Customers are asking Maine's biggest electric utility to show the math behind a proposed rate increase. There's disagreement about the most relevant math -- but today the ME Public Utilities Commission made the unusual decision to require parent company Iberdrola to hand over internal documents.

The Maine Monitor@themainemonitor.org · 17m ago

A group representing customers is seeking to understand why Central Maine Power is requesting higher returns than its multinational parent company Iberdrola has previously said is necessary for its U.S. holdings.

Last week was a terrible one in Maine. What happens now in the aftermath of the ICE shooting in Biddeford, and when will we find out more about what happened? Important piece of the story from my colleagues Caitlin Andrews and Kate Kaufman.

The Maine Monitor@themainemonitor.org · 3w ago

Local, #Maine and federal authorities are all involved in investigating the fatal #shooting of a Colombian man by a federal #immigration agent in Biddeford earlier this week. But details about their process and timeline remain sparse. #ice #biddefordshooting themainemonitor.org/who-is-inves...

The Supreme Court has sided with Bayer/Monsanto in the case of a man who believes his cancer was caused by the weedkiller Roundup. My last story for C&EN covered the case, which affects tens of thousands of others and questioned whether the EPA has sole authority here: cen.acs.org/environment/...

Supreme Court hears Bayer Roundup liability case with billions at stake

The justices’ questions reflected the blurred political lines around pesticides and the EPA’s power to regulate them

cen.acs.org

In other Maine news: bidding closes today in the latest effort to bring big renewable energy projects (and a new transmission line) to the most northern part of the state. Here's the backstory on this long saga, and what's different this time: themainemonitor.org/wind-farms-t...

Wind farms, transmission lines poised to come to northern Maine

Maine is set to select winning projects soon in its latest effort to bring renewable energy development to Aroostook County.

themainemonitor.org

ISO New England's latest electricity forecast is down from last year's, in large part because federal tax credits for EVs and heat pumps (from the Inflation Reduction Act) have ended. But state-level rebates in Maine are still going strong, and people are really snapping up heat pumps in particular.

The Maine Monitor@themainemonitor.org · 3mo ago

As more people in #Maine and New England buy #heatpumps and #electric vehicles, power grid operator ISO New England expects #electricity use in the region to grow by about 9% over the next decade, according to a recent report. themainemonitor.org/electricity-...

It's back to Maine and back to the environment beat for me. Mainers and anyone working on environmental issues in the state -- please feel free to reach out!

The Maine Monitor@themainemonitor.org · 3mo ago

The #Maine Monitor is pleased to welcome Delger Erdenesanaa to cover the #environment, explaining and investigating the most pressing #energy, water, forestry, fisheries and #pollution issues. themainemonitor.org/maine-monito...

The inside scoop from @leighkboerner.bsky.social: "About 150 employees remained in ORD as of Feb. 13. Most got letters that day saying that they would be reassigned to other offices in March. The letters did not specify which offices."

C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News)@cenmag.bsky.social · 5mo ago

The EPA informed Congress on Feb. 13 that it is eliminating the Office of Research and Development (ORD). Opponents worry that the closure marks the end of independent research at the agency. #chemsky 🧪

There's been a barrage of pesticide news recently - from Bayer's class settlement for Roundup lawsuits, and Trump's EO on domestic glyphosate production, to the draft Farm Bill (which will be marked up tonight). I covered how it's all related, and what it all means: cen.acs.org/environment/...

Farm bill and Trump’s glyphosate order magnify pesticides’ ‘watershed moment’

Order comes as Bayer proposes a settlement for thousands of Roundup lawsuits and all branches of government consider pesticide maker liability

cen.acs.org

After a court-mandated ban that applied for the 2025 growing season, the US Environmental Protection Agency has reapproved over-the-top use of dicamba for genetically modified soybeans and cotton. cen.acs.org/policy/chemi... #chemsky 🧪

EPA reapproves dicamba use, despite MAHA opposition and previous court bans

New label instructions are meant to limit drift, but critics question their potential effectiveness

cen.acs.org

Lower levels of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ in North Atlantic whales show regulations work -- by @lizkimbrough.bsky.social for @mongabay.com news.mongabay.com/2026/02/lowe...

