As the climate policy chief for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Falmouth native Joel Clement had his work cut out for him. For almost seven years, his job required him to come up with ways to deal with fast-changing conditions that threaten everything from national parks to remote villages on the crumbling shores of […]
environment
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Maine may face brownouts, higher electric prices
During the bitter cold stretch that started right after Christmas and continued into 2018, New England’s power operators had a tough time keeping the juice flowing to homes and businesses throughout the region. Facing a shortage of natural gas because of a dearth of pipeline capacity, they relied on old oil and coal plants to […]
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Posted inLewiston-Auburn, Maine, sj-web
Bill Adams, one of Maine's environmental pioneers, dies at 89
Lewiston Assistant City Engineer Bill Adams looks at sewer plans with City Engineer Cunningham and surveyor Bill Plante. (Lewiston Sun-Journal file photo) AUBURN — Sometimes one person in the right place makes all the difference. Back in 1973, a New York-based firm called the Pittston Co. sought to construct an oil refinery astride Passamaquoddy Bay […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Susan Collins warns climate change will cost government billions
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is questioned by reporters as she arrives at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) A new General Accounting Office report on climate that warns extreme weather is on the rise ought to spur federal policy shifts, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said Tuesday. “We cannot ignore […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Clean Water Act has transformed Androscoggin River over past 45 years
Dick Anderson, former Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife biologist and Lewiston-Auburn Metro Chamber of Commerce president Beckie Conrad talk following a news conference on the bank of the Androscoggin River in Lewiston on Tuesday. Watch the Androscoggin River today as it flows down from the Great Falls at Lewiston-Auburn and it seems scarcely […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn, sj-web
Environmentalists to celebrate Clean Water Act in Lewiston on Tuesday
LEWISTON — Environmentalists plan to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Clean Water Act with a news conference Tuesday on the banks of the Androscoggin River. The law, pushed by former U.S. Sen. Edmund Muskie of Maine, was inspired in part by the staggering amount of pollution in the river. The Natural Resources Council of […]
Posted inMaine
Maine’s climate already changing, with more to come
Though people tend to talk most about climate change during a heat wave or in the wake of a terrible storm, the reality is that it’s a slow, subtle shift that’s scarcely noticeable except over the long haul. But scientists say that Maine is very much feeling its impact. From a rise in the number […]
Posted inMaine
Trump’s climate change move draws sharp reactions in Maine
Calling it “a devastating blow,” the head of the Natural Resources Council of Maine denounced President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of an international climate agreement Thursday. Lisa Pohlmann, the environmental group’s executive director, said the move “could jeopardize global efforts to avert the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.” Maine’s congressional delegation had […]
Posted inLetters
Climate data has been manipulated
The snow storm on April 1 only fools those who believe government lobbyists never manipulate climate data to push a highly profitable narrative. The Congressional Research Service estimated total federal spending on climate change at $77 billion from fiscal 2008 through 2013 ($110 billion by 2017). During that time, I have been preparing my Maine […]
Posted inUncategorized
Green power advocates press regulators to adopt solar-friendly rules
AUGUSTA — Solar power advocates are asking Maine utility regulators to reconsider a recent ruling they say will crimp the growth of a much-needed new energy source. A coalition of critics filed a formal petition Tuesday with the Maine Public Utilities Commission calling on it to take another look at its decision to phase out […]