Maine

Opinion: Offshore wind turbines are a bad idea for the Gulf of Maine

Published

1 year ago

December 4, 2024

Opinion: Offshore wind turbines are a bad idea for the Gulf of Maine

Installing wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine is a serious environmental and investment error. Maine can access Quebec Hydro for its immediate power needs with no damage to the environment – and enjoy the benefits of their low electrical rates. In the longer term, we can build new nuclear plants that will provide dependable power with carbon-free energy 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

I was saddened to learn that Maine Audubon is condoning and promoting offshore wind turbines in the Gulf of Maine (“Opinion: Offshore wind in Gulf of Maine an opportunity we can’t ignore,” Sept. 29). These wind turbines represent an existential threat to seabirds and migrating songbirds. The blade tips on these large turbines will be traveling at several hundred miles per hour, and birds will have no chance of surviving them. Tens of thousands of birds will be killed every year.

It reminds me of the building the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. At the time, environmentalists said that only 5% of the salmon would not negotiate the fish ladders and turbines. Once additional dams were built, one of the world’s greatest salmon fisheries was virtually destroyed.

Andy Beahm, executive director of Maine Audubon, represents a group that is funded to support our bird population. I find it tragic that he “looks the other way” and ignores an existential threat that will kill millions of birds when fully developed. One only needs to visit the Coachella Valley in Southern California to see hundreds of wind turbines and dead birds under these turbines to appreciate the problem.

Siemens recently announced multibillion-dollar losses from sea-based turbines. Saltwater conditions are prematurely destroying their components. These increased costs will show up in future electrical rates.

Recently Sweden canceled the construction of 13 new wind farms in the Baltic Sea, citing defense and security concerns. There is simply no reason to subsidize and support offshore wind projects.

Finally, all mechanical systems wear out and fail. The cost of decommissioning and removing these turbines from the Gulf needs to be included in any justification for this project. We have already seen the extraordinary cost of a single blade failure near Nantucket at the Vineyard Wind last July, resulting in the closure of six beaches due to debris washing ashore.

The building of offshore windmills is an unwise decision. It needs to be abandoned before it causes irreparable harm.

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Maine

Lawmakers advance bill to provide death benefits after two DOT workers killed on the job

Published

2 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Lawmakers advance bill to provide death benefits after two DOT workers killed on the job

After a fatal car crash in Waterville killed two Maine Department of Transportation employees in January, state lawmakers are backing a bill to expand death benefits to the families of DOT workers killed on the job. The Labor Committee unanimously voted Tuesday to advance LD 669, which will make DOT employees eligible for the same […]

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Maine

Maine man accused of lighting bed on fire after fight with girlfriend

Published

1 day ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Maine man accused of lighting bed on fire after fight with girlfriend

WISCASSET, Maine (WMTW) – A Maine man has been arrested after police say he intentionally set a bed on fire after a dispute with his girlfriend, while they were still in it.

Police responded Monday, March 9, to a report of a fire that had been intentionally set inside a home on Beechnut Hill Road, according to the Wiscasset Police Department.

Investigators say the homeowner, Terry Couture, 41, set the bed on fire following an argument while both he and his girlfriend were in it. Authorities said the fire was extinguished and no serious injuries were reported.

Couture was arrested and charged with attempted murder, arson, aggravated criminal mischief, and domestic violence criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon.

The investigation is ongoing.

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Maine

Celebrate Maine Maple Weekend at Williams Family Farm

Published

2 days ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Celebrate Maine Maple Weekend at Williams Family Farm

CLIFTON, Maine (WABI) – Maine Maple Sunday is less than two weeks away, and the Williams Family Farm in Clifton is gearing up for one of the sweetest seasons yet.

A long stretch of frost and snow meant a late start this year, but the first boil of sap has finally run through the evaporator, and maple season is officially underway.

At Williams Family Farm, everything is done by hand:

Fresh maple syrup, bottled on-site
Maple sugar, carefully extracted in small batches
Baked candied pecans, cashews, and more

The Williams family has spent years working with whatever weather sends their way.

Long winters, surprise warmups, and everything in between—they’ve learned how to adapt so community members can enjoy their products.

As co-owner John Williams explains, the key is in the temperature.

“You need to have it warm during the day and still freezing at night, so typically that’s the middle of February,” said Williams. “We have a lot of trees, so we have to start tapping them before the conditions are ideal, so we start tapping way before it’s time for it to run just so we can get them all tapped. If you have ten trees in your backyard, you want to wait until roughly now, the middle of February to now, and when it’s actually running and put them in then because you can put all your taps in, in one day.”

They’re excited to welcome the community during Maine Maple Weekend on March 21 and 22.

They will be boiling up sap, hosting demonstrations, and providing free samples.

Locals can also join them for their third annual pancake breakfast where all proceeds are donated to Holbrook Recreation.

Follow the link to find out their hours for March and more.

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