Also signs into law package of bills supporting Maine restaurants, bars, and distilleries By Ramona du Houx March 18, 2021 Augusta, MAINE – Governor Janet Mills signed the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 supplemental budget into law on March 18, 2021. The bipartisan supplemental, which passed the Senate unanimously and the House by a vote of 139-1, provides State income tax relief to all Maine businesses that received Paycheck Protection Program funds and exempts unemployment benefits from State income taxes for approximately 160,000 Mainers. “This supplemental budget is the result of a long and, at times, arduous debate. But ultimately it was sensible compromise on all sides that got it across the finish line,” said Governor Janet Mills. “Because of that, approximately 160,000 Maine […]

March 18, 2021 Justice Michaela Murphy ruled on March 17, 2021 that the Maine Bureau of Public Lands didn’t have the authority to lease a 1-mile section to the New England Clean Energy Connect without first determining whether the lease would substantially alter the land. The rest of the corridor is owned by Central Maine Power. Murphy’s ruling triggers a review of the state’s lease of a small section of land that’s part of a proposed 145-mile power line aimed at bringing Canadian hydropower to Massachusetts. A formal assessment of the project’s impact on the land, as required by the Maine Constitution now must take place. A finding of significant alterations would trigger a legislative review and a two-thirds majority […]

March 17, 2021 Groups will continue to engage their millions of members and supporters to pass this historic act (Washington, DC) —Thanks to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Amy Klobuchar and Jeff Merkley’s leadership, the For the People Act (S1) is being formally introduced in the Senate today. This bill is arguably the most consequential people-empowering legislation since the Civil Rights Act of 1965. Many groups in the environmental community actively supported the passing of this act in the U.S. House of Representatives. These groups remain engaged in ensuring the Senate swiftly passes this historic legislation.   In support of this historic act, this community of environmental groups issued the following statement:   “On behalf of our millions of members and […]

Effort proposes upgrading CTE infrastructure to help Maine’s workforce March 17, 2021 By Ramona du Houx On March 17, 2021 the Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford introduced legislation to invest in Maine’s Career and Technical Education Center infrastructure.  LD 144, “An Act To Fund Capital Improvements to Career and Technical Education Centers and Regions To Bolster Maine’s Future Workforce” had a public hearing before the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee in the afternoon. Maine’s public education system has 28 CTE schools that provide Maine students with training for careers in welding, nursing, computer programming, heating and cooling systems, building trades, early childhood education, automotive technology, and culinary arts.  America lacks behind in training for particle high-paying skills. The need for […]

  Maine Investment is Part of $598 Million Nationwide March 16, 2021 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today a $598 million rural electric loan package to build or improve electric infrastructure in 11 states. In Maine, ASP2 Rural LLC will receive an Electric Loan in the amount of $7,739,000 for three solar renewable energy systems. “The Biden-Harris administration is committed to bringing critical financial assistance to rural families and making significant investments in community infrastructure across rural America,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “These USDA investments will bring affordable electric power to rural residents, Tribal communities, community facilities, schools and medical institutions that perform critical services each day. Now is the time for our nation to make significant investments in […]

March 15, 2021 The Camden Public Library will host Rika K. Keck of NY Integrated Health and the Global Lyme Alliance Ambassador Program, for an informational online presentation about Lyme disease risks and prevention. The program is aimed at bringing to light some of the newest studies and treatments related to Lyme disease. This free program will be hosted on Zoom. Email jpierce@librarycamden.org to request a link to attend. This program begins at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, March 30 Keck will discuss various co-infections and viral activation that can keep many Lyme-sick individuals misdiagnosed with other illnesses. She will touch on the impact that COVID-19 is having on the Lyme community, and review the “2020 Guidelines for Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Lyme Disease,” published in November […]

By Ramona du Houx March 12, 2021 These are bills related to recommendations from the State’s climate change objectives outlined in the report: Maine Won’t Wait. LD 226 (link), An Act To Limit the Use of Hydrofluorocarbons to Fight Climate Change, is under consideration by the Legislature’s Committee On Environment and Natural Resources. This bill would implement Maine Wont Wait’s recommendation to replace hydrofluorocarbons with climate-friendly alternatives in Strategy B, Modernize Maine’s Buildings, and the committee has scheduled a public hearing for the bill on March 15th.  LD 722 (link), Resolve, To Study the Establishment of the Maine Climate Corps, is under consideration by the Legislature’s Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. This bill would implement Maine Wont Wait’s recommendation to start a “Maine Climate […]

By Ramona du Houx March 10, 2021 On Monday, March 15, the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing at 9:00 AM on two bills to prohibit foreign contributions in Maine referendum elections. Central Maine Power lobbied and advertised on behalf of Hydro Quebec to push through the electric corridor, which violates laws. What: Public hearing for LD194: An Act To Prohibit Contributions, Expenditures and Participation by Foreign Government-owned Entities To Influence Referenda and LD 479: An Act To Ban Foreign Campaign Contributions and Expenditures in Maine Elections Hydro Quebec (HQ) funneled an unprecedented $9.2 million into their PAC last year. Federal law prohibits this sort of foreign interference in elections, but HQ has discovered a loophole in […]

