News & Press
Lumber Liquidators stock plunges on revised CDC report citing cancer concerns
Lumber Liquidators’ stock plunged when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people exposed to certain types of the company’s laminate flooring were three times more likely to get cancer than the agency previously predicted. The CDC said that in its original report, last year, had used an incorrect value for ceiling height. It… Read more »
Happy Holidays: Senate Bill Won’t Protect Children from Imported Toxic Toys
Last night, the U.S. Senate passed legislation by unanimous consent to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976. The bill must be reconciled with a much different bill approved in June by the U.S. House of Representatives, before final TSCA reform can become law. Mike Belliveau, Executive Director of Environmental Health Strategy Center,… Read more »
Plants to Products: Our View
“Yes, there are communities in Maine still reeling from recent plant closures, and no, biobased is not an overnight solution. Yet, biobased manufacturing is a unique economic development strategy for Maine. It can create good manufacturing jobs, use natural resources sustainably, respond to global demand and reduce our reliance on petroleum.” Read the full article… Read more »
Patricia Aho, Maine’s top environmental official, is stepping down
‘“The commissioner was often a cautious voice of reason in an administration that was otherwise very hostile to public health protections,” Belliveau said. “We didn’t always agree (with Aho), but she didn’t always call the shots. The governor’s office did. … We were often critical of decisions made under her leadership, but we also cooperated… Read more »
Bipartisan Legislators: What’s the State’s Plan for Protecting Rural Maine Families from Arsenic Poisoning?
Augusta, ME – A bipartisan group of Maine legislators sent a letter to Commissioner Mary Mayhew of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday morning, requesting that the Department announce a plan of action within 30 days to protect Maine children from exposure to arsenic and other toxic chemicals from drinking water… Read more »
Our View: State Inaction on Arsenic Tests Puts Mainers at Risk
“With 150,000 Maine residents potentially drinking hazardous water from untested wells, the state could have used both funding sources to spread awareness and increase the testing rate. Instead, they’ll get neither, with the administration saying that the work will continue under existing resources. If the governor has a plan for completing the same level of… Read more »
Failure to Reapply Spells End to Federal Funding for Well Tests
Statewide, 150,000 people could be drinking from wells with higher concentrations of arsenic than those allowed by the federal government in public drinking water, according to a Dartmouth College study. Despite these alarming figures, the LePage administration continues to work against efforts to improve testing and provide necessary education to Mainer’s state-wide. Emma Halas-O’Connor, a… Read more »
Letter to the editor: Maine is well-positioned to lead in biobased products
Everyone in Maine agrees we need good jobs, and this article correctly highlights one industry with great potential – biobased manufacturing. “Biobased” means making products, materials and fuels out of plants instead of petroleum. In Maine, this means using our abundant biomass from forest, farm and sea. With business members like Grow-Tech, and other members… Read more »
Home Depot Says It Will Phase Out Chemical Used in Vinyl Flooring
Facing pressure from consumer groups, Home Depot said it would discontinue use of a potentially harmful chemical in its vinyl flooring by the end of the year. The retailer is asking about a half-dozen suppliers to phase out their use of ortho-phthalates, according to Stephen Holmes, a spokesman. Most of Home Depot’s flooring does not… Read more »
Groups Push to Add Pregnant Women in Chemical Reviews
AUGUSTA — Frustrated by the LePage administration’s handling of a toxics law, environmental and public health groups are pushing to require that the state consider pregnant women when reviewing and regulating products containing potentially harmful chemicals. Maine Department of Environmental Protection officials, however, warned that provisions of the bill would create a financial and administrative… Read more »