Maine is still the most heating-oil dependent state in the country, but a growing share of Mainers are sourcing heat from electricity and other types of fuel.
Daniel Kool
Staff Writer
Daniel Kool is the Portland Press Herald's utilities reporter, covering electricity, gas, broadband - anything you get a bill for. He also covers the impact of tariffs on Maine and picks up the odd business story. He joined the Press Herald in 2024 as the night reporter. A graduate of Boston University, he previously covered city news, transportation and higher education for the Boston Globe. His work has also appeared in GBH News, the Boston Globe Magazine and Boston University's student newspaper, where he was the city news editor. A midwestern transplant, Daniel lives in Biddeford, where he plays with keyboards and little noise-making boxes.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Is cash still king at Maine’s agricultural fairs?
More fairs are accepting digital payments, but processing fees and shoddy internet access make some vendors hesitant to change cash-only policies that have served them well for decades.
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Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News, Schools and Education
Gov. Mills announces new Maine Life Sciences Center
State officials hope the center and an accompanying lab space will help turn Maine into a leader in the lucrative and expanding field of life sciences.
Posted inLocal & State, News
More Maine wells are drying up this year as drought continues
With 12% of the state in an extreme drought, more than 10 times as many wells have been reported dry so far this year than in all of 2024.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Maine launches Department of Energy Resources
The Cabinet-level department will replace the Governor’s Energy Office, bringing Maine in line with most other states.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Large data center could come to Wiscasset
The proposal, on land also being considered for housing, is ‘in its earliest stages,’ town officials said. Artificial intelligence has spurred the development of similar centers across the country.
Posted inBusiness, Health, Local & State, News
What do ever-hotter summers mean for Maine’s economy?
As the state charts increasingly warm and longer summers, businesses across all industries are planning for more weather extremes.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Extreme drought grips parts of Maine as lengthy dry spell worsens
Rain could arrive later next week, but forecasters say it’s too soon to know yet whether it will be the wetting downpours that most of the state desperately needs.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
CMP’s new plan would increase bills — again. Mills calls that ‘unacceptable’
Though state officials say Mainers are already struggling to pay their electric bills, the utility says the distribution rate increases for hiring and resiliency upgrades would occur as some temporary charges expire, mitigating the cost to customers.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News, Politics
Maine Republicans urge Trump administration to revoke Gulf of Maine wind leases
In a letter to federal officials, Maine Republicans applauded the termination of $600 million in offshore wind projects across the U.S. and asked for offshore leases in the Gulf of Maine to also be canceled.