Scientists and working groups weigh in on all aspects of climate change, from heat waves to soaring pollen counts to sea level rise, to help the Maine Climate Council set new goals for the second installment of Maine Won’t Wait, the state’s climate action plan.
Penelope Overton
Staff Writer
Penny Overton 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 has 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 inHealth, Local & State, News
Hundreds of Maine households are stranded in PFAS limbo
The state says it can’t afford to mitigate PFAS issues at homes near sludge hot spots that pass state drinking water standards but fail the new federal ones.
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Posted inBusiness, Local & State
First $1 million of PFAS relief fund reaches Maine farmers
The vast majority of it went to replace income lost at 4 Maine farms struggling to overcome contamination, but the the Fund to Address PFAS Contamination will not release any details.
Posted inLocal & State, News
A fast-warming Gulf of Maine is rising faster than ever
The gulf is warming 3 times faster than the global average and rising about 2.5 times faster in recent years than it has over the last century, according to the Maine Climate Council.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Portland Water District files lawsuit against forever chemical manufacturers
The district is seeking compensation to cover the cost of testing and treating wastewater polluted by chemicals used to make goods as varied as waterproof mascara, Teflon, Scotchgard and firefighting foams.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News
Maine stocks PFAS-laden waters with fish, warns ‘do not eat’
Scientists worry that some anglers will still consume the trout tainted by forever chemicals. One environmental watchdog group calls the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife practice ‘super disturbing.’
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News
Climate change likely to bring rewards – and risks – for Maine farmers
Warming temperatures and a longer growing season will benefit agriculture in the state, but pathogens, pests and extreme weather also are likely to accompany the milder winters, according to the Maine Climate Council.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News
Climate change is already affecting Mainers’ health, doctors say
The most direct link between climate change and public health in Maine can be found between warming temperatures and heat-related illnesses and diseases spread by ticks that no longer die off in winter.
Posted inLocal & State, Maine Crime
James Pak, Biddeford landlord convicted of killing 2 teenage tenants, dies in prison
Pak, 86, began serving a life sentence in 2016 for fatally shooting 19-year-old Derrick Thompson and 18-year-old Alivia Welch.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Climate resilience commission starts work in lucrative port: Stonington
The newly formed panel aims travel around Maine to identify storm-ravaged communities whose needs do not fit neatly into federal disaster relief categories.