North Haven and Vinalhaven Wind Project

"On July 28, members of the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative approved the wind power project by a vote of 383 to 5. 'It was a huge vote of confidence by the co-op in the wind power project,' said Dr. George Baker.

'We were extremely pleased,' said Chip Farrington, the co-op's interim general manager. 'It makes the project that much more exciting when you have that much support.'

As soon as the vote was held, Dr. George Baker was on the phone trying to track down turbines. 'Because turbines are in such short supply, anyone who has one only wants to sell them to people who are bona fide,' Baker said. 'All of a sudden, we're bonna fide.'

Baker had been on sabbatical from his post as a professor of the Harvard Business School, advising the co-op.

The next step is for the co-op board of directors to vote on creating a limited liability company (LLC), which would run the wind power project. This form of business organization is needed in order to finance the project, Baker said. As an LLC, the wind power project could enlist passive tax investors and would be eligible for federal tax credits that the co-op could not use, he said."

- Working Waterfront

East Boothbay Boatyard Operating Again

"Penni Barbeau removes her welding helmet and tugs off heavy canvas gloves as she steps out from under a fire-scorched hull at the Washburn & Doughty boatyard. After weeks of doing cleanup, painting and odd jobs in the wake of a devastating July 11 fire, Barbeau is glad to be back to her welding duties.

'As fast as it's been, it's been a surprise,' Barbeau said of the recovery efforts at East Boothbay's largest employer. 'It's been a lot of hard work by people here.'

Two months after the fire, Washburn & Doughty has an almost-full complement of about 90 employees working on tugboats, even as subcontractors continue to clear debris and rebuild facilities so workers can be indoors this winter."

- Portland Press Herald

Acadia visitor count up in 2007

"ACADIA NATIONAL PARK -- Acadia National Park had 2.2 million visitors last year $ an increase from 2006 but still below the highs set in the mid-1990s.

According park officials, last year's visitor count was up from just under 2.1 million in 2006 and was the highest total since 2004.

But it was still well below the 2.8 million people who visited the park in 1995.

Acadia National park is located on Mount Desert Island in eastern Maine, with parkland also located on Schoodic Peninsula and Isle au Haut."

- MaineToday.com

Greater Fishing Limits

"Maine's commercial fishermen expect yet another round of painful limits on their catches in the wake of a new scientific status report on New England's fish populations.

A federal report presented to fisheries managers last week said that although some fish species such as haddock and cod are healthy or rebounding, others – including most varieties of flounder – are still declining and severely depleted.

It was the first comprehensive look at 19 so-called groundfish species in four years.

State officials and members of Maine's struggling fishing industry said Monday there is no doubt that a new round of federal fishing cuts is coming for next spring.

'This is just plain bad news,' said Terry Stockwell, deputy commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

'The difficulty for the industry is that they've done what's been asked of them. They fished fewer days at sea, used bigger mesh, stayed out of certain areas, and all of these measures haven't resulted in a healthy fishery. It's extremely frustrating.':

New England's groundfish fishery is the oldest in the nation and was once the bedrock of Maine's coastal economy.

It now supports a compact fleet of boats and a collection of Portland-based businesses – including the city-owned Fish Exchange – that service the fleet. .... more

- Portland Press Herald