Portland Is First City in Maine to Ban Plastic Straws, Stirrers and Splash Sticks
24 October 2019
Oceans
After a local 2nd grade student successfully petitioned the Portland City Council in 2018 to mitigate plastic straw use in city-owned buildings, the Maine Chapter took it to the next level with Council interest to pass a citywide ordinance becoming the first municipality in Maine to ban single-use plastic straws, stirrers and splash sticks.
<p>The <a href="https://portlandme.civicclerk.com/Web/GenFile.aspx?ad=2479" target="_blank">proposed ordinance was strong</a>, seeking to ban the sale and distribution of single-use plastic straws and institute an ask-first policy for straws composed of natural fibers (bamboo, hay, cardboard, etc). Through deliberations, however, the initial exemption for schools was removed and a <a href="https://portlandme.civicclerk.com/Web/GenFile.aspx?ad=3459" target="_blank">phase-in approach added to allow for a transition period</a>. </p><p>Surfrider attended all Council subcommittee meetings throughout the year to help guide the policy, answering questions regarding why compostable straws are not a good ask-first option, why a ban is so critical versus a non-binding approach, and policy policy mechanisms for accommodating persons identifying as living with disability. </p><p>Chapter activists leveraged our <a href="https://www.surfrider.org/programs/ocean-friendly-restaurants" target="_blank">Ocean Friendly Restaurants</a> program to visit food service establishments covering each Portland city district. Asking questions about current straw use and distribution policies in the City, as well as impressions of the proposed ordinance, Maine Chapter volunteers gathered important data that they then shared in public hearing to support the ban. Many restaurat and bar owners were stoked to learn about the big natural-made straw discounts provided to participants in our OFR program, and were happy to learn of the Council's movement to green the City. </p><p>The first reading of the ban ordinance was held on October 7, 2019, with the 2nd reading, public hearing and vote held on October 21, 2019. Six Chapter volunteers attended the hearing, with four representatives speaking. We <a href="https://portlandme.civicclerk.com/Web/GenFile.aspx?ad=3546" target="_blank">addressed an amendment proposed by Councilor Cook</a>, which while well intentioned to make better accommodations for persons identifying as living with disability, would have rendered the ordinance an ask-first policy instead of a ban, which would have been a good step in the right direction but not be nearly <a href="https://digital.detritusjournal.com/articles/assessing-the-use-of-default-choice-modification-to-reduce-consumption-of-plastic-straws/167" target="_blank">as effective at curbing pollu</a><a href="https://digital.detritusjournal.com/articles/assessing-the-use-of-default-choice-modification-to-reduce-consumption-of-plastic-straws/167" target="_blank">tion</a> as a ban. </p><p>Council debate ensued on the issue of accommodation for people requiring plastic type straws to drink and the desire not to retreat to an ask-first policy. A creative compromise was struck that both maintained the ban while also removing the need presented in the initial ordinance for people requiring plastic type straws to self-identify as someone living with "<em>disability or other impairment.</em>" The agreement achieved this solution by amending the exceptions section of the ordinance to clarify that anyone requiring a plastic straw to drink hot or cold liquids could ask for one, and that such a straw would then be provided with no additional questions asked- a true win-win.</p><p>The following language was also added to the preamble to help qualify the nature of the exception and the intents of the council: </p><blockquote>The City Council recognizes the need to ensure that plastic beverage straws remain available to those who require them for consumption of hot and cold liquids and seeks to protect the privacy and dignity of those requesting a plastic beverage straw.</blockquote><p><u>The council carried</u> the amended ordinance unanimously to passage, banning all types of single-use plastic straws, stirrers and splash sticks.</p><p>The ordinance has a phase-in process, which takes effect on April 1, 2020, whereby all types of single-use straws, stirrers and splash sticks will be available on request by the customer only. The ban on plastics kicks in on January 1, 2021, <a href="https://www.surfrider.org/campaigns/ban-the-foam-maine" target="_blank">coinciding with the statewide foam food packaging</a> and plastic stirrer ban's effective date. After January 2021, only naturally made single-use straws, stirrers and splash sticks will be available on request of the customer, except for those customers expressing an explicit need for a plastic straw to drink hot or cold beverages, which will then be available as a secondary default upon such request without further question.</p><p>Straws are one small piece of the larger plastic pollution crisis, and the Surfrider volunteer network is taking bold action across the nation to address this piece along with myriad others and concurrent with paradigm shifting change to usher forth extended producer responsibility. Together, we will gain strides toward a truly circular economy.</p><p><em>Reposted with permission from our media associate <a href="the%20amended%20ordinance%20unanimously%20to%20passage,%20banning%20all%20types%20of%20single-use%20plastic%20straws,%20stirrers%20and%20splash%20sticks!" target="_blank">Surfrider</a>.</em></p>
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Governors in Vermont and Maine signed bills on Monday that will ban plastic bags in their states next year, The Hill reported.
The Maine ban will go into effect next Earth Day, April 22, 2020. The Vermont ban, which extends beyond plastic bags and is the most comprehensive plastics ban so far, will go into effect in July 2020. The wait time is designed to give businesses time to adjust to the ban.
