

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 23, 2026

While it’s well known that our publicly accessible lands and waters are a proven ingredient in building healthy lives, healthy communities and a healthy economy, our state’s most effective tool for bringing more of these benefits to more Mainers has run dry. Launched in 1987, Land for Maine’s Future has been a truly nonpartisan success story, protecting more than 300 places for their natural and recreational values in all 16 of Maine’s counties. Land for Maine’s Future was last funded in 2021 after nearly a decade of inactivity and all the funding from 2021 has already been allocated to a backlog of projects. While there are multiple proposals currently in our Legislature that will fund Land for Maine’s Future at some level, none of them will come to fruition without our broad and vocal support. ~ Betsy Cook, Trust for Public Land, and Jenny Kordick, Maine Outdoor Brands

Opinion: A stable plan for electricity rates is what Maine’s cities and towns need

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • March 23, 2026

Stable prices and dependable service help people plan their lives, allow businesses to operate with confidence and give communities a sense of security. But today, families, towns and local businesses are facing rising costs and more frequent severe weather. That makes it even more important for the electric grid, a system we all rely on every day, to strike the right balance between keeping electricity affordable and ensuring the power stays on. Maine needs timely decisions and a clear electricity rate plan that allow necessary work to move forward without long delays, while also keeping costs stable for Mainers. Predictable planning keeps costs steadier, improves reliability and helps ensure the electric system is safe, dependable and ready for the future. ~ Alexander C. MacPhail, Biddeford Saco Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Waterville man pushes referendum to loosen backyard chicken rules

CENTRAL MAINE • March 23, 2026

Leo St. Peter says the city’s rules for keeping chickens are too restrictive and voters should be able to decide whether to loosen them. He’s trying to collect enough petition signatures from residents to put the matter to a referendum. “I’m bringing 20 dozen eggs with me every time I go out,” he said. “Everybody who signs the petition will get a free egg.” St. Peter, 57, acknowledged he was speaking tongue-in-cheek about giving away eggs while collecting signatures (he knows doing so could be illegal), but he is trying to make a point. The City Council took an initial vote Tuesday to maintain the city’s required lot size for keeping six chickens at 8,000 square feet, which is about a fifth of an acre. St. Peter had asked it to be reduced to 5,000 square feet, or a little more than a tenth of an acre. Councilors must take a second vote to finalize the matter.

Letter: Maine needs agriculture and forestry bond

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 23, 2026

My family’s company, Treeline, Inc. was founded in 1981 and is a diversified, second-generation logging and forest trucking business that supports over 100 families. Businesses like Treeline, Inc., depend on reliable local markets for wood. When mills close or reduce capacity, the impact is felt by loggers and their families immediately, in rural parts of the state, which aren’t blessed with diversity of opportunity. Like all other logging businesses, we are facing rising costs. Markets have also been reduced and we are being paid less for the products that we produce. Economics are simply not in our favor, but a $40 million bond being considered at the Legislature will help companies like ours reinvest for the future in face of strong headwinds. I urge all Maine Legislators to please support the agriculture, forestry, and food producers bond. ~ Whitney Goodman, Lincoln

Maine's clean energy jobs sector grew again in 2024

MAINE PUBLIC • March 22, 2026

Maine's clean energy sector employed nearly 16,200 workers in 2024 according to a new state report, adding to the thousands of jobs created in energy efficiency, renewable energy and other industries in recent years. The sector grew faster in Maine between 2020-2024 than any other New England state. The report reflects Maine's industry before President Donald Trump's second term during which the administration has tried to block renewable energy development and stripped federal tax breaks to make homes and businesses more energy efficient.