Proposed rules would allow any commercial farm contaminated by PFAS to apply for financial assistance

Penelope Overton Staff Writer

Penelope Overton writes about the lobster and marijuana industries in Maine, a mix of the iconic and the emerging, the economic powerhouse and the mysterious darkhorse. Just the right mix of old and new for a Maine transplant. Penny joined the Press Herald in 2016. She has covered politics and government, the environment and Indian Country in Florida, Connecticut, Arizona and Washington, D.C. Her favorite stories are when she gets to dive into a world where readers seldom venture. When she’s not newspapering, Penny and her young daughter like to hike, body surf, travel and explore new books, places, poems and people. She is plovertonpph on both Instagram and Snapchat.

Latest

Published
December 4, 2023

Proposed rules would allow any commercial farm contaminated by PFAS to apply for financial assistance

Maine so far has focused on farms that were contaminated through the spreading of wastewater sludge.
Published
December 3, 2023

As Casco Bay warms, climate change alters its chemistry in unexpected ways

Casco Bay remains healthy overall, but the near-shore waters face a plethora of threats, especially stormwater pollution.
Published
December 3, 2023

Climate change has brought more extreme rain, snow to Maine

Sea level rise remains a top concern as the climate warms, but the increasing frequency of outsized precipitation is already having statewide impacts.
Published
December 1, 2023

Maine Climate Council reports progress in fight against climate change

Efforts to reduce fossil fuel use are mostly on track, although the shift to electric vehicles has been slower than hoped.
Published
November 14, 2023

New England’s wetter, warmer future is already here

The fifth National Climate Assessment includes data showing the region is seeing extreme heat on land and at sea, especially in the Gulf of Maine, and more frequent heavy rainstorms than any other region of the country.
Published
November 12, 2023

Lewiston joins growing list of U.S. communities living with gun trauma

Experts acknowledge that every mass shooting is different but say the Maine city is likely to feel lingering effects of anguish for years.
Published
November 1, 2023

31,000 acres of ancestral land could be returned to Penobscot Nation

The prospective deal would increase tribal trust holdings by a third and secure public access to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument from the south.
Published
October 24, 2023

Maine regulators signal support for new clean car rules

The Board of Environmental Protection narrowly supports proposed electric car standards, but balks at similar rules for trucks. A final vote won’t be taken until after board staff responds to more than a thousand public comments about the proposed rule.
Published
October 23, 2023

These Maine farmers know what PFAS can do to the land — and they want federal help

Fred Stone, of Arundel, and 3 other Maine farmers address a gathering in Michigan focusing on forever chemicals in agriculture.
Published
October 23, 2023

Right whale population levels off after steep decline, but threats remain

A new estimate of the number of surviving North Atlantic right whales indicates that the population has hovered around 350 animals for 3 years.

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