The report says hydropower from Quebec would merely be redirected to a new U.S. market and will not affect emission reductions regionally, a claim Hydro-Quebec refutes. by Tux Turkel, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story Hours before a much-anticipated public hearing on the merits of a new transmission line through western Maine, an analysis Read More
climate change
Sobering New U.N. Report Validates Climate Science, Economics
A price on carbon and an internationally coordinated and enforceable effort are surely the way forward. by Michael Jones, Brunswick resident and associate professor of economics emeritus at Bowdoin College Portland Press Herald op-ed BRUNSWICK — The news Monday proclaimed two remarkable, and related, events. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations committee comprised Read More
U.N. Climate Report is Our Pearl Harbor Moment
The politics of division won’t work to fight a threat like global warming. Portland Press Herald editorial The events of the last two years show that Americans know how to choose up sides and fight each other. But if we had to, could we put aside our differences and fight together? We are about to Read More
Mainers Share the Charge They Get Out of Owning Electric Cars
The ride-and-drive event Sunday in South Portland coincides with National Drive Electric Week. by Gillian Graham, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story SOUTH PORTLAND — Khanh Ngo is passionate about his Tesla. Standing in the shade at the edge of a parking lot, he eagerly showed off his Tesla Model X to prospective owners Read More
South Portland’s Tar Sands Ban Upheld in a ‘David vs. Goliath’ Pipeline Battle
Citing Maine’s ‘home rule authority’ to protect public health, the small city took on Big Oil, which lined up behind a company challenging its tar sands ban. By Sabrina Shankman Inside Climate News news story A federal judge has ruled that the coastal city of South Portland, Maine, did not violate the U.S. Constitution when Read More
South Portland’s “Clear Skies” Ordinance Survives Challenge as Federal Judge Finds It Constitutional
Portland Pipe Line Corp. had sued to overturn the ordinance adopted in 2014 to prohibit the bulk loading of crude oil onto tankers on the city’s waterfront. by Randy Billings, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story A federal court ruled Friday that a South Portland ordinance prohibiting bulk loading of crude oil onto tankers Read More
Trump Administration Pushes to Gut Air Pollution Rules for Nation’s Dirtiest Power Plants
Statement of Dylan Voorhees, Clean Energy Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine “The Trump Administration’s proposal to roll back air pollution limits is bad news for everyone who breathes. The proposal is particularly bad news for Mainers, since so much of the air pollution that affects Maine people comes from upwind power plants that would Read More
Quebec Hydro Isn’t a Good Fit for Mass.
We need closer-to-home renewables that actually reduce emissions by Deb Pasternak, interim chapter director, Massachusetts Sierra Club Commonwealth Magazine op-ed Massachusetts electric distribution companies submitted long-term hydro electricity supply contracts to the Department of Public Utilities for review recently. The Massachusetts Sierra Club believes strongly that these contracts are not the right way to get Read More
Ignoring Climate Change Puts Mainers in Danger
Politics has stifled research that would have helped the state prepare for a warming planet. Central Maine Newspapers editorial Policy driven by research works better than science driven by politics. Witness Maine, which experienced a historic explosion in its tick population, and not coincidentally, a 20-fold increase in Lyme disease diagnoses between 2000 and 2016 Read More
