The New “Hot” Issue: Home Heating Bills Spiking Due to the Iran War

THE NEW REPUBLIC • September 23, 2026

On Tuesday, the House Majority PAC released an ad slamming Paul LePage, the Republican candidate running against Democrat Matt Dunlap in Maine’s 2nd congressional district. “LePage supports a foreign war that’s sending gas and oil prices in Maine through the roof,” the ad says. Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson’s campaign tied heating oil prices to Senator Susan Collins in a statement to The New Republic: “Susan Collins has spent decades selling out Mainers by supporting an agenda that raises their energy costs, dismantling programs aimed at lowering prices, signing off on Trump’s war that’s jacking up the cost of heating oil as Mainers schedule their tank fill-ups for winter,” said a campaign spokesperson.

EPA waives Wilton’s $273,000 match for water main project

SUN JOURNAL • September 23, 2026

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved Wilton’s request to waive a $273,000 local match for a water main upgrade backed by $1.09 million in federal funding. The agency said Wilton qualified under financial capacity criteria used for the Community Grants Program. Communities where at least 11.7% of residents receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits may request a waiver. EPA said 13.9% of Wilton’s population receives SNAP benefits and verified the town’s supporting documentation before approving the request.

Opinion: Maine’s outdoor recreation economy relies on access to gear

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 23, 2026

Outdoor recreation is a key piece of Maine’s economic vitality. Over the last decade, our state’s outdoor recreation economy has nearly doubled, generating almost $4 billion per year. While growth has not stalled, it is slowing. In order to keep up the momentum, we must prioritize affordable access to the outdoors. One of the best ways to overcome our current barriers is to increase equitable access to outdoor equipment, from canoes and fishing rods to sleeping bags and hiking boots. What makes Maine’s outdoor recreation economy extraordinary is the opportunity to try and learn an activity and be hooked for life. That’s the economy we need to protect for the future. ~ Jeff McCabe, Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation.

Inland Woods + Trails celebrates land donation to Rumford Community Forest

SUN JOURNAL • September 23, 2026

Inland Woods + Trails celebrated on Sept. 19 the donation of 52 acres to the Rumford Community Forest, a permanently protected, nearly 500-acre natural and recreational area at 161 Isthmus Road. Gabe Perkins, executive director of Inland Woods + Trails, said the tract will be called the Lucy and Christy Pachios Woods in honor of the couple whose family donated the land.

Norway Paris Solid Waste board calls for forensic audit as $100K turns up missing

ADVERTISER DEMOCRAT • September 23, 2026

Directors of Norway Paris Solid Waste board voted Sept. 22 to pursue a forensic audit of its books after a review found that more than $100,000 is missing. The board of directors is working to remedy years of poor financial oversight after discovering missing grant funds, bank accounts closed without authorization and account statements that do not match balance sheets, among other discrepancies.

Lobster processor’s waste overwhelms Bucksport water treatment plant

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2026

An area lobster dealer’s processing facility has strained the limits of Bucksport’s wastewater treatment plant for more than a year, leading the town to require the company to improve its own treatment. Greenhead Lobster, a Stonington-based dealer that is among Maine’s largest, opened its 15,000-square-foot processing plant in Bucksport’s industrial park in 2019. By 2025, it was handling up to 40,000 pounds a day as market demand shifts toward frozen and processed products, rather than whole live lobster.

Waterfront property values just spiked 200% in this Maine town

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 23, 2026

Waterfront property values in Greenville have jumped 205% on average after the lakefront community’s first market adjustment in decades. The increase is pushing up tax bills for many property owners in the Piscataquis County town that has a mix of multimillion-dollar homes and more modest ones surrounding Moosehead Lake, an area where home values have surged since the onset of the pandemic. “The whole Moosehead Lake region is exploding,” Town Manager Mike Roy said.

Patagonia announces 11.2 Million Vote Project

PATAGONIA • September 22, 2026

Patagonia has a plan to reach millions of environmentalists who did not vote in the 2024 U.S. General Election. There are 90 million acres of public land at threat across the U.S, and 11.2 million registered-to-vote environmentalists did not vote in the 2024 election. The outdoor apparel business will ask its U.S. customers and community to encourage friends and family to make a plan to vote in the upcoming midterms. Participants who get three people to create a plan to vote will earn a $100 credit to redeem on patagonia.com or in a Patagonia retail store, or they can opt for Patagonia to donate $100 to the League of Conservation Voters. If the 11.2 Million Vote Project is successful, 112,000 people will get $100 off their Patagonia order or make a $100 donation. This means Patagonia is committing up to $11.2 million to help its community engage their friends and family to make a plan to vote. The program could reach 336,000 people

Maine joins lawsuit over federal deal to redirect offshore wind investments to fossil fuels

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • September 22, 2026

Maine and six other states have joined New York in a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a maneuver to kill offshore wind developments and steer energy developers toward fossil fuel enterprises. In a pair of lawsuits, filed in New York and Maine, attorneys general from the states claim the administration illegally used $1.4 billion in public funding to pay two companies that planned to build offshore wind developments on the East Coast to instead invest in fossil fuel plants in other parts of the country. The states argue that the payments, in addition to being illegal, will deprive them of electricity that they needed from the offshore wind developments.

Historic tombs, giant blueberry attraction are among Maine’s most endangered historic places of 2026

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2026

Four places made Maine Preservation’s list of most endangered historic places this year: Handley Hall in Augusta, Swanton-Deering House in Bath, Wild Blueberry Land in Columbia Falls, and Hillside Cemetery historic tombs, Eastport. More information on how to help preserve these four sites and others on Maine Preservation’s list of endangered historic places can be found at mainepreservation.org/most-endangered.

