“I am a multi-generational Bailey Islander and took this picture on a day when ‘intense/fast moving snow squalls’ were predicted. It wasn’t until the sun was about to set, and gave off this beautiful light, that I was able to capture the last squall of the day.” – Photo by Kerry Coffin of Bailey Island, Maine
U.S. House Passes Bill to Study York River
The study, which still requires Senate approval, would determine whether the river should be designated for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers program. By Kevin Miller, Washington Bureau Chief Portland Press Herald news story WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed a bill Tuesday evening asking the federal government to determine whether the York Read More
Maine Lawmakers Should Pass Solar Power Rebate Bill
More people would invest in this technology if there were a timely incentive from the state. Portland Press Herald editorial Maine lags behind two-thirds of the states when it comes to installed solar power per capita, and it’s not for the reason you probably think. It’s not because we are so far north or have Read More
Skiing at Katahdin Woods and Waters: A Glorious Trip
Some friends and I headed to Patten and turned west toward the North Gate of Baxter State Park. We stopped at Matagamon Wilderness Store and Cabins, who, with Bowlin Camps, have been grooming 18 miles of trails along the East Branch on the Elliotsville Plantation land that I hope will become the next national park. Read More
State Plan Changes after Delay in Reporting Mercury in Lobster
Portland Press Herald news story by Scott Dolan, staff writer State Toxicologist Andrew Smith received an urgent message in 2011: A team of independent scientists had discovered dangerously high levels of mercury in black ducks in a marsh near the mouth of the Penobscot River. But what Smith didn’t know was that the same scientists Read More
Tar Sands Oil in Maine: All Risk, No Benefit
by Lisa Pohlmann and Brownie Carson Times Record op-ed The possibility that tar sands oil will be pumped through a pipeline across Maine is now on the public’s radar, especially in the wake of the enormous march and rally in Portland on Jan. 26. Press reports on the rally have led many people, including the Read More
Contamination of Maine Lobster Shows Value of Regulations
Kennebec Journal editorial The lobster fishery has been the one bright spot in Maine’s seafood industry for years — at least until last week. On Feb. 18, the state Department of Marine Resources ordered a two-year shutdown of lobster and crab harvesting in a 7-square-mile region at the mouth of the Penobscot River. Mercury contamination Read More
Statement in Response to Governor LePage’s News Conference Today about Maine’s Environment
NRCM news release, statement by Lisa Pohlmann Maine needs healthy people and a healthy environment. To pit one against the other is disingenuous and misleading. Governor LePage has had the weakest environmental record of any governor in recent history, so this sudden concern about the effect of MaineCare spending on natural resource agency budgets seems Read More
Contentious Maine Mining Rules Before Lawmakers
By Alanna Durkin, Associated Press Boston Globe news story AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A proposed overhaul of Maine’s mining regulations made its way to state lawmakers on Monday as supporters and critics remain deeply divided over whether expanded metallic mining is the answer to Maine’s economic problems or will result in the demise of the natural Read More