Lower levels of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ in North Atlantic whales show regulations work: Study

North Atlantic long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) now have 60% lower concentrations of some legacy PFAS than they did a decade ago, offering rare good news about the effectiveness of chemic...

news.mongabay.com

The Associated Press’ reporting on the vulnerabilities of private water well owners to contamination by harmful forever chemicals shows how some well owners are left stranded. Here are takeaways from the investigation.

Takeaways from the AP's reporting on PFAS contamination of private drinking water wells

The Associated Press’ reporting on the vulnerabilities of private water well owners to contamination by harmful forever chemicals shows how some well owners are left stranded.

bit.ly

Come for the interactive quiz on what counts as an ultraprocessed food, stay for the policy outlook on this weirdly bipartisan issue -- from US dietary guidelines to school lunches to state SNAP waivers to front-of-package labeling in other countries.

C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News)@cenmag.bsky.social · 6mo ago

State and federal policymakers are beginning to take action to curb consumption of ultraprocessed foods in the US, even as the definition and health effects of these foods continue to be debated. cen.acs.org/policy/US-ul... #chemsky 🧪

Earlier this month, a research institute in Venezuela was damaged by US air strikes, marking the latest blow to a research sector already battered by funding and supply shortages. Read more at @cenmag.bsky.social: cen.acs.org/policy/US-ai...

US air strikes are the latest blow to Venezuela’s decimated science infrastructure

Venezuelan scientists are ‘waiting to see’ how damage to the country’s top basic science center will affect its research sector

cen.acs.org

For his #PulitzerStaffPicks 2025, Mark Schulte, Director of U.S. Education and Outreach, selected "See How Marine Heat Waves Are Spreading Across the Globe" by @edelger.bsky.social for The @nytimes.com. 👉 bit.ly/YIStories25

For @cenmag.bsky.social, I tried to summarize what happened in science policy in 2025. Spoiler: A lot! Thanks to Ian Banks, @jeremymberg.bsky.social, Arthur Daemmrich, @cdelawalla.bsky.social and @ucs.org Jen Jones for their insights. Out soon: what to expect in 2026 cen.acs.org/policy/nih-n...

‘A huge rupture in everything’: US science faced major upheaval in 2025

Amid enormous shifts, many scientists pushed back and risked dismissal from their jobs even as federal agencies fired thousands of employees

cen.acs.org

For her second #PulitzerStaffPicks selection, Ocean Editor Jessica Aldred chose @katiemcque.bsky.social’s story “'I’ve Seen Hell': Inside the Global Crisis of Seafarer Exploitation” published in @contextnewsroom.bsky.social. 👉 bit.ly/YIStories25

Entangled examined the threats to North Atlantic right whales & the policies to address them. Now, as the series closes, we return to the people working to change the outcome: www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... @pulitzercenter.org @theglobeandmail.com

Showing humanity to endangered North Atlantic right whales pays off

From the ocean to the classroom, from Atlantic Canada to the U.S. South, these people are finding ways to save a species before it vanishes

theglobeandmail.com

The United Nations effort to negotiate a treaty on plastic pollution appears to be at a standstill. The parties’ approach needs to change if a treaty is to be reached. But how? cen.acs.org/environment/... #chemsky 🧪

The UN plastics treaty is at an impasse. Can it reset?

Significant disputes remain about the scope of any treaty, but everyone agrees that negotiations can’t continue as they have been

cen.acs.org

Advisory panel on vaccine policy in the US votes to scrap recommendation of #hepatitisB vaccination for newborns. One panel member called decision "unconscionable" @maxhenrybarnhart.bsky.social for @cenmag.bsky.social cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic...

CDC panel ends a long-standing recommendation for hepatitis B vaccines for newborns

The change has no scientific basis, critics say

cen.acs.org

Boy, retraction is the thing these days. After years of critique, a foundational 25-year old paper on the safety of glyphosate herbicide has been pulled. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 1/2

So, remember that MAHA summit 2 weeks ago that @statnews.com broke the news of and @maxkozlov.bsky.social somehow got into for Nature, even though it was closed to the press? The organizers posted the entire 6.5-hour conference proceedings to YouTube last week. cen.acs.org/policy/MAHA-...

