The House voted 138-1 to approve the bill, but Gov. Paul LePage has indicated that he plans to veto it. By Steve Mistler, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — The House of Representatives gave preliminary approval Wednesday to a bill designed to fix a clerical error that cut $38 million from an Read More
Will Legislators Take Mining ‘Jobs’ Bait This Time Around?
By Dennis Chinoy, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed In December 2012, three lawyers from the legal firm Pierce Atwood published a somewhat self-congratulatory article in a mining journal. “About Face: How a mine moved toward operating in Maine” described how the authors helped craft a bill mandating relaxed mining regulations on behalf Read More
Republicans and Conservation — Not the Partnership It Used to Be
Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican who achieved the most remarkable conservation record of all of our presidents. By George Smith Kennebec Journal column April 29 was a sad day for this Republican. Sen. Roger Katz, of Augusta, also a Republican, was attacked for defending the projects and integrity of the Land for Maine’s Future program. Read More
Efficiency Maine ‘And’ Fix Bill Sails Through House
By Christopher Cousins, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — A controversial bill to fix a typo that could be worth roughly $38 million to the Efficiency Maine Trust sailed through the House of Representatives Wednesday on a 138-1 vote. Assistant House Majority Leader Sara Gideon’s bill, LD 1215, which inserts the Read More
Maine House Votes 138-1 to Pass One-word Bill to Correct Typo in Energy Efficiency Law
NRCM news release Statement of Dylan Voorhees, Clean Energy Director, Natural Resources Council of Maine The House voted 138-1 to pass LD 1215, the one-word bill to correct a typo in the omnibus energy bill passed last session, in order to prevent a major cut to energy efficiency programs for homes and businesses. “This year Read More
LePage’s Intransigence Threatens Key Efficiency Maine Programs
Rather than support a quick fix of a typo, he and Republican House Leader Ken Fredette are trying to use a manufactured crisis to increase the governor’s power. By Mike Tipping Portland Press Herald column Gov. Paul LePage and Republican House Leader Ken Fredette have proved once again that they can’t be trusted. You might remember Read More
My Maine This Week: Ernest Wright
“In 2014, I had the chance to be up in the towns of Monson and Greenville for a few days (5/5 – 5/8), and just happened to be there during ‘ice out.’ Being from Virginia, I’ve only heard of this phenomenon, so I was extremely lucky to be up in the North Woods at just the Read More
Midcoast Communities Push Back against Plastic Bag Use
A petition effort is underway in Brunswick and Topsham to impose a 5-cent tax on all carryout plastic bags issued by businesses. By Chris Chase, Coastal Journal Portland Press Herald news story BRUNSWICK — Bring Your Own Bag, a citizens’ group, is preparing petitions to impose a 5-cent tax on every plastic bag issued to customers Read More
Climate Change Threatens 1 in 13 Species, Study Says
The extinction rate doesn’t mean all of those species will be gone; some will just be on an irreversible decline. By Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press Associated Press news story WASHINGTON — Global warming will eventually push 1 out of every 13 species on Earth into extinction, a new study projects. It won’t quite be Read More
