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 (WABI) – Maine’s U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached an agreement with Lowe’s to improve customer accessibility nationwide following a complaint filed in Brewer.

A Lowe’s customer in Brewer filed an ADA complaint that the store did not provide accessible parking located on the shortest accessible route from the parking lot to an accessible entrance

The Justice Department says after investigation it was found several locations in Maine failed to provide accessible parking spaces on the shortest route including in Brewer, Brunswick, Portland and Windham.

They say a part of the settlement agreement Lowe’s has agreed to make modifications to their parking lots to insure the area is ADA compliant.

Lowe’s will also be designating at least one employee to serve as an ADA Compliance Manager to train current and future employees.

They say Lowe’s have also agreed that within six months they will provide the Department a plan to survey the remainder of locations nationwide.

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Federal authorities are now offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to safe return of a 14-year-old girl from Maine whose family reported her missing this fall.

Stefanie Damron, of New Sweden, was reported missing on Sept. 24, according to the Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The FBI has been working with Maine State Police in an effort to locate the girl, last seen walking out of her house and into the nearby woods, officials said.

The reward was announced Monday in a news release by the FBI.

“Despite extensive investigative efforts, including a neighborhood canvas and video search, along with an expansive grid search utilizing canines by the Maine Warden Service and Maine State Police, Stefanie remains missing,” officials wrote in the release.

Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, said the FBI hopes the reward “will incentivize anyone with information relating to Stefanie’s whereabouts to come forward.”

Stefanie’s family desperately wants to know where she is, and we are fully committed to helping our law enforcement partners exhaust every investigative resource to find her and bring her home,” Cohen said.

What we know: Case of missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi takes another turn

What does Stefanie Damron look like?

Authorities described Stefanie as a white female with green eyes and shoulder-length brown hair. She stands about 5’0” tall, and weighs about 130 lbs.

At the time of her disappearance, she was reportedly wearing blue jeans, a long-sleeved blue shirt, and black Harley Davidson hiking boots.

Officials said she is homeschooled and has limited access to social media.

Investigators have conducted dozens of interviews and followed up on potential leads across Maine, around the U.S. and into Canada, officials said.

“Every lead, no matter how small is being thoroughly pursued to find her,” said Maine State Police Colonel William Ross. “Your tip could be the key to resolving this case and providing answers for Stefanie’s family.”

Law enforcement is asking the public to share her updated missing person poster on social media: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/stefanie-damron.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call the Maine State Police at 1-800-824-2261 or 207-532-5400 or contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.