The Kennebec River experienced a dramatic resurgence in sea-run fish populations, water quality, and wildlife with the removal of the Edwards Dam in 1999. The restored river has also helped revitalize riverfront communities. We need to continue this success by restoring access for sea-run fish to the Kennebec above Waterville.   Right now, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is conducting a dam relicensing and license-amendment process for four dams on Maine’s Kennebec River. This process only occurs every 30 years or so, so we need to act now to restore the remaining ..read more

A new report commissioned by Maine’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) provides clear evidence for policymakers that the benefits of solar growth outweigh the costs.  The PUC’s report, entitled “Status and Cost & Benefit Analysis of Maine’s 2023 Solar Market,” is the first comprehensive assessment of the costs and benefits of solar projects under the Net Energy Billing (NEB) program.  The independent analysis considered the myriad of benefits that solar energy provides in Maine, including the reduced demand for expensive fossil-fuel supply from the regional grid, avoided strain o ..read more

As we’ve done for several years, this month’s column is a reminder from Don Cote at the Duck Pond Wildlife Rehab Center that not all young animals that appear lost or orphaned actually need to be rescued. Despite people’s good intentions, some babies do not need human involvement other than careful observation. Again, I’m going to honor Carleen Cote by sharing her words of wisdom from many decades of wildlife rehabbing: Baby raccoon at Duck Pond Wildlife Center, by Jayne Winters “With the return of warmer days, our feathered friends are returning from their southern hiatus, and native wildli ..read more

Our vision for Maine’s transportation future is one in which Mainers can get where they need to go with a variety of clean, affordable, and safe options.   In this future, cars and trucks no longer run on fossil fuels, saving drivers money and giving us cleaner, healthier air.  Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are everywhere — at workplaces, near residential areas, along major corridors, and at local businesses so EV drivers can charge wherever they work, shop, and play.  Zero-emission vehicles complement a robust public transit system that provides access to village ..read more

American Robin in Winslow, by Tina Richard Before the big spring snow, on a recent morning walk around our neighborhood with our dog, Loki, spring seemed to have arrived overnight. “Pip-pip-pip”—the calls of American Robins seemed to sound from every yard. The lawns were just starting to regain some green among winter’s leftover brown matted grass but the robins didn’t care. They were standing here and there and everywhere, their famously red breasts puffed out as if they felt proud to be declaring their residency.  Despite the snow storm, the robins are still here, dawdling about, unth ..read more

It may come as a surprise that our utilities’ profits aren’t based on how the companies perform. A bill before the Maine Legislature would help correct that.   LD 2172 gives the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) the authority to use a suite of tools that help calibrate utility profits with performance. It also sets in motion a regulatory process to adopt reforms that can align utility incentives with the clean energy transition.   If LD 2172 becomes law, Maine would join 17 other states and the District of Columbia in adopting what policy-makers call performance-based regul ..read more

At several recent visits with Don Cote at Duck Pond Wildlife rehab, I couldn’t help but notice that the resident chipmunk has seemed more “chipper” (pun intended) than usual. Despite his rehab stint in the living room, I suspect his natural internal clock is nudging him about the warmer weather, signaling him to become more active, seek food, prepare for nesting, and maybe even find a mate. We all know that hibernation is the time of year when some animals pack it up for the winter and instead of moving south, hunker down to snooze until spring. Survival depends upon their ability to decrease ..read more

In 2021, Maine adopted a first-in-the-nation Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging law to reduce taxpayer costs and improve recycling by encouraging producers to create less wasteful packaging. Put simply: It’s unfair that Maine taxpayers and communities are on the hook for the wasteful packaging produced by large companies—much of it single-use plastic—that ends up in our waste stream or polluting our environment. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has proposed draft regulations that will define what this landmark policy looks like (view a PDF overview of DEP’s pr ..read more

Join us in the epic showdown of Maine trails for Maine Trails Madness 2024! Last year, our bracket featured regions, while this year, we took nominations for individual trails to include. Every week, trails will battle it out to advance to win the title. Vote in this first round to help advance your favorites! In literally every corner of the state, trails are a valued resource for connecting Maine people and visitors with the natural world and reaching destinations to work and play. But funding for trails is urgently needed to meet demand. Maine’s trails are experiencing record levels of use ..read more

Turn to any media outlet and you’re bound to hear news about the economy. As the countdown to November continues, we suspect this will intensify. Inflation, interest rates, GDP, stock indices, bond returns—it’s gonna keep coming at us fast and furiously.   But what we won’t hear much about, at least from traditional news outlets, is the “bird economy.” This is a shame, because birds need media champions the same way job growth and interest rates do.   Just as economists are challenged to justify their responses to questions about the status of the economy, we’re often asked ..read more