Environmental Issue in Maine

Orrington Mercury Problem Lingers

--Aimee Dodge
5/2/10

The mercury problem in the town of Orrington has remained a major topic of discussion for the past few decades. Recently, the people of Orrington have been putting up a bigger fight to get something done about the toxic situation that has remained, for the most part, unchanged. Although most of the contaminated buildings, tanks and piping that were used for chlorine, pesticides and papermaking have now been removed, the people of Orrington are still working on the five landfills that still remain on the site.
In 1986 the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection ordered Mallinckrodt to develop a “corrective action” plan under the guidance of the EPA after received repeated reports of pollution problems. In 2000 HoltraChem, the last resident of the property, went into bankruptcy leaving Mallinckrodt responsible for the pollution issue. They signed an agreement in 2001 to have the contaminated buildings and mercury removed from the site. The company originally planned to dig up all of the landfills and encapsulate the waste on-site with constant monitoring. Two years later the Maine Department of Environment Protection officials took over the cleanup project from the federal government and decided to see all five landfills and any hazardous soils gone. DEP issued an order in 2008 that required the removal of 360,000 tons of contaminated soil. Mallinckrodt hired an engineering firm to carry out the DEP order but only 73,200 tons of contaminated soil were removed. Landfill 2 was recapped and the remaining landfills were left untouched.
The plans and orders brought forth by the DEP for the resolution of the pollution problem would cost around $200 million dollars. The plan would ensure the removal of all five landfills which would in turn would remove the need to maintain the groundwater in that area. On the other hand, Mallinckrodt’s plan would save around a $100 million but would also require the area to be continuously monitored. The plan would leave 40 tons of mercury in four landfills, it would not reduce the long-term pollution risks to local groundwater and it would hinder redevelopment options. . The mercury-contaminated sludge lagoon along the Penobscot river continues to leak about half a pound of mercury in the river each year.
As of late April the citizens of Orrington were getting ready to vote on a clean-up plan for the Mallinckrodt site. While most of the residents favor the proposed clean-up plan that is backed by DEP, the selectmen are supporting a plan proposed by Mallinckrodt and it’s consultant. Orrington resident, Laura Bouzan said, “ I look at the DEP and the state of Maine as protecting my interest as a citizen and the interest of all of us. Why are we deciding that the DEP knows less than the company?”

Check out some additional information:
Mercury Pollution and It's Effects
http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/11535/Default.aspx
http://www.mpbn.net/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ViewItem/mid/3478/ItemId/11866/Default.aspx 
http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/holtrachem/index.htm
http://www.bangordailynews.com/browse.html?content_source=&category_id=&
http://www.maineville.com/detail/141808.html
 Mercury Poisoning Effects

Love Your Air

Clean Air in Maine

by Aimee Dodge
4/23/2010

Air quality has become a concern to many in recent years.

The following are some links on air quality that you should can check out:

• http://www.environmentmaine.org/clean-air

• http://www.environmentmaine.org/reports/clean-air/clean-air-program-reports/danger-in-the-air-unhealthy-levels-of-air-pollution-in-2003

• http://www.environmentmaine.org/legislature/testimony/clean-air/clean-air/l_r_-2527
• http://www.environmentmaine.org/legislature/testimony/clean-air/clean-air/ld-615-standards-for-automobile-emissions
• http://www.maine.gov/dep/air/regulations/proposed.htm
• http://www.maine.gov/dep/air/regulations/docs/123fctsht.pdf
• http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/ba101350cde255eb85257359003f5338/af95df412b4c8e64852570e4007a89a6!OpenDocument
• http://www.nrcm.org/project_cleanair.asp
• http://www.catf.us/
• http://www.maine.gov/dep/air/lev4me/index.html
• http://www.umaine.edu/waterresearch/news/pdfs/Clean%20Air%20Act%20Reduces%20Acid%20Rain%20Jan.%2003.pdf

Oh, What Fun Sports Can Be...

Kenduskeag River Race

By Aimee Dodge
4/17/2010

The 44th annual Kenduskeag River Race took place today, starting at 8:30 a.m. Although the sky was over cast and the temperature chilling, 479 boats made their way from Kenduskeag Village to downtown Bangor, 16.5 miles total.

889 people took to the river, ranging in ages from twelve to seventy. The race was completed first by Trevor Maclean, clocking a time of 2 hours, 19 minutes, 5 seconds. He received a canoe shaped plaque to commemorate his trip down the river. Although finishing first is exciting, most of the excitement today was located at the infamous Six Mile Falls. Every year countless numbers lose the river race to the rapids located there and this year was no exception. While watching the boats go through the falls, at least a quarter of them got dumped into the 40 degree water. People on shore clapped for those who made it through and cheered for those who didn’t.
Although the largest crowd for the event was gathered around Six Mile Falls, there were spectators all along the river. In the small parks along the river, closer to downtown Bangor, people had set up lawn chairs and in some cases portable grills to watch and celebrate the race. Another spot where people gathered were the portage points, points during the race where participants were required to take their boat out of the water and move it via land downstream to avoid particularly dangerous parts of the river. Spectators stood around and watched as cold and tired paddlers hauled their crafts out of the river and carried them up steep inclines and across roads.
Even though the weather was less than favorable for water activities and the river was low, both participant and spectators had a good time. The race, overall, had a good turnout this year.

Start Your Social Media Engines!

The Effects of Social Media
By Aimee Dodge

Social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Wikapedia, and Flickr are changing the way disaster situations are received and handled. They have played a major role in disaster response efforts over the past decade. Social media outlets allow people and organizations access to niche audience and enable multinational corporations to engage with employees in ways that have never been possible before.

