By Shri A. Verrill and Irit Altman, Special to the BDN Bangor Daily News op-ed The Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts are a direct threat to Maine’s environmental resources, economy and the public health of our residents. The president proposed dramatic cuts to nearly every agency working to protect the environment, particularly funding for renewable Read More
Maine Economy
Climate Change Could Mean Less Maple Syrup For Your Pancakes
By Jodi Helmer National Public Radio news story Maple syrup might be ubiquitous in pantries and pancake houses now, but new research suggests that might not always be the case. Climate change could eventually render the sticky stuff extinct. A study published last month in the journal Ecology examined assessed how environmental conditions impacted the Read More
Panel on Wind Power Development Likely to Say What LePage Wants to Hear
No amount of study is going to convince the governor to reverse his strident opposition to wind generation, so why bother? by the Editorial Board Portland Press Herald editorial Last week Gov. LePage created a special commission to study wind power development in Maine and issue a report. This week, he told us what the Read More
Environmental Group Sues LePage, Says Wind Farm Ban is Unconstitutional
The Conservation Law Foundation says the governor’s action violates the constitutional separation of powers. By Tux Turkel, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story A regional environmental advocacy group has gone to court in an attempt to overturn a moratorium that Gov. Paul LePage imposed last week on most new wind energy projects in Maine. Read More
Wind Power Moratorium Reignites Tourism vs. Clean Energy Debate
by James McCarthy Mainebiz news story Gov. Paul R. LePage issued an executive order Wednesday putting the brakes on the state’s permitting of new onshore wind projects. In doing so, he’s renewed the longstanding debate over whether there’s greater value in Maine’s scenic mountains for tourism than for wind energy. His order also created the Read More
LePage Moves to Block Most New Maine Wind Energy Permits
By Christopher Cousins and Michael Shepherd, BDN Staff Bangor Daily News news story AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage on Wednesday placed a moratorium on permits for most new wind turbines in Maine, a move that could reverberate regionally a day before Massachusetts is set to announce winners in a massive clean power procurement plan. Read More
LePage Blocks New Wind Energy Projects, Creates Secretive Commission to Study Impacts
The longtime critic of wind energy says he’s acting ‘to protect our natural beauty,’ and allows the new panel to craft regulatory changes without public scrutiny. By Kevin Miller, Staff Writer Portland Press Herald news story AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage imposed a moratorium Wednesday on new wind energy projects in western and coastal Maine Read More
LePage Rightly Opposes Biomass Subsidy Bond
Maine should be looking to the future for forest products, not clinging to the past. The Editorial Board Portland Press Herald editorial Maine lawmakers faced a crisis in 2016: Subsidize the biomass industry or see hundreds of jobs vanish. It wasn’t much of a choice, following the shutdown of paper mills in Madison and Bucksport, Read More
Offshore Drilling Threatens Important Maine Industries
Tourism and fishing depend on a clean coastline – so why isn’t our state exempt from the oil exploration planned by the Trump administration? Portland Press Herald editorial The Trump administration Tuesday removed the waters off Florida – and only Florida – from the list of areas newly open to offshore drilling, and in doing Read More