<p>Gov. Janet Mills signed the Maine bill early Monday morning, making Maine the fourth state to ban single-use plastic bags after California, Hawaii and New York. </p>
<p>Maine will allow stores to charge at least 5 cents for paper bags or reusable plastic bags that are able to withstand 75 repeated uses. Those bags are made from heavier plastic than single-use bags, the <a href="https://www.apnews.com/57b1305f9aa14fb19084de3d795a6973" target="_blank">AP</a> reported.</p><p>The measure does provide exceptions for certain types of bags, including bags for produce, prescription drugs, newspapers, laundry and live animals, according to the <a href="https://www.pressherald.com/2019/06/17/bill-signing-makes-maine-the-4th-state-to-ban-single-use-plastic-bags/" target="_blank">Portland Press Herald</a>.</p><p>"Today, we took an important step towards protecting the wildlife and landscapes that support Maine's economy," said Rep. Holly Stover, one of the bill's chief sponsors, in a statement, as the <a href="https://www.pressherald.com/2019/06/17/bill-signing-makes-maine-the-4th-state-to-ban-single-use-plastic-bags/" target="_blank">Portland Press Herald</a> reported. "With the governor's signature on this bill, we will be limiting the plastic bags that enter our coastal waters and protecting the health of our marine life."</p><p>Plastic bag manufacturers argue that this ban will only lead to thicker bags in landfills, according to the <a href="https://www.apnews.com/57b1305f9aa14fb19084de3d795a6973" target="_blank">AP</a>. </p><p>Vermont's bill took that plastic bag manufacturers argument into account in creating its bill that Gov. Phil Scott signed into law on Monday. The Vermont law stops manufacturers from a workaround by banning plastic bags that do not have stitched handles. The stitched handle requirement makes it cost prohibitive for manufacturers, effectively ensuring that carryout bags will be made from cloth or reusable polypropylene, according to <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/06/vermont-adopts-most-comprehensive-single-use-plastics-ban/" target="_blank">National Geographic</a>. </p><p>While the Vermont bill has similar exemptions to the Maine bill, it goes further in several ways, making it the nation's most comprehensive ban on disposable plastics and food packaging. The Vermont law not only prohibits retailers and restaurants from providing customers with single-use carryout bags, but also from providing customers with plastic stirrers and straws, though straws may be provided on request and for people with medical conditions. The law also bans cups, takeout, or other foam food containers made from expanded polystyrene, according to <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/06/vermont-adopts-most-comprehensive-single-use-plastics-ban/" target="_blank">National Geographic</a>. </p><p>"Vermont has now established a national precedent of tackling three of the worst examples of plastic packaging in one sweeping state law," said <a href="https://www.bennington.edu/academics/faculty/judith-enck" target="_blank">Judith Enck</a>, a former EPA regional administrator who heads a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastic-pollution">plastics pollution</a> <a href="https://www.bennington.edu/news-and-features/beyond-plastics-project-launched" target="_blank">initiative</a> at Bennington College, in a statement, as <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/06/vermont-adopts-most-comprehensive-single-use-plastics-ban/" target="_blank">National Geographic</a> reported.</p>
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Maine Becomes First State to Ban Native American Mascots at Public Schools and Universities
17 May 2019
Politics
People march to TCF Bank Stadium to protest against the mascot for the Washington Redskins before the game against the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 2, 2014 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Hannah Foslien / Getty Images
Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill into law Thursday banning public schools or universities in the state from using Native American mascots, names or imagery. Mills' action will make Maine the first state in the nation with such a ban once it goes into effect later this year, The Bangor Daily News reported.
<p>Penobscot Nation Ambassador Maulian Dana told <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/maine-governor-signs-bill-ban-native-american-mascots-63089197" target="_blank">The Associated Press</a> that the law was "a huge step toward trust and respect."</p><p>The news comes a <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/columbus-day-indigenous-peoples-2635852990.html" target="_self">little less than a month</a> after Mills signed another bill replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples' Day.</p>
<div id="01322" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="J9D9H91576664193"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1129343375776329728" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Mills Signs Bill To Make Maine The First State To Ban Native American School Mascots https://t.co/nZ0Y2Txpkb via… https://t.co/UgcYg7Isw9</div> — Maine Public (@Maine Public)<a href="https://twitter.com/MainePublic/statuses/1129343375776329728">1558091417.0</a></blockquote></div><p>The bill's signing also comes around two months after the last Maine public school district to use such a mascot decided to retire it. The Skowhegan school board voted to stop using the "Indians" name and mascot after a debate lasting more than four years, <a href="https://www.pressherald.com/2019/04/30/bill-to-ban-native-american-school-mascots-passes-maine-senate/" target="_blank">The Portland Press Herald reported</a>. At one point, disagreement grew so heated that five police officers were assigned to a school board meeting. While the board's decision left open the possibility the name could be restored by a district-wide referendum, Thursday's bill has now made that impossible.</p><p>Mills had run on a promise to improve the relationship between the state of Maine and the Native American tribes that call it home, including removing offensive mascots, according to The Portland Press Herald.</p><p>Mills' statement on Thursday, reported by The Bangor Daily News, reflected this commitment:</p><blockquote>"While Indian mascots were often originally chosen to recognize and honor a school's unique connection to Native American communities in Maine, we have heard clearly and unequivocally from Maine tribes that they are a source of pain and anguish."<br><br>"A mascot is a symbol of pride, but it is not the source of pride," Mills said. "Our people, communities and understanding and respect for one another are Maine's source of pride, and it is time our symbols reflect that."</blockquote><p>The leadership of the four Wabanaki tribes in Maine–the Penobscot Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Aroostook Band of Micmacs and the Houlton Band of Maliseets–all opposed the Skowhegan mascot and supported the bill, The Portland Press Herald reported.</p><p>"Today and [from] now on, it is our collective responsibility to the next generations to promote each other as equals, as individuals, and most importantly, as neighbors," non-voting Passamaquoddy Tribe representative Rena Newell told The Bangor Daily News.</p><p>While Maine's bill is the first blanket ban by a state of the use of Native American names or mascots by public schools, Mills' office told The Associated Press that California, Oregon and Wisconsin had similar restrictions. California <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-me-pc-redskins-mascot-banned-20151011-story.html" target="_blank">passed a law</a> prohibiting public schools from using the name "Redskins" specifically in 2015. The Oregon Board of Education originally ordered all public schools with Native American names or mascots to change them by 2017, <a href="https://mailtribune.com/news/top-stories/some-oregon-schools-may-be-able-to-keep-tribal-mascots" target="_blank">but later amended the rule</a>, saying the schools could keep the mascots if they secured permission from a federally recognized tribe in the state. Wisconsin <a href="http://www.citypages.com/news/wisconsin-law-allows-indian-mascots-to-be-banned-6534434" target="_blank">passed a law</a> in 2010 allowing the state school superintendent to ban race-based mascots if a resident of a district complained. However, a <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/12/19/scott-walker-indian-mascot_n_4475621.html" target="_blank">new law was passed</a> in 2013 to make it so that a hearing about a mascot could only be triggered if ten percent of a district's student body signed a petition complaining within 120 days.</p>
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Maine became the first state to officially ban single-use Styrofoam cups and containers on Tuesday.