Within hours of an earthquake striking Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, social networking sites were forming groups to support those effected. The New York Times created a Facebook page and Twitter account just to cover the news and current happenings in Haiti. The New York Times is only one of many news sources that created social networking accounts to get information out to more people. Through the use of social media networks, organizations not only succeeded in engaging and informing people, they also succeeded in mobilizing them. Eight days after the earthquake donors had contributed more than $355 million to aid Haiti through 35 U.S. nonprofit groups, according to Chronicle of Philanthropy.

The ability to instigate action is one of the most important aspects of social media. With the ability to make a single donation in one single rapid movement, social media promotes impulse donating. People are no longer left wondering how they can help because today’s social media and networking makes it easier than ever. All one has to do is send a text message or follow a link to a fund raising page to make a donation. Mailing donation requests is not a reliable means of reaching people. The majority of donations made to the relief effort in Haiti were made via the web.

Social media allows people to create communities and start movements. The day after the Haiti earthquake multiple Facebook groups had been formed to help Haiti, many having more than 100,000 members. People also used their Facebook accounts to let their friends know that they had donated to the relief effort and where they could go if they wanted to donate as well.

Speeches, etc.

University President Celebrates New Facility Opening

By Aimee Dodge

3/26/2010

University of Maine President, Robert Kennedy, celebrated the opening of Orono Spectral Solutions new facility today. Kennedy praised OSS and the many other spinoff businesses that have been produced through research at the University.

Kennedy announced that Maine ranks first in the United States for spinoff businesses created, the University of Maine being the leader in creating new businesses from research done on its campus. Orono Spectral Solutions “is an excellent example of the kind of opportunity that can grow from university research,” stated Kennedy, during his speech.  Orono Spectral Solutions started in UMaine’s Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology. Kennedy went on to say that the LASST lab is a great incubator for ideas and that “the lab’s interdisciplinary nature fuels the kind of collaborative thinking that can lead to the big ideas that can become economic development opportunities.”

Orono Spectral Solutions is a small, high tech company currently supported through several contracts with the Department of Defense. They focus on developing innovative absorbent materials and sampling methods which enable trace level detection of chemical/biological agents in both air and water backgrounds. Currently, the company is pursuing commercial opportunities in the areas of air and water quality monitoring.”OSS is making its mark in the sensor industry, which is a critical research area with concern to homeland security and human health.

President Kennedy sounded sincere when he said that the University of Maine is proud of its association with OSS. The creators of OSS live only a mile away from the campus where they created their successful business. “Orono Spectral Solutions represents a great example of how we can , as a state, finds ways to keep the best and the brightest right here in Maine.” 

For more information about Orono Spectral Solutions visit their website: http://www.ossmaine.com/index.php

Job Cuts in Bangor, Update

Aimee Dodge
March 19, 2010

Job Cuts in Bangor, Update

Two weeks ago Eastern Maine Medical Center announced that 48 workers were going to be let go. With 23 of those people nursing staff, new concerns are coming to light was to what will happen in the nursing student s graduating this spring. One person states that this is not what they would call an “employment crisis”.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing reported that they have seen an “easing of the nursing shortage”. This is due to recession cutting costs. Healthcare facilities all across American have been eliminating nursing positions and in some cases eliminating nurse to help solve budget crises. The AACN says that the nursing industry has stabilized because of the recession, but they also expect nursing demands to increase in the near future.
Although the AACN talks about the economy’s effect on the current job prospects in nursing, they also encourage people to continue in nursing. They state that there are nursing positions all across the country. Nursing graduates should think about broadening their ideas on where they would like to work; there is a good possibility that they will have to seek employment outside their present state of residence.
At the University of Maine, nurses are prepped to interview for and enter the job market before they graduate. Chief Nursing Officers from surrounding health institutions offer advice on interview tactics and job prospects. They also convey that nursing students should look outside their preferred areas to work in and their desired areas of specialty, intensive care vs. geriatrics.
Even though jobs are being cut in the Bangor area, people are still hopeful that there are jobs out there for graduating nurses. Temporary or out-of-state positions may be the only options for some at the moment which may be hard for some new nurses hoping to stay in the area due to family. Only time will tell.


Sources for this article wish to remain anonymous.
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Media/pdf/Economy.pdf
http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/138213.html

News

Aimee Dodge
February 26, 2010

Job Cuts in Bangor, Who’s Next?

The unemployment rate in Bangor is 7.10%, just lower than the national average, and jobs in the area have decreased by 0.60%. Although the unemployment rate is below average, it is still a major area of concern for local people out of work and looking for jobs.
The Bangor area has been hit hard since the recession came to Maine. One of the largest employers in the area, Easter Maine Medical Center, has already cut 24 filled positions and eliminated another 52 unfilled ones. The medical center told the Bangor Daily News that the measure was “essential to ‘getting EMMC back on track.’” They may be planning another round of cuts in the near future. Eastern Maine Medical Center is not the only major employer in the area that is folding under the recession pressure. Penobscot Bay Medical Center announced recently that they too will cut positions. They plan to cut ten positions and reduce hours for several others. They may be cutting more positions in the near future as well. Movie Gallery, a movie rental franchise, recently filed chapter eleven. They are in the process of shutting down not only the six stores in Maine, which includes two stores in Bangor, but eight hundred stores across the country. Movie gallery stores employ between ten and twenty workers on average. Other local businesses, including music clubs and restaurants, have also started cutting positions or have closed down completely. Club Ice, which recently opened, is now closed, to many people’s surprise.
The recession is far from over so the question is who will be next to cut positions. Wal-Mart is a large employer in the Bangor area as well at St. Joseph Hospital, who has worked very hard in recent months to cut cost within the hospital. Will these major employers be cutting next?