Getting to the Grid of the Future
The U.S. electricity grid is a dinosaur, a huge, unwieldy relic of the past. Built with an expected lifespan of 50 years, much of its infrastructure is now more than 60 years old. Its...
Climate Change/Energy / Economics / Sustainable Practices / Technology
by Marina Schauffler · Published August 15, 2021
The U.S. electricity grid is a dinosaur, a huge, unwieldy relic of the past. Built with an expected lifespan of 50 years, much of its infrastructure is now more than 60 years old. Its...
Ecological Values / Economics / Food / Housing / Sense of Place
by Marina Schauffler · Published May 23, 2021 · Last modified June 5, 2021
The balance of deposits in Maine’s financial institutions is roughly $45 billion. That figure raises an obvious question to experts in socially responsible investing like Scott Budde, who runs Maine Harvest Federal Credit Union:...
Climate Change/Energy / Economics / Sustainable Practices / Technology
by Marina Schauffler · Published May 9, 2021 · Last modified June 5, 2021
As the Maine Climate Council concluded work on its climate action plan last November, one legislator issued what Sen. Anne Carney (D-Cape Elizabeth) recalled as a “plaintive plea: ‘We have to figure out how...
Climate Change/Energy / Economics / Health / Pollution/Waste / Technology
by Marina Schauffler · Published March 7, 2021 · Last modified April 15, 2021
Amid a torrent of public comments at a recent Rockland City Council meeting to discuss a proposed Midcoast natural gas pipeline, a teenager’s honest expression of bewilderment stood out: “I am surprised by this...
Climate Change/Energy / Economics / Technology
by Marina Schauffler · Published February 21, 2021 · Last modified April 15, 2021
Central Maine Power’s most recent debacle, attempting to charge solar developers millions more for grid interconnections despite signed contracts, was shocking but not surprising from a utility that has sought for decades to undermine...
Climate Change/Energy / Ecological Values / Economics / Pollution/Waste / Sustainable Practices
by Marina Schauffler · Published November 8, 2020 · Last modified November 9, 2020
In her Supreme Court confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Justice Amy Coney Barrett sidestepped questions about climate change, saying it was a “very contentious matter of public debate.” As a matter of...
Climate Change/Energy / Economics / Health / Housing
by Marina Schauffler · Published October 11, 2020 · Last modified November 9, 2020
What do you do when the place you call home becomes unlivable? Tens of millions of Americans will face this wrenching choice over the coming decades as they contend with climate-fueled disasters such as...
Climate Change/Energy / Coastal Issues / Economics / Transportation/Travel
by Marina Schauffler · Published September 27, 2020 · Last modified November 9, 2020
We’re in one of the most active hurricane seasons ever recorded, with two months remaining. For only the second time, the 21 preselected names for storms ran out, leaving meteorologists to label the remainder...