By Bill Trotter, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story Conservation groups in Maine on Wednesday urged state officials not to expand the distance limit that determines where subdivisions and commercial projects can be built in the state’s Unorganized Territory. The Land Use Planning Commission is considering a change in policy that would allow zoning… Continue Reading
land conservation
Saturday, May 5: Environmental Justice: A Social Work Perspective, Orono
NRCM Executive Director Lisa Pohlmann will be part of a panel on conservation as part of the University of Maine School of Social Work’s conference, “Environmental Justice: A Social Work Perspective” on Saturday, May 5 from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. at the University of Maine, Orono. This event is free and open to the… Continue Reading
Don’t Blame Land Conservation for Rising Maine Property Taxes
Reduced state aid to municipalities and schools is what’s putting the pinch on taxpayers. Portland Press Herald editorial For years, Gov. LePage has blamed schools for being unwilling to control costs. Now, he says, it was the land trusts all along. On the radio, in his recent State of the State address and in a… Continue Reading
Maine Land Trusts Say Governor Uses Bogus Data in Pitch to Tax Them
Conservation advocates call his claims misleading and say he ignores payments made to host towns in lieu of taxes. by Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is once again accusing conservation groups of “ripping off” taxpayers in Maine by not paying local taxes on vast swaths of… Continue Reading
LePage Policies, Not Land Trusts, Have Driven Up Property Taxes
Bangor Daily News editorial In Tuesday’s State of the State speech, Gov. Paul LePage highlighted a serious problem that deserves attention in Augusta and beyond. Maine’s property taxes are too high, and they are rising. LePage, however, identified the wrong source of the problem. The governor, a long-time critic of land conservation, blamed land trusts… Continue Reading
LePage Flunked Homework on Land Trusts, Bipartisan Legislators Conclude
by Christine Parrish Free Press news story A legislative committee unanimously concluded this week that conserved lands benefit the state overall and that Governor LePage’s claim that the state was losing millions of dollars due to land trusts not paying taxes was false. As part of the budget deal last summer, the Agriculture, Conservation and… Continue Reading
Fact Checking LePage’s Statements on Land Trusts
by Susan Sharon Maine Public news story Listen to full news story. Governor LePage used a portion of his 90-minute State of the State address Tuesday to attack one of his favorite targets: land trusts. The governor blames them for taking too much land from the tax rolls in Maine and shifting the burden to… Continue Reading
Public Begins to Weigh In on National Monument Management Plan
By Aislinn Sarnacki, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story An eclectic group of Katahdin Woods and Waters stakeholders and neighbors gathered in Millinocket on Wednesday to discuss how to balance their various interests in the monument, especially during the winter. The winter use meeting on Jan. 24 was the first of several public forums… Continue Reading
Future Remains Uncertain for Katahdin Woods and Waters
Mainebiz news story Supporters of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument expressed relief on Tuesday that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke isn’t recommending the 87,500-acre monument be reduced in size, which is what he recommended for more than a half dozen other monuments in his final report on the fate of 27 national monuments released… Continue Reading
