The fund would reimburse farmers whose water or fields are contaminated by PFAS for testing and clean up, lost crops and herds, farm transitions or buyouts, and long-term health monitoring.
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 inLocal & State
Housing bill to be scaled back, would still allow 4 units on many lots
House Speaker Ryan Fecteau is proposing to remove some controversial parts of his affordable housing bill to preserve fourplex and accessory dwelling unit provisions.
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Posted inLocal & State, Uncategorized
Powerful winter storm could drop up to a foot of snow in parts of Maine
The third so-called bomb cyclone to hit the East Coast this year will begin as rain across most of the state before it turns to snow in the state’s north and western mountains.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News, Politics
Bill to ban COVID-19 vaccine mandates dies after Maine Senate votes it down
Proponents argued that vaccine safety and effectiveness is far from settled, but opponents said vulnerable people in group settings, like schools or hospitals, deserve to know every effort is being made to keep them safe.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
LePage calls for temporary cuts in Maine’s gas tax and turnpike tolls
The Republican gubernatorial candidate says this would help Mainers survive an inflationary market.
Posted inLocal & State
Housing reform bill sparks heated debate
Opponents see affordable housing plan as big government, but supporters say it actually empowers landowners.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Mask mandate dropped at State House
In tying the requirement to local transmission rates, legislative leaders could reinstate the mask mandate if Kennebec County goes red again.
Posted inBusiness, Local & State, News, Politics
Lawmakers consider sweeping affordable housing reform bill
The bill aims to cut the regulatory red tape that supporters say is exacerbating Maine’s housing crisis.
Posted inLocal & State, News, Politics
Lawmakers hear bill to create protest-free zone around Maine abortion clinic entrances
The measure would create a medical safety zone within 8 feet of the front door of all healthcare facilities.
Posted inLocal & State
Relief fund created to help Maine farmers deal with forever chemicals
Maine Farmland Trust and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association have raised $255,000 to create a short-term financial safety net for those affected by PFAS.