Democratic Maine Governor Janet Mills called the bill an "important step forward in protecting our environment" when she signed it into law, The Associated Press reported.
<p>The <a href="http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/bills_129th/billtexts/HP021301.asp" target="_blank">bill</a> would ban grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, food trucks and other similar businesses from using cups or containers made from polystyrene, otherwise known as Styrofoam, <a href="https://www.pressherald.com/2019/04/30/gov-mills-signs-law-banning-foam-food-and-drink-containers/" target="_blank">The Portland Press Herald reported</a>. The ban will go into effect January 1, 2021 and would not cover hospitals, seafood shippers or vendors of pre-packaged meat.</p><div id="87617" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="61HKMV1576664207"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1123392424720699398" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">🚨Breaking news🚨 Maine has just become the first state in the nation to ban polystyrene foam food containers… https://t.co/wpoayagkmK</div> — Natural Resources Council of Maine (@Natural Resources Council of Maine)<a href="https://twitter.com/NRCMenvironment/statuses/1123392424720699398">1556672600.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>"Maine has proven itself an environmental leader once again, this time in eliminating disposable foam containers that have become a common, costly, and deadly form of plastic pollution," Sustainable Maine Director at the <a href="https://www.nrcm.org/" target="_blank">Natural Resources Council of Maine</a> (NRCM) Sarah Lakeman told the Portland Press Herald.</p><p>Maine is at the head of a growing number of states that are considering bans on the material. Maryland is another early leader: A Styrofoam ban passed its House and Senate in early April with enough votes to override a potential veto from Republican Governor Larry Hogan, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/maryland-styrofoam-food-packaging-ban/" target="_blank">National Geographic reported</a>. As of April 24, Hogan had less than a month to sign the bill, or let it pass into law without a signature, according to <a href="https://uspirg.org/news/usp/several-states-are-just-steps-away-banning-foam-containers" target="_blank">U.S. PIRG</a>. Once it is officially passed, the Maryland bill will enter into effect July 1, 2020, six months ahead of the Maine bill, according to National Geographic.</p><p>Bills to ban foam containers are also close to passing the state legislatures of Colorado, New Jersey and Oregon, U.S. PIRG said. <a href="https://ncel.net/plastic-pollution" target="_blank">The National Caucus of Environmental Legislators counted 11 states</a> in addition to Maine that are considering legislation on polystyrene.</p><div id="e39c2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="2GKIC71576664208"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1123458304120885254" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">"Both Maryland and Maine have passed a ban on styrofoam food containers!
Check out what other states are pursuing… https://t.co/CXh90TEnE6</div> — National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (@National Caucus of Environmental Legislators)<a href="https://twitter.com/ncelenviro/statuses/1123458304120885254">1556688307.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Municipalities and counties moved ahead of the states in restricting the material, among them Seattle, Washington, D.C., Portland, Oregon, New York and San Francisco, National Geographic reported. In both Maine and Maryland, the state bans followed local restrictions, including in Portland, Maine and Maryland's most populous Prince George's and Montgomery counties. In total, more than 150 U.S. cities or regions have banned Styrofoam, <a href="https://www.nrcm.org/maine-environmental-news/maine-first-state-nation-ban-foam-food-containers/" target="_blank">MRCM said in a press release</a>.<br></p><p>Brooke Lierman, a Democrat representing Baltimore in Maryland's House of Delegates, said she introduced legislation banning Styrofoam twice before her third attempt succeeded, in part thanks to a growing movement against plastic pollution.</p><p>"I think we've reached a tipping point," she told National Geographic. "People are seeing how ubiquitous single-use <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/plastics" target="_self">plastics</a> are, that they are not recyclable and never going away. People are beginning to understand the importance of living more sustainably."</p><p>Opponents of the bills in both Maine and Maryland said they would impose higher costs on small businesses.</p><div id="fa723" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="XV2UBG1576664209"><blockquote class="instagram-media"
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<p><br>"These types of issues are better dealt with on a regional or national basis due to unbalanced cost impact it will have on Maine businesses," Maine State Chamber of Commerce lobbyist Ben Gilman told The Associated Press.</p><p>Supporters, on the other hand, see the bans as a way to reduce plastic litter in the environment and in waterways. Baltimore's Mr. Trash Wheel, which collects trash from the harbor, gathers an average of 14,000 Styrofoam containers a month. In Maine, 256 pieces of single-use foam are used a year, but cannot be recycled, MRCM said. Plastic foam containers are also one of the 10 most littered items nationwide.</p>
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Wind farm with solar panels in southern California. 4kodiak / E+ / Getty Images
By Jeff Deyette
Despite the Trump administration's ongoing attempts to prop up coal and undermine renewables—at FERC, EPA and through tariffs and the budget process—2018 should instead be remembered for the surge in momentum toward a clean energy economy. Here are nine storylines that caught my attention this past year and help illustrate the unstoppable advancement of renewable energy and other modern grid technologies.
