Long Islander's Blog (3,059)

Thankfully the tooth fairy pays for all of this.

Maine Public | By Peter McGuire

Published December 30, 2025 at 4:30 PM EST

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Now Brown and other vendors are working hard to explain to confused consumers that even though the tax break is gone, there's still state money available to help with projects.

The Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit provided a $1,200 income tax benefit for certain upgrades, and that helped to defray…

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By Stephanie McFeeters

Published on: December 26, 2025

There was plenty of big environmental news this year: new clean energy legislation, an extreme drought that led to Maine’s worst August for wildfires in 20 years, federal funding cuts and more.

Here’s a look back at some of our coverage:

Federal policy shifts, funding cuts

One big focus of our reporting this year — in the environmental sphere and elsewhere — was on abrupt pauses and cuts to federal…

December 26, 2025

Tux Turkel

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.........Across Casco Bay, I see smoke rising from the 421-foot chimney at Wyman Station in Yarmouth. This power plant from a bygone era burns barge loads of polluting, climate-warming oil.

................Natural gas is a big factor. It still generates half of New England’s electricity, despite years of renewable energy expansion. It’s increasingly exported overseas, so it’s tied now to global prices. Public…

Maine Public | By Peter McGuire

Published December 22, 2025 at 3:54 PM EST

Maine utility regulators are jumpstarting a major new wind power development and electric transmission line in Northern Maine.

The Public Utilities Commission released a request for proposals last week and asked private developers to submit bids for the project by the end of February.

The agency intends to build turbines that can produce up to 1,200 megawatts of electricity, enough to…

U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Maria Bartiromo on "Mornings with Maria" on Fox Business that the Trump administration will suspend leases for five wind farms under construction off the U.S. East Coast, citing national security concerns related to radar interference.

"Well, today we're sending notifications to the five large offshore wind projects that are under construction that their leases will be suspended due to national security concerns. During this…

by Emmett Gartner

December 21, 2025

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.........So in 2024 they agreed to the terms of Efficiency Maine’s Manufactured (Mobile) Home Initiative. They removed their gas furnace. And they committed to a $2,500 loan from Efficiency Maine’s “Green Bank” that they would pay off in $50 monthly increments over 50 months to cover the installation of an electric heat pump, which would both heat and cool their home.

The heat pump became their only…

Maine Public | By Peter McGuire

Published December 20, 2025 at 5:20 PM EST

A coalition of environmental groups is challenging a conservation plan proposed by Central Maine Power as part of its permit to develop a new electric transmission line through western Maine.

The groups filed an appeal with Maine's Board of Environmental Protection asking regulators to require CMP to protect more mature forest habitat.

"The transmission line…

Whether data centers drive up electricity prices or not, the fact is that Maine starts off with very high prices due to costly "renewable" energy and its requisite new transmission, as well as being choked off from badly needed new gas pipelines. Therefore if data centers (and any jobs they might provide) can't be built in Maine due to their potential effect on electricity prices, or the fact that electricity is too expensive here to begin with, those persons, politicians and groups pushing…

By Steve Goreham -- December 17, 2025

“Environmental groups fear the AI tidal wave will wash away the net zero energy transition…. The end result will be a victory for AI and common sense, and the failure of renewable energy and the ideology of Climatism, the fear of human-caused global warming.”

Environmental groups seek to halt data center construction in the…

Maine Public | By Peter McGuire

Published December 18, 2025 at 5:08 PM EST

Maine regulators have agreed to contract with new solar farms to deliver 51 megawatts of electricity to customers in the state.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission said the new generation could power about 13,000 homes.

Maine…

December 17, 2025

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By Tina Fischer

A proposal by MillCompute LLC to develop an artificial intelligence data and technology center in Bates Mill No. 3 in downtown Lewiston was unanimously voted down by City Council Tuesday night.

The proposal called for using 85,000 square feet of the vacant property at 140 Mill St. and creating up to 30 jobs.

City Council rejected the proposal by a vote of…

Maine Public | By Peter McGuire

Published December 16, 2025

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Changes include permanently increasing eligibility to people whose incomes are 150% of the federal poverty level, increasing funding to $33 million a year..................

The commission estimates that could add 20,000 new customers to benefits, increasing the total to almost 68,000............................

"Thus, it is quite possible that the…

By Julia Tilton

Published on: December 12, 2025

Federal clean energy incentives are expiring on Dec. 31. But homeowners will still have access to Efficiency Maine rebates, and the state is part of a $450 million effort to increase heat pump adoption across New England.

Federal tax incentives for clean energy upgrades are going away at the end of this year, cutting into potential savings on rooftop solar, heat pumps and more.

In 2026, homeowners who…

No blame for the brutal cost effects of renewable energy and transmission?

Rising electric bills lead to state scrutiny but little relief for residents

by Kevin Hardy, Stateline

December 12, 2025

By: AnnMarie Hilton - December 9, 2025

In a statement Tuesday, Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said he was grateful the court agreed that…

Maine Public | By Peter McGuire

Published December 9, 2025 at 5:45 PM EST

Central Maine Power wants to overhaul outdated electrical transmission and distribution systems around greater Portland.

The utility has proposed spending nearly $547 million in the first phase of upgrades that would include replacing and expanding poles, wires and electrical substations according to documents filed with the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

CMP spokesperson Dustin Wlodkowski…

So natural gas prices are the problem NRCM? Any comment on the fact that the so called environmental groups have succeeded at blocking badly needed new pipelines into Maine.* Taking a big step back, Maine sits next to the largest natural gas produciing area in the nation and it is a crying shame that liberal run states and their enviroshills have choked off the much needed supply, sending Maine energy costs through the roof.

But wait.....the people who caused the high prices…

Got to wonder who funds them. As for the states fighting to lower energy bills, do these include the ones blocking natural gas pipelines, pushing for expensive wind and solar, pushing for costly transmission, sucking taxpayers for subsidies, etc.?

The Best Good Climate News of 2025: States Lead the Way on Clean Energy and Lower Bills

Dec 3, 2025

This year states defended clean energy progress,…

Please share this video broadly. In under two minutes, it spells out much of what's wrong with industrial wind.