Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Oxford Hills

SAD 17 off the hook for cost of oil spill cleanup

HEBRON — While the cost to clean up more than 1,500 gallons of oil that leaked out of the Hebron Station School basement tank last December is unknown, the SAD 17 school district is not picking up the tab. SAD 17 Superintendent Rick Colpitts and Jessamine Logan, spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection, both […]

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Posted inMaine, sj-web

South Portland to vote on crude oil ban

SOUTH PORTLAND (AP) — The South Portland City Council is considering an ordinance that prohibits loading crude oil in bulk onto marine tank vessels. The vote was scheduled for Monday night. The proposal is narrower in scope than one voters rejected last year. That ordinance was designed to prevent Portland Pipe Line Corp. from bringing […]

Posted inMaine

Maine’s D.C. delegation raises doubts about fed response to hazardous materials rail shipments

Editor’s note: The second of two parts. If a railroad spilled thousands of gallons of oil in Maine, no one in the state – or in Washington – knows what the railroads would do or whether they’re prepared for such a disaster. In interviews with members of Maine’s congressional delegation, each said that’s the reason […]

Posted inMaine, Nation / World

New rail safety rules don’t apply to all trains carrying oil

AUGUSTA — Just as the state has revealed that crude oil shipments by rail have resumed along the state’s rail lines, Maine state emergency officials say new federal rules about shipping hazardous materials such as crude by rail don’t go far enough. For example, the new rule does not apply to trains carrying less than […]

Posted inMaine, Nation / World, sj-web

Effort to make rail tank cars used to ship crude oil safer marked by squabbling

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — Spurred by a series of fiery train crashes, a push by government and industry to make safer tank cars used for shipping crude oil and ethanol has bogged down in squabbling and finger-pointing over whether they’re needed and if so, who should pay. The Transportation Department, worried about the potential for […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Environmentalists say Portland pipeline beyond 60-year lifespan

PORTLAND (AP) — An environmental group says one of the two pipelines from Portland to Montreal has surpassed its life expectancy, based on court documents filed in a tax dispute in New Hampshire. Owners of the Portland Pipe Line agreed with a 60-year lifespan assessment for purposes of a tax case in the 1990s. The […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Cracked wheel may have caused New Brunswick train derailment

Lead investigator Guy Laporte said a crack in a wheel near the front of the train caused the wheel to loosen from the axel, resulting in the derailment of that wheel set. But Laporte said it’s too early to determine what caused the train to leave the tracks late Tuesday derailed in the sparsely populated […]

Posted inFranklin, The Franklin Journal

Livermore estimates that ice storm cost almost $23,000

LIVERMORE — An ice storm in December cost the town nearly $23,000 in overtime, equipment, materials and other expenses, Administrative Assistant Kurt Schaub said Tuesday. In addition to sanding and salting, the highway crew spent time clearing trees from the roads with the help of the Fire Department, he said. The amount covers expenses from […]

Posted inFranklin, The Franklin Journal

Converting to biomass fuels saves RSU 9 big money

FARMINGTON – Since the 2008-09 school year RSU 9 has saved $248,000 in oil costs by switching to alternative energy sources, David Leavitt, RSU 9 director of support services, said Thursday. “To me that is $248,000 being used back into education for students,” he said. The savings do not include any from the new pellet […]