<h3>1. California Goes All-In for Carbon-Free Electricity</h3><p>In late August, California—the world's 5th largest economy—committed to the target of fully decarbonizing its power sector by 2045. The <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/california_cements_climate_leadership" target="_blank">landmark legislation</a> also strengthens the state's renewable portfolio standard (also known as a renewable energy standard, or RES) from 50 to 60 percent by 2030. What's more, at the bill signing, Governor Jerry Brown signed an <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/adrienne-alvord/even-more-than-100-clean-californias-audacious-net-zero-carbon-challenge" target="_blank">executive order</a> that establishes a goal of achieving carbon-neutrality across all sectors of California's sprawling economy by 2045, cementing the state's place as a global leader in climate action.</p><h3>2. Several States Strengthen Their RES Requirements</h3><p>State-level renewable electricity standards continued to be a primary driver of new renewable energy development in 2018. In addition to California, legislatures in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/12/nyregion/new-jersey-renewable-energy.html" target="_blank">New Jersey</a> (50 percent by 2030), <a href="https://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?Q=603448&A=4965" target="_blank">Connecticut</a> (40 percent by 2030) and <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/john-rogers/massachusetts-2018-clean-energy-bill" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a> (35 percent by 2030) all adopted stronger targets for renewable energy, accelerating their states' transitions away from <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels">fossil fuels</a>. In addition, voters in <a href="https://www.renewableenergyoutlook.com/2018/11/15/nevada-voters-approve-50-renewable-portfolio-standard-by-2030/" target="_blank">Nevada</a> overwhelmingly approved a measure to increase their state's RES to 50 percent by 2030 (the measure must be approved again in 2020 to officially become law).</p><h3>3. Clean Energy Champions Win Gubernatorial Races</h3><p>One of the bright spots in November's election results was the number newly elected governors who campaigned on aggressive clean energy and <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">climate change</a> agendas. Newly elected governors in at least 10 states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico and Wisconsin, have pledged to accelerate clean energy and carbon reductions in their states by supporting U.S. commitments to the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/paris-agreement">Paris agreement</a>, joining the <a href="https://www.usclimatealliance.org/" target="_blank">U.S. Climate Alliance</a> and/or calling for renewable energy targets of 80 to 100 percent. These election results demonstrate the widespread support for greater investments in renewable energy and signal the push for even stronger clean energy policies in the coming year.</p><h3>4. Record Low Prices for Renewables</h3><p>Innovation, growing economies of scale and attractive financing continued to drive the costs down for renewables in 2018. Power purchase agreements for <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wind">wind</a> and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/solar">solar</a> projects in states like Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas have reportedly ranged between $20 to $30 per megawatt-hour, well below the cost of natural gas generation—and the technologies are positioned for further cost reductions to continue to be low-cost options even as federal tax incentives change. What's even more exciting is that the many of these low-priced projects also include energy storage components, increasing their value to the grid.</p>
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<h3>5. Major Utilities Commit to Low-Carbon Portfolios</h3><p>Earlier this month, <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/joseph-daniel/xcel-commits-to-100-carbon-free-energy" target="_blank">Xcel Energy</a> became the first major utility to commit to a completely carbon-free electricity supply across the eight states it operates in. In doing so, it joins a <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/jeremy-richardson/utilities-look-toward-a-clean-energy-future-yet-the-administration-keeps-looking-back" target="_blank">growing number of utilities</a> that are committing to phasing out their use of coal and transitioning to substantially lower carbon energy portfolios. Also this year, both <a href="https://www.apnews.com/f876e5b74bc941fcadea30a99760aa59" target="_blank">Consumers Energy</a> in Michigan and <a href="https://nawindpower.com/indianas-nipsco-plots-coal-phaseout-transition-to-renewables" target="_blank">NIPSCO</a> in northern Indiana announced plans to phase out coal generation and utility giant <a href="https://www.powermag.com/aep-american-power-giant-sets-goal-to-slash-carbon-emissions-80-by-2050/" target="_blank">American Electric Power</a> announced a goal of reducing its carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050. What's especially exciting about these utility actions is that they are <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/sam-gomberg/trump-clean-energy" target="_blank">driven primarily by economics</a>, clearly demonstrating the competitiveness of clean energy technologies.</p><h3>6. Corporate Renewable Energy Purchases Keep Growing</h3><p>Low renewable energy prices continue to attract major corporations looking to save money and achieve ambitious <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sustainability">sustainability</a> goals. As a result, direct corporate purchases of renewable energy have become a major driver of renewable energy deployment. In 2018, the Rocky Mountain Institute <a href="https://rmi.org/press-release/corporate-renewable-energy-procurement-continues-to-break-records-in-2018/" target="_blank">reports,</a> corporate renewable energy purchases—led by companies like Facebook, Walmart, ATT and Microsoft—reached more than 6.4 gigawatts (GW). The <a href="https://www.rmi.org/our-work/electricity/brc-business-renewables-center/" target="_blank">number of corporations</a> investing in renewables expanded at a record pace this year as well, with nearly two-thirds of Fortune 100 and nearly half of Fortune 500 companies now having set ambitious renewable energy goals.</p><h3>7. Offshore Wind Moves Forward</h3>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTA0NTM3Ny9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyMTIzNDE0N30.RlIl9Xnj7vZN7eXZ1QHJBJ4L53CBh31jzs7OBcTRPuQ/img.jpg?width=980" id="75b83" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0d7ba97e1e4be27bc1bcb37140ad7ada" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Kim Hansen / Wikimedia Commons</small></p>
