Task force will consider forest carbon storage incentives for small-to-medium size woodland owners to help protect their property while fighting climate change….…

A statewide ban on single-use plastic carry-out bags had been scheduled to go into effect January 15, 2021 and the polystyrene foam disposable food service container ban had been scheduled to go into effect January 1, 2021 however, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is delaying its enforcement of the laws that ban the use of these products until July 1, 2021.…

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Office of Chief Medical Examiner have released figures demonstrating that drug overdose deaths slightly decreased in the third quarter of 2020, though the total year-to-date deaths is on pace to significantly exceed those in 2019.…

U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Housing Appropriations Subcommittee, announced that the State of Maine has received a total of $6,678,216 in the third installment of funding to support affordable housing, assistance to businesses and bolster COVID-19 prevention and response efforts throughout the state. This funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was allocated through a section of the CARES Act that Senator Collins co-authored directing $48.5 billion to support housing and transportation programs.…

In a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue, U.S. Senator Susan Collins led a bipartisan group of Senators in urging the USDA to provide financial assistance to American loggers and log haulers who have been experiencing serious financial strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The letter was also signed by Senators Tina Smith (D-MN), Angus King (I-ME), Thom Tillis (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA).

Sen. Susan Collins: “Loggers and log haulers are critical to America’s forest products industry – which is a top-10 manufacturing industry in 45 U.S. states.  Our nation’s loggers and haulers harvest and transport the raw material that supports over $283 billion in value-added wood and paper products – with a supply chain that includes nearly one million Americans earning over $54 billion in combined payroll,”
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In a letter sent to the President Tuesday (PDF), the governors highlighted the longstanding bilateral trade relationship between New England and Canada, which was strengthened by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that went into effect this summer. About half of all trade for Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine companies is conducted with Canada.…

Since 2016, NEC researchers have evaluated barriers that lobstermen experience when considering wearing lifejackets. In April, researchers embarked on a campaign to distribute lifejackets from two vans traveling from port to port along the Maine and Massachusetts coastlines. The “Lifejackets for Lobstermen” vans carried 11 models of personal flotation devices (PFDs), available at a 50% discount. The selection was the culmination of more than 550 lobstermen giving guidance over the course of three years on the “ideal” working lifejacket.…

NOAA announced the closure of the Nantucket Lightship and Closed Area I Groundfish Closure Areas for gillnet gear to comply with a recent Court Order.…

Last week’s U.S.-China trade deal does not specify the amount of China’s investment for industry; U.S. lobster exports to China have dropped dramatically as result of ongoing trade war…

U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) today voted to approve the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). USMCA passed the Senate by an overwhelming, bipartisan majority of 89-10. It previously passed the House by a vote of 385-41 and now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.…

Project Canopy, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s community forestry program, will award $100,000 in grants to local governments, municipalities, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations that support efforts to develop and maintain long-term community forestry programs.…

U.S. Senator Susan Collins, the Chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, announced today that the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians have received $245,000 to purchase snow removal equipment, including a loader and snow plow, to maintain the safety of their roads in Aroostook County during inclement weather.…

The Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF) today announced a refresh of its core agricultural marketing program logo. DACF unveiled a modernized logo that aligns with the Department’s updated strategic vision for the branding program. The logo unveiling and announcement come as thousands of agricultural producers, suppliers, and educators gather for DACFs 79th Maine Agricultural Trades Show.…

The Maine Department of Transportation has released the 2020 Edition of its Three-Year Work Plan. This Work Plan includes all capital projects and programs, maintenance and operations activities, planning initiatives, and administrative functions for calendar years 2020, 2021, and 2022. It includes 2,051 individual work items with a total estimated value of $2.59 billion.…

The Land Use Planning Commission (LUPC) today decided that CMPs proposed NECEC project is an allowed use within the subdistricts in which it is proposed and meets all land use standards established by the Commission that are not duplicative of those considered by the DEP in its review under the Site Location of Development Law.…

DMR whale plan reflects practicality, federal reality

As I write this, DMR staff are making final changes to our proposed whale rules that I’ll submit to NOAA Fisheries in early December. These changes are based on…

Lobstermen worry about impact of state’s whale plan

Lobstermen turned out by the hundreds last month to learn about the state’s plan to reduce entanglement risk from the Maine lobster fishery to right whales. In early November……