Sue Inchesis an author, educator and environmental advocate from North Yarmouth. She writes a regular blog on the environment at susanbinches.substack.com.
Fossil fuel companies are spewing billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the air every year. These gases rise and act like a blanket in the atmosphere, reflecting heat back toward the Earth, where it’s absorbed by the ocean. This is why the Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest warming bodies of water on the planet.
Our rising ocean temperatures are the root cause of more frequent and more severe storms. And these storms are costly. Flooding, high winds and falling trees have cost Maine electric ratepayers over $200 million in each of the past four years. We see these costs in our rising electric bills.
As storms and costs continue to increase, it’s time to hold fossil fuel companies accountable. Maine electric ratepayers should not pay for climate damage they did not cause. Nor should they pay for local infrastructure to protect downtowns, roads, bridges and sewage treatment plants from flooding.
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This is the rationale behind “polluter pays” legislation, an important bill before the Legislature this month.
Introduced by state Sen. Stacy Brenner, the “Polluter Pays” bill (LD 1870) would charge fossil fuel companies a fee for climate damage they’ve caused in Maine. The funds would be deposited into a state “climate superfund” and used to pay for storm repair and strengthening local infrastructure.
You may be wondering how polluters will be assessed a pollution fee. Based on decades of research and using advanced computing, it’s now possible to accurately determine the cost attributed to each polluter. Large fossil fuel companies would be charged a fee, based on a formula. The formulas are now in place.
Establishing a state “climate superfund” is a bold move. But there’s legal precedent for it. Vermont and New York passed similar legislation in 2024. Ten other states, including Maine, are proposing similar legislation. This legislation is modeled on the national superfund law (the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act or CERCLA), which passed in 1980.
The national superfund law has been effective. Since it was enacted, 459 sites have been fully cleaned up, with many more in progress. But the national superfund law is limited to cleaning up land and water pollution. There is no law to clean up damage caused by atmospheric pollution. States are now stepping up to address this gap.
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Maine’s LD 1870 is modeled on the Vermont climate superfund law. The bill calls for climate damage fees to be assessed retroactively — on emissions from 1994-2024. By making the damage assessment retroactive, the bill avoids the argument that states are regulating emissions, which are outside of state jurisdiction. Because it is retroactive, and because it addresses climate damage and not emissions, many legal experts believe LD 1870 will stand up to legal challenges.
Opponents have not been complacent, however. Lawsuits against Vermont and New York have been filed by the American Petroleum Institute, a coalition of 22 attorneys general from red states, and now the Trump administration through the Department of Justice. The lawsuits claim that states are regulating emissions, and that this violates interstate commerce laws and the Clean Air Act.
State climate superfund laws and the fight to establish them represent an important paradigm shift. For too long fossil fuel companies have been allowed to externalize the costs of pollution. States and local communities (meaning you and me as taxpayers) end up paying the bill, while oil companies harvest massive profits. These new laws are a first step toward making polluters accountable for pollution they cause.
Once again, Maine is taking the lead on an important issue. Please email or call your state senator and representative and urge them to support LD 1870. Better yet, come to Augusta and stand with people who support this legislation. A demonstration at the Statehouse is scheduled for Jan. 27 from 8-11 a.m.
Windham players celebrate a 3-pointer during a preseason game against Edward Little at South Portland High School game on Nov. 29, 2025. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)
This is the sixth Varsity Maine boys basketball poll of the season, and the No. 1 ranking has changed each time. Windham is back at No. 1 after a big win over No. 4 South Portland. The Eagles, who have won 12 straight, were previously ranked No. 1 in the winter’s first poll.
Windham and last week’s No. 1, Camden Hills, have both topped the poll twice. Sanford and South Portland have each spent one week in first.
The team responsible for this week’s No. 1 switch, Cony, jumped three spots to No. 6 after dealing Camden Hills its first loss on Saturday and upending No. 8 Gardiner last Tuesday.
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Medomak Valley rejoins the poll after a few weeks away, and Hermon is ranked for the first time this season.
The Varsity Maine boys basketball poll is based on games played before Jan. 27, 2026. The top 10 teams are voted on by the Varsity Maine staff, with first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points.
BOYS BASKETBALL
1.
Windham (6)
86
2.
Sanford
77
3.
Camden Hills (3)
76
4.
South Portland
56
5.
York
49
6.
Cony
43
7.
Brunswick
30
8.
Gardiner
22
9.
Medomak Valley
12
10.
Hermon
10
Poll compiled by Assistant Sports Editor Bob Aube.
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Lee Horton is the Varsity Maine Editor for the Maine Trust for Local News. He joined the Sun Journal as assistant sports editor in July 2016, then served as sports editor from May 2018 to May 2024. Prior…
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One of Maine’s two casinos is suing the state’s gambling control unit director over legalizing online casino games exclusively for the Wabanaki Nations.
Gov. Janet Mills decided earlier this month to allow Maine’s four federally recognized tribes to offer “iGaming.” Oxford Casino is challenging that decision in Maine’s U.S. District Court, accusing the state of unlawfully granting a monopoly for online casino gaming.
“Promoting iGaming through race-based preferences deals a gut-wrenching blow to Maine businesses like Oxford Casino that have heavily invested in the State and its people,” the lawsuit reads.
The casino is accusing the state of violating the Equal Protection Clauses of both the United States and Maine Constitutions, against discrimination based on race, according to the lawsuit, which was filed Friday.
