Residents of Brunswick Landing, the site of Maine’s worst toxic firefighting foam spill, joined environmental groups to urge lawmakers to quantify the amount of foam in Maine and fund a voluntary program to collect, store and dispose of it.
Penelope Overton
Staff Writer
Penny is excited to be the Portland Press Herald’s first climate reporter. Since joining the paper in 2016, she has written about Maine’s lobster and cannabis industries, covered state politics and spent a fellowship year exploring the impact of climate change on the lobster fishery with the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team. Before moving to Maine, she covered politics, environment, casino gambling and tribal issues in Florida, Connecticut and Arizona. Her favorite assignments allow her to introduce readers to unusual people, cultures, or subjects. When off the clock, Penny is usually getting lost in a new book at a local coffeehouse, watching foreign crime shows or planning her family’s next adventure.
Posted inMaine, News
Are taller seawalls the answer to rising seas and storm surge?
A bill would allow coastal seawalls to be raised by 2 feet to protect coastal homes, property and roads, but opponents claim higher walls would flood neighboring properties and result in sandy beach loss.
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Posted inMaine, News
Design students float climate resiliency ideas for Casco Bay
From floating communities to over-water bike paths, this exhibit aims to help Portland and South Portland prepare for rising sea levels, warming temperatures and increasing extreme weather.
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News
Wolfe’s Neck Center’s $35 million climate grant caught up in funding freeze
A $335,000 reimbursement for 2 months’ worth of USDA program expenses is on hold.
Posted inBusiness, Maine, News
Maine farmers left in limbo by federal funding freeze
Despite having signed government contracts, farmers who have spent money on projects to conserve soil, water and power have been told they cannot get reimbursed until USDA programs and policies are reviewed by Elon Musk’s DOGE team.
Posted inMaine, News
Maine nonprofit’s work in Haiti hampered by USAID shutdown
Konbit Sante used the $220,000 a year USAID grant to help fund maternal and newborn care in a poor neighborhood in Haiti’s second-largest city.
Posted inMaine, News
Maine DEP: $50M sludge bond would preserve landfill space
The proposal to bond funding for grants to help local sewer districts tackle the statewide sludge-disposal problem needs approval by a legislative committee and two-thirds of the House and Senate before it could be sent to voters in November.
Posted inMaine, News
A year of extremes: 2024 was Maine’s hottest on record
The year of extreme weather began with floods and ended with a drought, and set a new record high average annual temperature across the state.
Posted inAnimals, Maine, News
Maine airports seek exemption from wildlife protection laws
Aviation officials and businesses say a bill to exempt airports from state protections for Maine’s endangered or threatened species would prevent wildlife collisions, but environmental groups say the protections are needed.
Posted inMaine, News
With funds running out, Maine is at a PFAS crossroads
A multiagency presentation before lawmakers warns of the difficulty the state will face trying to meet the needs of residents adversely affected by the spreading of sewage sludge containing forever chemicals.