At MAHA Summit, the NIH head pushes for research that risks failure

And 4 other takeaways for life scientists from the ‘off-the-record’ Make America Healthy Again conference

cen.acs.org

Reflections on COP30 now that it's over. (Or is it??) First, idk if this was Lula's goal, but the physical chaos of the venue—fire, deluge, diesel fumes—sure seemed like a metaphor for climate change to me. cen.acs.org/environment/...

COP30 final agreement omits fossil fuels

Countries also left deforestation on the sidelines but agreed to more funding for climate adaptation efforts by low-income countries

cen.acs.org

The chemical industry is a huge source of GHG emissions. Decarbonizing the industry will be hard, but as a UNFCCC technology expert said here, there's no way we can avoid it. COP30 reflected that, with what seemed to be more spotlight on chemicals than past summits. cen.acs.org/environment/...

At COP30, chemical companies push biobased climate solutions

But environmentalists are raising concerns about the ecosystem, food security, and other impacts from the fossil fuel alternative

cen.acs.org

Nov. 14 Policy Watch: US government reopens, is absent from COP 30 climate conference In other news, the EPA wants to trim PFAS reporting requirements and is pushing back compliance dates for parts of its TCE and methylene chloride rules. cen.acs.org/policy/Nov-1...

Nov. 14 Policy Watch: US government reopens, is absent from COP 30 climate conference

In other news, the EPA wants to trim PFAS reporting requirements and is pushing back compliance dates for parts of its TCE and methylene chloride rules

cen.acs.org

Tomorrow at #COP30 I'll be discussing what I learned from my recent @pulitzercenter.org reporting on marine heatwaves and their effects on wildlife and fisheries -- 1:30pm Brazil time at the Ocean Pavilion, alongside fishermen & women, scientists, and policymakers.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography @scrippsocean.bsky.social · 9mo ago

🎣 How can fisheries adapt to a changing climate? Scripps PhD candidate Max Titcomb joins this #OceanPavilion panel to discuss the impacts of overfishing and marine heatwaves, as well as solutions to build climate-resilient fisheries. #COP30 📆 Nov 15 🔗 https://bit.ly/4nLxq3i

Rescheduled for this morning 8 am - if you are in the Blue Zone, come by the Ocean Pavilion and learn about the links between rainforest and ocean to start your day.

Pulitzer Center@pulitzercenter.org · 9mo ago

The Amazon and the ocean are deeply connected, yet this link is underreported. Join us this afternoon, for a conversation that brings together journalists, researchers, and educators exploring how these ecosystems shape our future. Register now! 👉 bit.ly/30COPsesh

The best news from #COP30 so far is that a couple got engaged last night during dinner at a restaurant just outside the venue. It was packed with conference attendees and decidedly not the most romantic ambiance… but good for them!!

I’m in Belém covering #COP30. It’s a difficult geopolitical—and physical—context, as the planet begins to breach the 1.5C goal set 10 years ago and the US withdraws once again from the Paris Agreement. I’ll be continuing coverage throughout the conference, so please reach out if you’d like to talk.

C&EN (Chemical & Engineering News)@cenmag.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Diplomats from nearly 200 countries, as well as tens of thousands of observers, are gathering in Belém, Brazil, from Nov. 10 to 21 for the annual United Nations climate summit. cen.acs.org/policy/COP30... #chemsky 🧪

Not since 1935 has anyone experienced a storm like Melissa. Melissa's record wouldn't have happened without climate change, which made the hurricane's winds about 10 mph stronger, according to a rapid attribution analysis by Climate Central. yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/10/cata...

Catastrophic Hurricane Melissa hits Jamaica as the strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane on record » Yale Climate Connections

At landfall in western Jamaica, Melissa’s 185 mph winds and 892 mb pressure tied with the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 in the Florida Keys as the strongest on record for the Atlantic.

yaleclimateconnections.org

A team of international scientists suggests that ignoring plankton could lead scientists to underestimate how the ocean will respond to climate change. Read more: cen.acs.org/environment/... #CENChemPics #chemsky 🧪