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The lawsuit also states that the casinos could lose millions in revenue and hundreds of employees after the law goes into effect.
Oxford Casino and Hollywood Casino in Bangor opposed the iGaming bill, citing the potential for job losses. Other opponents included the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the chair of the state’s gambling control board.
The law will take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns this year, but state officials say there is no concrete timeline for when the new gambling options will become available.
This is a developing story.
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Morgan covers breaking news and public safety for the Portland Press Herald. Before moving to Maine in 2024, she reported for Michigan State University’s student-run publication, as well as the Indianapolis…
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The attorney wife of an elite Texas law-firm partner and a pilot who joined the company less than a year ago were among six people killed when a private jet flipped over and burst into flames at a Maine airport over the weekend — just after a voice over the radio said, “Let there be light.’’
Tara Arnold — a 46-year-old powerhouse lawyer who lived with her two kids and mega-wealthy husband in a Houston mansion — was en route to Paris with those on board the plane when it crashed Sunday evening, killing everyone, according to records and reports.
Tara Arnold was killed when the plane registered to her husband Kurt Arnold’s personal-injury firm — Arnold & Itkin Law — crashed Sunday evening in Bangor, Maine. Arnold & Itkin LLP
The plane was registered to Tara’s husband Kurt Arnold’s successful personal-injury firm — Arnold & Itkin Law — where she also worked. The other five fatal victims aboard the jet have not yet not publicly identified.
“I am close friends with Kurt and Tara Arnold,” said Lesley Briones, a local Texas lawmaker, to WMTW on Monday.
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The twin-engine Bombardier Challenger 600 was taking off from a snow-covered runway at Bangor International Airport when it crashed and exploded, killing everyone on board, officials said. @Turbinetraveler/X
“My heart hurts for them and their children and their families,” Briones said. “I worked at Arnold & Itkin for a time and so I know them well. This is just a tragedy and in particular Tara, she is just a phenomenal person, a bold leader and somebody who had a heart of service.”
Jacob Hosmer, a 47-year-old Houston-area pilot who was the captain of the flight, also died during the wreck, his father confirmed to KPRC2.
“He’s in Heaven now with Jesus,” grieving dad Gary Hosmer told the outlet.
Hosmer has been working as a pilot for Arnold and Itkin since May 2025. He has held previous positions with Wing Aviation, Apollo Aviation and Priester Aviation, all of which frequently run private charter jets, according to his LinkedIn.
Friends of Hosmer described him as a loving and kind father and husband.
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“I would describe him as a great pilot, a loving husband, and a phenomenal father,” a longtime friend told the outlet.
“He was always kind. He was always laughing.”
The plane — a twin-engine Bombardier Challenger 600, which can seat up to 11 people — was taking off from a snow-covered runway at Bangor International Airport around 7:45 p.m. when it crashed back into the runway and exploded, killing everyone on board, officials said.
A moment before take-off, a voice was eerily heard over the flight’s radio communications saying, “Let there be light,” although it’s unclear what that meant.
“All traffic is stopped on the field!” an air-traffic controller then quickly shouted.
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“Aircraft upside down, we have a passenger aircraft upside down,” a controller added as emergency crews rushed to the wreck.
Arnold was part of a prominent Texas family known for multimillion-dollar donations to Lone Star State Republican causes, as well as to the Texas Longhorns football program. LinkedInThe crash occurred as Winter Storm Fern was battering Maine and much of the East Coast. FAA
Kurt Arnold and his law partner Jason Itkin — as well as both their wives — were known to make multimillion-dollar donations to Lone Star State Republican causes, as well as to such things as the Texas Longhorns football program, which they pledged $40 million to.
Tara, a Louisiana native, worked at the firm, specializing in offshore workplace injuries after graduating with high honors from Tulane Law School.
She and her husband and kids lived together in an $11 million Houston home.
The doomed jet’s flight had landed in Bangor around 6 p.m. for apparent refueling after taking off from Houston and then was taking off again in the blizzard en route to Paris when the tragedy struck, KHOU reported.
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The Arnolds with their children. KNOWAutism FoundationKurt and Tara Arnold with Kisha and Jason Itkin. Kurt and Jason founded the Arnold and Itkin Law Firm. Arnold & Itkin LLP
It remains unclear what role the ongoing Winter Storm Fern may have played in the wreck.
Several other planes were taking off before the wreck, but the airport was also de-icing aircraft waiting on the tarmac — and it remains unclear whether the ill-fated jet had been a part of those procedures.
It remains unclear what role the ongoing Winter Storm Fern may have played in the wreck.
Several other planes were taking off before the wreck, but the airport was also de-icing aircraft waiting on the tarmac.
The private jet had landed in Maine just after 6 p.m. after departing Houston, and had been sitting in the cold since then — and it remains unclear whether it had been a part of the de-icing procedures.
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Bombardier Challenger 600s have had a history of takeoff troubles during inclement cold-weather takeoffs — with small ice accumulations being known to affect the craft, according to aviation consultant Jeff Guzzetti.
“Given the weather conditions at the time and the history of wind contamination with this particular aircraft, I’m sure that’s something the NTSB is going to look into immediately,” he said.
“If there was any kind of precipitation at all, freezing precipitation, they would have needed to clean off those wings before they took off,” Guzzetti added.
The wreck left the airport closed, and it is not expected to reopen until Wednesday.
