Madison company aims to turn pulpwood into insulation, reducing buildings’ energy use

So pioneering wood-fiber insulation here is exciting environmentalists and investors, with the majority of the $100 million project financed by municipally backed “green” bonds. And this is the problem: We’re trading one environmental disaster, which is operational energy for buildings, for another, which is the materials we’re using to build them, to try solve the […]

Forestry and agriculture-focused climate bill would protect Maine’s natural resources

Susan Collins for her efforts to support legislation that advances carbon-reduction efforts while supporting a vital sector of Maine’s economy: agriculture and forestry. Department of Agriculture that would not only provide vital information about how to best adopt these practices, but also connect Maine farmers and foresters to certified third-party organizations looking to purchase the […]

Maine’s housing market became less affordable in 2021 – Bangor Daily News

Prices for single family homes have continued to rise this year, despite declining sales in recent months. Maine’s affordable housing problem has been simmering for well over a decade, especially in coastal communities and more urban areas, like Portland. While homeownership affordability data is not yet available for 2021, monthly reports from the Maine Association […]

Republicans’ cannabis bill to propose lower taxes and state control – Bangor Daily News

Her legislation follows a bill from Democrat and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Cannabis Administration & Opportunity Act, which hasn’t gained traction. This would be a lighter touch than the more rigorous oversight called for in Schumer’s bill, which critics said would make pot akin to pharmaceutical drugs or tobacco by putting the U.S. […]

There’s more illegal activity in Maine’s medical marijuana market, state’s top pot official says

The comments from Erik Gundersen, director of the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy, came on the heels of charges that became public two weeks ago against 13 people accused of orchestrating the illegal sale of $13 million in medical marijuana grown in western Maine to those outside the medical marijuana program both in Maine and […]

‘Clean cannabis’ program wants more Mainers choosing pesticide-free pot

Chris Grigsby, director of MOFGA Certification Services LLC, said that the Certified Clean Cannabis program mirrors the national organic certification program available to other growers. John Black, CEO of Earth Keeper LLC in Wilton, was one of the original caregivers who approached MOFGA to encourage them to develop the certification program in 2015. “There are […]

Maine’s cannabis programs are poised to be a national model, if we let them

Roger Katz is an attorney and former four-term state senator who served as the Senate chair of the Joint Select Committee on Marijuana Legalization Implementation. Then, in 2016, we joined regulatory trailblazers like Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon in legalizing adult-use marijuana. Maine’s adult-use program, which began retail sales six months ago, is the gold […]