<p>While no new <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/offshore-wind">offshore wind</a> projects came online in the U.S. this year (the next project—off the Virginia coast—is scheduled for 2020), the industry did take some big leaps toward becoming a major player in the nation's power supply. For example, the <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/john-rogers/low-price-offshore-wind-massachusetts" target="_blank">winning bid</a> for Massachusetts' first request for offshore wind proposals to help meet the state's offshore wind requirements passed in 2016 went to an 800-megawatt project from Vineyard Wind at a shockingly low price of about 6.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. In addition, the latest U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/derrick-jackson/auction-sets-america-on-course-for-offshore-wind" target="_blank">auction</a> for leasing parcels of water for future projects resulted in 11 bidders and $405.1 million in winning bids, both smashing previous records. And strong state policies, including <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/john-rogers/offshore-wind-massachusetts-rhode-island-new-jersey" target="_blank">new offshore wind requirements in New Jersey</a> and elsewhere, mean that there's a lot more action to come.</p><h3>8. Storage Steps Into the Spotlight</h3>
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<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xOTA0NTM4NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNTAwNTg5N30.omEye9FYOO3TjOiWQPO-XImBKe0VJ1zpdcEeUfHDWW4/img.jpg?width=980" id="7f379" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7046e6104690287c1e001ebc573fbec9" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Lithium-ion batteries for advanced energy storage</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Argonne National Laboratory / Flickr</small></p>
<p>Once a fringe player in the electric power sector, the energy storage industry is quickly emerging as a game changer in the transition to a clean energy economy as a tool for integrating much higher levels of renewable energy. In 2018, the pipeline for new storage projects doubled to nearly 33 GW as more utilities are investing in the technology thanks largely <a href="https://www.lazard.com/perspective/levelized-cost-of-energy-and-levelized-cost-of-storage-2018/" target="_blank">rapidly falling prices</a> and growing support from state policies. While California has led the nation in storage deployment to date, <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/new-york-psc-sets-states-energy-storage-target-at-3-gw-by-2030/544371/" target="_blank">New York</a> recently established the strongest storage requirement in the country at 3,000 MW by 2030. Earlier this year, <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/new-jersey-sets-aggressive-target-2-gw-by-2030-for-energy-storage/524422/" target="_blank">New Jersey</a> set an ambitious storage target of 2,000 MW by 2030 and <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/john-rogers/massachusetts-2018-clean-energy-bill" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a> significantly increased its storage requirement to 1,000 megawatt-hours by 2025. At the federal level, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ferc-order-opens-floodgates-for-energy-storage-in-wholesale-markets/517326/" target="_blank">Order 841</a>, which directs regional grid operators to set market rules that allow energy storage to participate on a level playing field in the wholesale energy, capacity and <a href="https://www.logicenergy.com/what-are-ancillary-services-and-why-do-power-grids-need-them/" target="_blank">ancillary services</a> markets.</p><h3>9. PG&E Turns Down the Gas With Storage and Renewables</h3><p>In one particular sign of what's to come in 2019 and beyond in terms of how these technologies fit together to displace fossil fuels, one of the most exciting <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/storage-will-replace-3-california-gas-plants-as-pge-nabs-approval-for-worl/541870/" target="_blank">regulatory decisions</a> I saw this year was the California Public Utility Commission's approval of PG&E's plan to use energy storage to replace retiring gas generators. One of the key barriers to fully transitioning to a carbon-free economy is replacing natural gas generation and the ancillary services they provide to the power grid. This decision, which marks the first time a utility will directly replace power plants with <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/battery-storage/">battery storage</a>, should spur <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-energy/ca-and-western-states/turning-down-gas" target="_blank">many more similar projects</a> to move forward in California and across the country and open the door for integrating much higher levels of renewable energy onto the power grid.</p><p>These nine stories are just a sampling of what occurred in 2018 to further the clean energy transition. As the year comes to a close, UCS will continue to work hard to keep up the clean energy momentum in 2019.</p>
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</p><div id="5dfb0" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="EBO0FK1576662462"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="952909011506139136" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">All Renewables Will Be Cost Competitive With Fossil Fuels by 2020 https://t.co/QectZLGqOF #renewables @350… https://t.co/9rc89HJlCz</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/952909011506139136">1516026187.0</a></blockquote></div>
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<p><em>Jeff Deyette is the director of state policy and analysis at the <a href="https://blog.ucsusa.org/jeff-deyette/9-clean-energy-stories-from-2018" target="_blank">Union of Concerned Scientists</a>.</em><br></p>
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The Portland Head Lighthouse in South Portland, Maine. traveler1116 / Getty Images
The city of South Portland, Maine has won an important victory in a three-year legal battle to stop a pipeline company from offloading tar sands crude oil on its waterfront, after a judge ruled Friday that the city's ordinance against the activity was constitutional, The Portland Press Herald reported.
Portland Pipe Line Corp. had wanted to reverse the flow of its pipeline from South Portland to Montreal as demand for foreign crude fell and Canadian tar sands production took off, but the city council blocked that move with a "Clear Skies" ordinance in 2014.