03/11/2021  AUGUSTA – The Maine State Archives has launched its first-ever catalog of its holdings, via the online ArchivesSpace portal at https://archives.maine.gov/. For the first time in the Maine State Archives’ 56-year history, researchers can now search through the bureaus listing of collections online to see if the Archives is the right resource for their purposes, before contacting an archivist to access the actual documents. “This is a first step, for the public to have an awareness of what we hold, and we will be building it into a public resource that will eventually link up with the actual digital copies of items such as documents and maps that we have posted to DigitalMaine at https://digitalmaine.com/arc_img/ ,” said Katherine McBrien, Deputy Secretary for […]

March 12, 2021 By Ramona du Houx LD 2 would give lawmakers a new tool to combat racial disparities in Maine’s laws AUGUSTA – The Maine House voted Thursday to advance a measure by Assistant House Majority Leader Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, that would give lawmakers a new tool to combat racial disparities in Maine.  The measure was approved “under the hammer,” or by unanimous consent.  “LD 2 is the first step in recognizing that many of our laws have perpetuated inequities for generations of Black and Indigenous populations in Maine,” said Rep. Talbot Ross. “To disrupt this historical pattern, legislators must be intentional in factoring in race throughout the development, review and adoption of public policy.” Talbot Ross’ bill would create […]

AUGUSTA – Maine March 13, 2021 On March 12, 2021, the Maine Legislature approved a bill from Senate President Troy Jackson of Allagash and House Speaker Ryan Fecteau of Biddeford to establish a COVID-19 Patient Bill of Rights. The vote was 139-1 in the House and unanimous in the Senate. LD 1, “An Act to Establish the COVID-19 Patients Bill of Rights” would eliminate barriers to COVID-19 screening, testing and immunization as well as other health services so Mainers can keep their families and loved ones safe and healthy during this crisis.  The proposal would require state-regulated health insurance companies to cover COVID-19 screening, testing and immunization at no cost to the patient. It also prevents health care providers from charging patients […]

Administration will continue to review and revise guidelines to reflect progress on vaccinations and align with Maine’s strategy to combat COVID-19  Augusta, MAINE –   The Mills Administration today posted updated COVID-19 Prevention Checklists for General Guidance and for Community Sports. These updates come after Governor Mills announced the Moving Maine Forward Plan, a new, multi-month plan that aims to provide clarity and predictability for Maine people and businesses in advance of the summer months and to establish Maine as a safe place to visit.   Community Sports Guidelines: The Department of Economic and Community Development posted a new COVID-19 Prevention Checklist for Community Sports. These changes allow for all levels of play for low-risk sports, and for most levels of play for moderate-risk sports. High risk sports may also resume but only within team competition. The Community Sports Checklist applies to community-based sports clubs, teams, and events. It does not apply […]

Augusta, MAINE – In line with President Biden’s directive, Governor Janet Mills announced today that her Administration is accelerating the schedule of Maine’s vaccination plan to make all Maine adults eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine by May 1. In announcing Maine’s age-based vaccination approach two weeks ago, Governor Mills said the timeframe could be accelerated based on an increase in supply of vaccine. “From the outset, our vaccination plan focused on creating an infrastructure to get shots into the arms of as many Maine people as possible as quickly and equitably as possible,” said Dr. Nirav D. Shah, Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “Our large-scale community vaccination clinics can vaccinate more people as soon as our federal partners can increase weekly […]

A new study, published on 27th January in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, conducted by an international team of scientists led by Dr Michael Antoniou of Kings College London, found that exposure to glyphosate and its commercial Roundup formulation, can disrupt the function of the gut microbiome (bacteria and fungi) and internal body systems with potentially serious effects on human health. One’s “gut bacteria” is vital to good health, without it serious illnesses can occur. In controlled laboratory animal experiments, glyphosate was found to alter the composition, and the biochemical function of the gut microbiome by the same mechanism through which the chemical acts to kill weeds (inhibition of the shikimate biochemical pathway), even at doses claimed to be safe by the […]

Governor moves to age-based vaccine eligibility to continue focus on older Mainers most at risk of dying and to ensure speed and efficiency of vaccination effort  Augusta, MAINE – In an effort to save lives and ensure that health care providers can efficiently and quickly vaccinate as many people as possible, Governor Janet Mills announced today that Maine will adopt an age-based approach to expanding vaccine eligibility. As a result, beginning next Wednesday, March 3, 2021, Maine will expand eligibility for the vaccine to those 60 years and older.   The planned schedule, which is subject to change depending on fluctuations in vaccine supply including an acceleration if supply increases, is as follows:  March 3: Eligibility expands to residents age 60 and older  April: Eligibility expands to age 50 and older  May: Eligibility expands to age 40 and older  June: Eligibility expands to age 30 and older  July and beyond:  Ages 29 and […]