By John Tjepkema Bangor Daily News op-ed As we celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, Mainers should be proud of our accomplishments since its first observance in 1970. U.S. Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine was a driving force behind the 1970 Clean Air Act and the 1972 Clean Water Act. Since that time, a wide range Read More
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument
Katahdin National Monument is an Outstanding Gift
by Gabriel Perkins Sun Journal op-ed If you look around the country, the history of national monuments and national parks shows a predictable arc. There is often loud opposition — at the beginning. We’ve seen it with some of this country’s greatest natural assets, including Acadia National Park, the Grand Canyon and even Yellowstone. But Read More
Gov. Paul LePage to Testify Against National Monument
by Michael Shepherd Bangor Daily News news story printed on sunjournal.com Gov. Paul LePage is planning another trip to Washington, D.C. This time, it’s about the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. The Republican governor told WGAN on Thursday he’s going in April or May to testify before a congressional committee that former President Barack Obama Read More
If America’s Public Lands Were a Business, the GOP Would be Bungling the Balance Sheet
by Yvon Chouinard Bangor Daily News reprint of LA Times op-ed American politicians have always been obsessed with running government “like a business.” They promise to make bureaucracies leaner and let the free market fix all our problems. Well, if America’s public lands were a business, shareholders would be shocked by the gross negligence of Read More
Maine Deserves a Chance to Capitalize on the North Woods Monument
By Zack Klyver, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed Gov. Paul LePage’s latest political attack on the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is a colossal blunder. On Feb. 14, he sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to rescind the executive order that created the national monument. For a governor Read More
LePage’s Campaign against North Woods Monument Will Only Hurt Maine
By Gail Fanjoy and Larry MacArthur, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed On Feb. 14, Gov. Paul LePage wrote a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to rescind the executive order that created the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Aside from the fact that this letter asks Trump to use his Read More
Nonprofit Formed to Preserve and Protect Maine’s New National Monument
by Susan Sharon Maine Public news story LEWISTON, Maine – Six months after the creation of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, a new nonprofit group has been formed to preserve and protect it. The Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters is a private group with a 13-member board of directors. Secretary Cathy Johnson Read More
‘Rather Than Reignite Controversy,’ LePage Should Drop Monument Repeal Effort, Senators Say
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King say northern Maine accepts the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and so should Gov. Paul LePage. In separate statements released Wednesday and Thursday, the senators said LePage was wrong to ask President Trump to reverse an executive Read More
LePage Urges Trump to Scrap Katahdin-area National Monument
The governor says the designation will harm the economy and recreation in the region, but presidents may lack the power to rescind a predecessor’s designation. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story Read Governor LePage’s letter. AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is asking President Trump to reverse the national monument designation on Read More