<p style="">"Faced with the prospect of hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil being loaded onto marine tank vessels in the city and threatening the health of the residents and preventing redevelopment of the waterfront, the City Council prohibited this new activity," South Portland Mayor Linda Cohen said in a statement reported by The Portland Press Herald. "We are pleased that the court upheld the ordinance."</p><p style="">Portland Pipe Line Corp. had argued the ordinance was unconstitutional, saying it violated the Dormant Commerce and Foreign Commerce clauses of the Constitution that give Congress the power to regulate international and interstate trade, but U.S. District Court Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. ruled that was not the case.</p><p style="">The company could still decide to appeal the ruling, but environmental law experts think the case could serve as a model for other communities standing up to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/big-oil" target="_self">big oil</a>.</p><p style="">"For other communities looking at opposing <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/fossil-fuels" target="_self">fossil fuel</a> infrastructure, this case is a blueprint for how you should do it," Vermont Law School environmental law professor Patrick Parenteau told <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/28082018/tar-sands-pipeline-court-ruling-south-portland-ban-public-health-constitutional-big-oil-maine" target="_blank">Inside Climate News</a>. "It's a strong opinion, and it could result in a really significant precedent for local control on petroleum-based industries."</p><p style="">South Portland was in part able to pass the ordinance because Maine has a "home rule authority" that allows municipalities to go beyond state law to protect their communities' health and well-being. </p><p style="">Fellow Vermont Law School professor Ken Rumelt told Inside Climate News that the ruling was "a powerful tool" for other communities. "It says that a community, assuming there is no state law preempting what they're trying to do, can say no, we don't want to suffer these impacts," he said.</p><p style="">The pipeline company, a Canadian subsidiary of <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/exxon" target="_self">ExxonMobil</a>, <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/shell" target="_self">Shell</a> and Suncor Energy, first sued to stop the ordinance in 2015, according to The Portland Press Herald. </p><p style="">Friday's decision came after a four-day trial in June, in which the company argued that there were almost no new foreign deliveries to the port and that their survival as a business depended on reversing the pipeline. </p><p style="">The city council, meanwhile, partly passed the ordinance because the company's pipeline-reversal plan included two 70-foot-high smokestacks near a waterfront park that would have emitted pollutants while burning compounds off of the crude before loading it into tankers.</p><p style="">Supporters of the ordinance also said that tar sands oil was more dangerous to load onto tankers and move through <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pipelines" target="_self">pipelines</a>, and more difficult to clean up in the case of an <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oil-spill" target="_self">oil spill</a>, The Portland Press Herald reported.</p>
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</p><div id="b753d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7LL1FJ1576662660"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="998883711574855680" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Environmental Groups Vow to Block Tar Sands Oil Project: 'We Are Going to Not Allow Kinder Morgan to Finish This Pi… https://t.co/5Wy9wUQe81</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/998883711574855680">1526987409.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Seal #108, left, and a small pup named "Premie" swim up to the edge of their pool for their 3 p.m. feeding at the Marine Mammals of Maine rehabilitation center on Aug. 14. Brianna Soukup / Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
Researchers think a mysterious die-off of seals along the Maine coast could be linked to chemical pollution, the Portland Press Herald reported Sunday.
More than 400 dead or stranded seals have washed up on the Maine coast so far this year, more than in any of the past seven years, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) statistics.
<p>The immediate cause of the die-off is not yet known, but marine biologist Susan Shaw told the Portland Press Herald it could be related to toxic <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/chemicals" target="_self">chemicals</a> like polychlorinated biphenyl (<a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pcbs" target="_self">PCB</a>), which are found in high quantities in Maine harbor seals and make it harder for marine mammals to fight off disease. </p><p>"We find this in young animals. They are immune-suppressed from birth," she said. "When some pathogen comes along like this, they are very susceptible to becoming very sick and dying very quickly."</p><p>[<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/seal-rescue-video-plastic-consumption-2589865270.html" target="_self"><em>Watch seals being rescued in Ireland</em>.</a>]</p><p>More than 130 seal deaths have been reported in Maine in the past 30 days, and the die-off is spreading south, with 26 dead seals reported in New Hampshire and Massachusetts in July and 25 in August so far, <a href="https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/Researchers-Continue-Investigation-on-Sudden-Deaths-of-Maine-Seals-491100431.html" target="_blank">NBC Boston reported Aug. 17</a>.</p><p>"It's significantly more than we should expect to see for those states this time of year," NOAA greater Atlantic regional spokesperson Jennifer Goebel said. "We aren't seeing any external injuries. There have been reports of coughing, sneezing, and lung issues."</p><p>NOAA researchers are testing to see if Avian flu or phocine distemper might be the culprits. Initial results should be ready this week.</p><p>Out of concerns the die-off might be caused by an infectious disease, NOAA has asked the non-profit <a href="https://mmome.org/" target="_blank">Marine Mammals of Maine</a> (MMoME) to stop taking in live, stranded seals out of fear of infecting healthy animals. </p><p>Before the order, the group was rehabilitating some of the still-living seals at their Harpswell, Maine center.</p><p>MMoME has been on the front lines of the mysterious, lethal event, responding to 100 dead seals on the beaches south of Portland and in Casco Bay just last week, MMoME Executive Director Lynda Doughty told the Portland Press Herald. </p><p>Doughty said that spring and summer are typically dangerous times for seals, since young animals are trying to survive on their own for the first time, adults are molting and they are more likely to be struck by boats. But Maine usually sees around 38 dead seals in August, Goebel told NBC Boston, not more than 100.</p><p>"Having a hundred since Sunday is not normal," Doughty told the Portland Press Herald. "For us, July seemed to be pretty steady. Once August hit our numbers kept rising, rising, rising."</p>
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</p><div id="97375" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="RZZ4C91576663122"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="847990697126920193" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Fast and Furious Star Joins Sea Shepherd to Show Impact of Climate Change on Baby Seals https://t.co/fMTJ0OUm2c @1World1Ocean</div> — EcoWatch (@EcoWatch)<a href="https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/847990697126920193">1491011711.0</a></blockquote></div>
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Maine Gov. Claims Wind Turbines Hurt State Tourism, But He Supports Offshore Drilling Expansion
26 January 2018
Energy
Mars Hill Wind Farm in Maine. Wikimedia Commons
Gov. Paul R. LePage, who once called wind power a "boutique energy source," has placed a moratorium on permits for most new wind energy projects in Maine, saying it could harm the state's tourism.