Maine, northeast states file new lawsuit against Trump’s payouts stopping offshore wind

MAINE MORNING STAR • September 22, 2026

Attorneys general from eight East Coast states are suing the feds over the buyouts of two offshore wind leases, under which the Trump administration pledged to pay developers Bluepoint Wind and Invenergy $1.4 billion to abandon their projects. Those projects were slated to be built off the coast of New York and New Jersey. Under the agreements with federal agencies, the companies will reinvest the funds into oil and gas projects elsewhere in the country. The lawsuits were joined by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. 

Nubble Light bundles up for a fall revamp

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2026

One of the country’s most photographed lighthouses is looking a tad less photogenic these days. York’s Cape Neddick Light Station — better known as Nubble Light — is covered in scaffolding and massive white sheets to protect it from the elements as it gets a revamp. It’s getting prepped for its 150th birthday, which is still three years away, but work will continue periodically until then. York Parks and Recreation Director Peter Murray said the town is doing its best to make the red-eyed giant “as presentable as possible.” A few frustrated visitors have told Murray they planned visits around seeing the lighthouse and didn’t know the tower would be hidden. But for most, the occasional scaffolding is a sign that the landmark will be sparkling for years to come.

Fact brief: Is it illegal to walk on the dunes at Footbridge Beach in Ogunquit?

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2026

Yes. Ogunquit’s beach ordinance prohibits people from entering restricted areas, including dunes. The rule covers Footbridge Beach, which lies within the ordinance’s definition of Ogunquit Beach. Violations carry a minimum $200 fine. Ogunquit’s 2024 comprehensive plan says its dunes buffer the coast from wind, waves and flooding, replenish beach sand, provide wildlife habitat and help protect the Ogunquit River estuary. Other southern Maine communities have similar rules.

After 15 years, a once robust fish canning business returns to Maine

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2026

Maine Canned Fish began its 20 month build-out in fall 2024. It is the first new seafood canning factory in the state in over 50 years. “Our tins are filled with wild caught, Maine caught fish, landed fresh, handled locally, and packed with care. No shortcuts, no imports, no mystery. Just honest seafood, caught in our waters and canned in our cannery in Topsham, Maine,” reads some of the promotional material from Maine Canned Fish. During the height of Maine’s fish canning industry in the 1900s, over 8,000 people were employed by canneries.

YMCA welcomes pickleballers while Belfast works to appease City Park neighbors

MIDCOAST VILLAGER • September 22, 2026

The effort to resolve the pickleball dispute at Belfast’s City Park has produced a temporary place to play, promising results from quieter equipment and what Mayor Eric Sanders describes as a productive search for long-term answers. The Waldo County YMCA has agreed to make room for two pickleball courts at the rear of its back parking lot until snow arrives, Sanders said in a Saturday update. The city plans to provide nets and other equipment for the courts. The arrangement is intended as a short-term measure while Belfast continues examining how to preserve the fast-growing sport without subjecting nearby residents to hours of the sharp, repetitive noise that prompted complaints this year.

A walking trail bench divides a midcoast Maine town

HARPSWELL ANCHOR • September 22, 2026

Ruby Pinders grew up in Maine, spent years building a business with her husband in Vermont, and then came home. As her 77th birthday approached this summer, she traveled to the Giant’s Stairs on Bailey Island to walk beside familiar waters. “I came back to Maine when the ocean called me back to retire,” Pinders said. But the relaxing stroll she envisioned was not to be, even with the walking poles she used to steady herself on the dirt and rock path running along the giant stone steps. After going just a short way, she lost momentum and — finding no place to rest — headed back to the car. There might have one day been a bench, if Harpswell Parks Director Katie Neal had succeeded in winning approval to place one along the path as part of a broader effort to make town trails more accessible. But that effort recently died amid objections from some of the people who own oceanfront homes and cottages along the trail.

Scarborough, Westbrook consider data center bans

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2026

After communities across the state enacted temporary data center moratoriums over the past few months, some are now considering banning them outright. Westbrook and Scarborough officials have proposed amending their ordinances to prohibit data centers in the interest of protecting community resources, noting that the rules could change later as technology advances.

Opinion: Maine needs to be standing ready for the next big storm

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2026

From working waterfronts to inland towns, storms are not distant possibilities. They are part of life. This year’s National Preparedness Month theme is Americans Stand Ready. This September, take one concrete step. Make the plan. Sign up for alerts. Check the batteries. Set aside supplies for your family and pets. Call a neighbor. Visit Ready.gov/stand-ready for free tools and checklists. The next storm will not wait for us to get ready. We should not wait for it. ~ Pete Rogers, director, Maine Emergency Management Agency; Jarrett W. Devine, acting regional administrator of FEMA Region 1

Letter: Maine’s electricity needs should take priority over data centers

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 22, 2026

No data centers should be approved in Maine until the electric utilities reliably deliver 120 volts to current customers. Data centers and other businesses that consume large amounts of electricity should be approved at the state level, not by local governments. ~ Steve Painter, Kennebunkport

Jay solar proposal puts $45M tax benefit under scrutiny

SUN JOURNAL • September 22, 2026

A developer proposing a large-scale solar project in Jay said the town could receive $45 million over the project’s estimated 40-year life, but residents at a Sept. 14 public hearing pressed for details on how much of that money would ultimately benefit local taxpayers. The discussion raised a central financial question surrounding the proposal: not simply how much Walden would pay, but how tax exemptions, school and county obligations, a possible TIF and additional municipal costs would affect Jay’s bottom line.