One new law sponsored by Rep. Dan Ankeles, D-Brunswick, and another sponsored by Rep. Melanie Sachs, D-Freeport, both went into effect Friday, Aug. 9.

L.D. 2162, sponsored by Ankeles, will help protect fishermen’s access to Maine’s working waterfront. L.D. 1967, sponsored by Sachs, will support municipal franchise agreements.

Dan Ankeles. Courtesy photo

Rising home values, particularly on the coast, have increased the tax burden on working waterfront property owners, making it harder for them to continue to earn a living, according to a prepared release by the Maine Legislature House Democratic Office. L.D. 2162 strengthens the working waterfront section of the current land use tax program, which provides tax relief for owners of land designated as working waterfront. By strengthening the program and adjusting certain recapture penalties, Mainers who use their own residence for their commercial fishing business will have a larger incentive to enroll.

“Fishermen, growers and harvesters in Maine are being squeezed from all angles, from weather and climate events to market forces, regulations and the overheated real estate market,” Ankeles said in the release. “We can’t afford to lose any more working waterfront properties if we want to protect Mainers’ livelihoods in both established and emerging marine industries. While more still needs to be done, this increase in available tax relief and relaxation of the penalties in the working waterfront current use program is an important and necessary change.”

Melanie Sachs. Joe Phelan / Kennebec Journal file photo

L.D. 1967 preserves local control for Maine towns to use the revenue from franchise agreements — which outline the terms of service between a town and any entity that would like to sell their entertainment products over infrastructure located in the public right of way, like poles and wires — as they see fit for their community. The law also provides a dispute resolution process for communities through the Public Utilities Commission and holds companies accountable to provide statutorily required services, such as transmitting programs in HD format and laying fiber in rural areas.

“This legislation safeguards Maine towns from incurring expensive legal battles with cable companies to enforce their franchise agreements,” Sachs said in a prepared release. “Communities can utilize the funds from these agreements to reduce property taxes or invest in local infrastructure. It also requires accountability from these companies to our communities. I’m pleased to see this law go into effect.”

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Climate change is impacting the health of Maine’s lakes, according to the nonprofit 30 Mile River Watershed Association. Last week the association discovered a toxic algal bloom in Androscoggin Lake, making it unsafe to swim there.

Biologist Bob Capers, who volunteers for the group, said algal blooms are occuring earlier due to higher water temperatures, heavy rains, and the use of fertilizer that runs off soil into the water.

“It’s not an Androscoggin Lake story, it’s a story about all of our lakes and the multiple stressors affecting them. The one thing we can do is limit the phosphorus inputs into the lakes and that’s the one thing we can really do to control these outbreaks of cyanobacteria,” Capers said.

Capers said Androscoggin Lake has had algal blooms before but this one has occured earlier in the season. He added any lake with an algal bloom should be avoided.

“The concern with algae blooms, in this case cyanobacteria, is it produces toxins that can be harmful to children and to pets. So people should stay out of the water if there’s an algae bloom there,” he said.

An algal bloom is declared when the clarity of the water decreases below the 2 meter level.

Capers said the period when oxygen levels in the water fall below 2 mg/liter started in June this season and that’s unprecedented in Androscoggin Lake, according to the nonprofit’s water quality analysis. He said phosphorus levels were also up last year, averaging 16 ppb compared with a historic average of 14 ppb.

SINCLAIR, Maine (WAGM) – An active fire in Sinclair. WAGM reporters are on the scene. Several fire departments are currently on there, North Lakes Fire and Rescue, Fort Kent, St. Agatha and Frenchville. All departments are currently actively working on the fire. They are taking water from Long Lake. A source has unofficially told WAGM that an explosion at one home took place, causing the neighboring home to catch fire. WAGM has not yet been able to confirm any injuries yet. A first responder has told WAGM reporters that the house explosion flattened the home causing the house next door to catch fire and flying debris at least 300 feet, some into the lake. Power has been disrupted. Multiple residents have told WAGM reporters they heard the loud explosion, even reporting the explosion caused glass, porches and other items in their homes to break. The Red Cross is on scene providing aid. The Shore Road is blocked off to traffic near the intersection of Martin Road and Shore Road.

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