As it happens, LePage, a Republican, is the sole Atlantic Coast governor who favors the Trump administration's proposal to open nearly all of America's coastal waters to offshore oil and gas drilling.
<p>
Ironically, the Trump administration <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/florida-offshore-drilling-2524181063.html">exempted</a> Florida from the offshore drilling expansion for practically the same reason that LePage wants to ban new wind turbines—that it could drive tourists away.
</p><p>
Gov. Rick Scott warned that a spill from drilling operations would devastate Florida's tourism industry. "For Florida, we have to remember we are a tourism state. One out of every six jobs in our state is tied to tourism. So, I oppose offshore drilling," the Republican told <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FoxNews/videos/10156515441736336/" target="_blank">Fox News</a>.
</p><p>
Sure, tourism is big in Florida, accounting for about 12 percent of the state's gross domestic product. But tourism is also big in Maine, making up about 10 percent of the state's economy, as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-offshore-drilling-tourism/not-just-florida-tourism-big-in-other-states-opposing-coastal-drilling-idUSKBN1F51ES" target="_blank">Reuters</a> pointed out. Tourism <a href="https://www.pressherald.com/2017/03/15/maine-tourism-economy-continues-growth-in-2016/" target="_blank">also employs</a> one out of every six jobs in Maine.
</p><p>
LePage's executive order also creates a commission to review wind energy projects in the state and to review the impact of wind farms on the state's economy. The moratorium will stay until the commission releases a report on its findings.
</p><p>
"I am placing a moratorium on issuing any new permits related to wind turbines until this Commission studies the economic impact that such development would have on tourism in Maine," the governor said Wednesday of his executive order. "Tourism, especially returning visitors, is a major driver for the Maine economy. We cannot afford to damage our natural assets in ways that would deter visitors from returning to Maine."
</p><p>
LePage's move is a blow to Maine's wind energy industry that has boomed under the governor's tenure. The windy state is New England's largest generator of wind energy and has the most wind turbines in the region. In 2017, wind energy generated <a href="http://widgetsanddigits.bangordailynews.com/2017/04/05/economy/wind-power-is-almost-one-fourth-of-maine-power-generation/" target="_blank">about 20 percent</a> of Maine's power, up from 4 percent in 2011, when LePage took office. At the same time, tourism in Maine has grown for the <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/maine/articles/2017-03-16/report-maine-tourism-industry-revenue-grew-to-6b-in-2016" target="_blank">fourth straight year in 2016</a>.
</p><p>
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat from Maine, tweeted that "since 2009, Maine's Fox Islands have been powered by a three turbine wind farm. Meanwhile, tourism to Vinalhaven and North Haven continues to grow annually."
</p><p>
The <a href="https://www.pressherald.com/2018/01/24/lepage-imposes-moratorium-on-new-wind-energy-permits/" target="_blank">Portland Press Herald</a> also reported:
</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">
"Maine's governor announced the moratorium one day before Massachusetts regulators are expected to announce the initial round of winners of a bidding competition to supply huge amounts of renewable energy to the Bay State. With several Maine-based wind projects vying for the lucrative contract, both supporters and critics of LePage's action said the executive order appeared timed to send a message to Massachusetts about the prospects for new wind projects in the state.
</p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">
"'This is an attempt to thwart billions of dollars of investment that is looking at Maine,' Jeremy Payne, executive director of the Maine Renewable Energy Association, said in an interview. 'What kind of a message are we sending to the world here when the governor is able to decide without any statutory authority to wreck a billion-dollar industry?"
</p><p>
In addition to the executive order, LePage plans to introduce legislation to amend the laws governing expedited permitting for wind energy development.
</p><p>
<span></span>"Current law is too ambitious and overly permissive in areas of the state where we must protect our scenic vistas. While I believe that some expedited permitting for wind is appropriate, my bill will implement constraints on where expedited development can occur to protect our tourism-based economy," he said.
</p><p>
But congresswoman Pingree countered, "As New England's largest generator of wind energy, Maine must continue to grow jobs in this sector and reduce <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/greenhouse-gases">greenhouse gases</a>, which are causing <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change">climate change</a> and doing very real damage to our state's fishing, lobstering, and tourism industries."
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</p><div id="e6259" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="RUT2C61576683858"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="956253788012204032" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Since 2009, Maine’s Fox Islands have been powered by a three turbine wind farm. Meanwhile, tourism to Vinalhaven an… https://t.co/X1METxBVK7</div> — Chellie Pingree (@Chellie Pingree)<a href="https://twitter.com/chelliepingree/statuses/956253788012204032">1516823644.0</a></blockquote></div>
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This lucky seal pup was rescued from a Maine highway. Would you know what to do if you found an ocean animal in trouble? National Marine Life Center
By Amy McDermott
At 5 a.m. one morning last spring, a baby seal wandered into the sleepy town of Bar Harbor, Maine. The little pup waddled off the beach and onto the highway. Locals called the police. The police called Rosemary Seton.
