Peter McGuire

2 days ago | mainepublic.org | Peter McGuire

Coastal homeowners will get a one-time chance to raise sea walls under a new Maine law. Under the law, property owners will be allowed to elevate existing sea walls up to two feet to accommodate anticipated sea level rise. State representative Bob Foley, R-Wells, said he proposed the measure after witnessing damage wrought by back-to-back coastal storms in 2024.

4 days ago | mainepublic.org | Peter McGuire

A new state law requires Maine woodland owners to report contracts they've entered with forest carbon offset programs. University of Maine forest resources professor Adam Daigneault said the law will help policymakers and others better understand Maine's changing forest industry and clarify the state's greenhouse gas reduction goals.

1 week ago | mainepublic.org | Peter McGuire

About 50 years ago, a legendary spruce budworm outbreak devastated Maine's North Woods. The native caterpillars devoured millions of acres of spruce and fir trees and left behind a vast landscape of skeletal trunks. The infestation lasted more than a decade, sparked a massive aerial pesticide campaign and turned Maine's forest industry on its head. Now, after years of quiet, one of the most destructive forest insects in North America is making a comeback.

1 week ago | bangordailynews.com | Peter McGuire

A solar company has been fined almost $236,000 by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for polluting the Kennebec River during construction of a 5 megawatt array in Embden. Sediment runoff from a development by Tower Solar Partners LLC ran into the river from nearby Alder Stream, according to its agreement with the department. Erosion control measures were improperly installed, not maintained and overwhelmed, the department said.

2 weeks ago | mainepublic.org | Peter McGuire

A solar company has been fined almost $236,000 by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection for polluting the Kennebec River during construction of a 5 megawatt array in Embden. Sediment runoff from a development by Tower Solar Partners LLC ran into the river from nearby Alder Stream, according to its agreement with the department. Erosion control measures were improperly installed, not maintained and overwhelmed, the department said.