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| 📷 Rep. Scott Cyrway, R-Albion, is pictured as a member of the Maine Senate at the State House in Augusta on June 30, 2021. (BDN photo by Troy R. Bennett) |
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💩 Two Republicans try to help coordinate a sludge crisis response.
◉ Maine is struggling to find a solution to the contaminated sludge building up at water treatment plants across the state, with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection criticizing landfill operator Casella Waste Systems for rejecting proposed solutions that the company deems unworkable.
◉ All hands remain on deck. Reps. Scott Cyrway, R-Albion, and Michael Soboleski, R-Phillips, are helping the state coordinate trucking and logistics if officials can find a place to take the waste that is contaminated with "forever chemicals" linked to health problems.
◉ They have not found one so far. Cyrway said the work extends as far as engaging Maine manufacturers and others who could set up burn sites for the sludge, even though the Maine DEP says nobody here is licensed to do so, which puts that option far down the contingency plan list at the moment.
◉ "I think we're going to have a solution relatively soon," Soboleski said. "I just know that [Maine DEP Commissioner Melanie Loyzim] and her team are working tirelessly on this. They're working hard."
🚪 Paid leave begins working its way through the Legislature today.
◉ We should get some more early signs of how the complex issue of paid family and medical leave will be handled by this year by lawmakers on Tuesday, when members of a state commission that put together a proposal on the matter will brief the labor committee. Watch it at 1 p.m.
◉ Top Republicans voiced early skepticism of this type of insurance program, but advocates behind it are queuing up a 2024 referendum on the subject if the Legislature does not address it. This could force action on a type of proposal that has polled well recently.
🏀 The governor won't take sides in a basketball rivalry.
◉ Courtside reporter Greg Levinsky of Maine Public tried his best to get Gov. Janet Mills to disclose her rooting interest during the Class AA girls' basketball championship game between Oxford Hills and Gorham in Portland on Tuesday, but he had no luck despite Mills spending her freshman year at Gorham.
◉ "The [career and technical school at Oxford Hills] is doing a great job, but Gorham has a place in my heart too," she said. "So, I'm not picking favorites. I'm here to cheer them both on."
◉ Oxford Hills didn't need the governor's help, beating Gorham 62-25 for their third Gold Ball since 2019. |
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What we're reading
🌚 Solar development incentives are hurting low-income Mainers most.
🍺 Craft brewers turn back to fruit beers to stand out in a crowded market.
🐟 Atlantic salmon need another fish lift at a Milford dam, advocates say.
☎️ "Swatting" would be a felony under a new Maine bill, CBS News 13 reports.
🍳 Argue about these legendary Bangor restaurants. Here's your soundtrack. |
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