<p>"They said, we have a seal pup in the middle of the road," Seton remembered, laughing. "The police were with it, they said they were keeping it safe, but they were in the middle of the road."</p><p style="">Seton is on speed dial when seals turn up sick or lost in Maine. She's a trained first responder for marine mammals in trouble, with the <a href="https://www.coa.edu/allied-whale/" target="_blank">Allied Whale Marine Mammal Research Lab</a>, at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor. When the police called, Seton headed to work. Never mind that it was the crack of dawn, and her birthday, Seton helped wrangle the middle-of-the-road pup, and drove it three hours south, to <a href="https://mmome.org/">Marine Mammals of Maine</a> in Bath, the state's <a href="https://mmome.org/mmome-triage-center/" target="_blank">only medical facility</a> for such strandings.</p><p style="">Seton knew how to handle that situation. Saving wildlife is her job. But she can't be everywhere at once. She relies on the public to report sick-looking animals. Everyone has a role to play for stranded ocean wildlife. Even beachcombers can help. Just keep a distance, and know who to call.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzExNTYyMS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMzIwODczN30.aQdl8cpv5TKGegMQI6kwAurmqg2LF8nxElMr2InHjIg/img.jpg?width=980" id="dc4e1" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="04edf8bc6399aeaeeb9e3f6e67eb3120" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Far from the middle of a Maine road, the pup Rosealind Franklin makes her way back to sea from a Massachusetts beach.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">National Marine Life Center</small></p><p style=""><strong>Make a Move</strong></p><p style="">Imagine finding a distressed animal on the beach. You've probably seen a sick seabird at some point, huddled on the wet sand, unmoving but alive. What should you do? </p><p style="">Don't just gawk, said Michelle Bellizzi, the response services manager for <a href="https://www.bird-rescue.org/" target="_blank">International Bird Rescue</a> in Fairfield, California. "Birds that live out in the ocean, if they end up on the beach, they're probably in trouble," she said. Grab a phone, and call a wildlife rehabilitation center.</p><p style=""><a href="http://www.nwrawildlife.org/?page=Find_A_Rehabilitator" target="_blank">Use the National Wildlife Rehabilitator's Association</a> to find facilities and telephone numbers in the U.S. When you call, the center may ask you to go get the bird. "Most wildlife rehabs run on volunteer power," Bellizzi explained. "We don't have the funding to go out and pick up animals. We rely on people to bring the animals to us." If that's the case, Bellizzi suggested tossing a towel or shirt over the bird before picking it up, to avoid its sharp bill and claws.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzExNDc3NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1NjEwNjA0NH0.sN4DaHuqwCLfGsCpFFqW6wvF7HFc20YyWordOJFBlKs/img.jpg?width=980" id="400c6" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e42159488873ad2e6a0fd5f02fe0ae2e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">A patient is released in Northern California, after it was rescued, covered in oil.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">International Bird Rescue</small></p><p style="">Never approach a whale, dolphin, seal or sea lion. Marine mammals are legally protected. It's <a href="http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/mmpa/" target="_blank">against the law</a> to mess with them, even if you're trying to help. Seals and sea lions come ashore for a variety of reasons, and sometimes they're not sick at all. Seals need help, Seton said, when they're obviously injured or in distress. The best thing to do if you see a marine mammal that doesn't look quite right, is to call a stranding center, she added. Google the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's national stranding network for a <a href="http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/health/report.htm" target="_blank">list of centers</a> and telephone numbers across the U.S. In 2016, the network responded to more than 2,500 strandings across the country, according to their national database.</p><p style="">Seton's lab is part of that network. Allied Whale gets about 130 calls a year, she said, as one of two Maine organizations that responds to beached marine mammals. "We look after midcoast up to Canada, with our dented coastline and islands," Seton said. Coastal states each have their own sets of first responders. If there's no stranding center close by, animal control, police, fire departments, the coast guard, lifeguards or the harbormaster are good starting points too. Having contact numbers on hand is one of the best ways you can prepare to help a beached animal in trouble, said Jennifer Dittmar, who oversees animal rescue at the <a href="http://aqua.org/" target="_blank">National Aquarium</a> in Baltimore.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzExNDc3NS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MzUzODY0M30.APNsZv0W1CJqM6oJJ3eI4l6cuYFzbmbLwi5Ehte1oE4/img.jpg?width=980" id="587ee" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="6ad2d01f4c6983fec0a0f6a04990d509" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Rufus, a premature harbor seal pup, covered in his lanugo, a birth coat normally shed in the womb. He was rescued in Maine in 2005.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Allied Whale Marine Mammal Research Lab, College of the Atlantic</small></p><p style=""><strong>Seal the Deal</strong></p><p>When a call comes in, Seton hops in the truck. If a seal is far up the coast, she sometimes asks the caller to keep an eye on it until help arrives. Good Samaritans occasionally overstep. "One woman, she brought a seal in and put it on her bathroom floor," Seton remembered, chuckling. "I just said, you really need to disinfect your floor."</p><p style="">Once Seton gets to a pup, if it needs help, she "makes a seal burrito" by carefully wrapping a towel around the animal, and folding in its flippers. She drives rescues down to Marine Mammals of Maine, where they get a checkup. From there, seals go to the <a href="http://nmlc.org/" target="_blank">National Marine Life Center</a> in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, or to the <a href="http://www.mysticaquarium.org/" target="_blank">Mystic Aquarium</a> in Connecticut for rehabilitation.</p><p style="">As for the pup in the middle of the road, she returned to the ocean last October, after a stay at the National Marine Life Center. In Massachusetts, the pup got a clean bill of health and a new name, "Rosealind Franklin," after the often-overlooked chemist whose research led to the discovery of DNA's molecular structure.</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image" style="">
<img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8xNzExNTA5MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NjYyNTk3Mn0.lQjS1ObXdki8tZwl_Zk7B2PIJUIYn94ZYR-_rVYyiH4/img.jpg?width=980" id="c63e2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="49fe325d5edbe72605af71ed6d4b3b3c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image">
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="add caption...">Rosemary Seton monitoring the middle-of-the-road pup on the beach.</small><small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="add photo credit...">Allied Whale Marine Mammal Research Lab, College of the Atlantic</small></p><p style="">Seal pups and other stranded wildlife have a lifeline in wildlife rescuers and rehabilitators. You can help them too, Seton said, by knowing who to call. "If you see a seal," she explained, "instead of feeling helpless, at least you've got some tools in your toolkit."</p>
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